Men's Soccer Looks to Bounce Back Sunday Against Visiting Drake

Sunday, August 27

XU Soccer Complex

5 PM

Xavier University

Drake

Men's Soccer Looks to Bounce Back Sunday Against Visiting Drake

08.26.17 | Men's Soccer

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Musketeers fell in overtime on opening night despite out-shooting Loyola Chicago

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's soccer looks to rebound from an opening night loss when the Musketeers host Drake on Sunday evening at XU Soccer Complex.

First touch is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will follow a home match for the XU women's soccer team at 1 p.m.

The Musketeers are coming off an 8-8-3 campaign a year ago. XU has seven starters back and returns 19 letterwinners overall after reaching the BIG EAST Quarterfinals and earning results against three ranked teams in 2016.

THE OPPONENT

2017 Home Opener
vs. DRAKE BULLDOGS
Match Info: Sunday, Aug. 27 – 5 p.m. – XU Soccer Complex
2016 Record: 6-12-1, 2-5-1 Missouri Valley Conference
Postseason: MVC Tournament Quarterfinals

Notable:
• XU plays a second straight opponent from the MVC to open the regular season, meeting the Bulldogs at home.
• This year's meeting will be the first between the two programs.

PROMOTIONS

YOUTH JERSEY DAY: Kids 8th grade & under get in free wearing their youth team jersey.
SOCCER CARNIVAL: Inflatables, games & activities for kids.
CAMPER REUNION: Andy Fleming Soccer Camp participants receive free admission.
POST-GAME AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Kids 8th grade & under can get autographs from the team following the game.
STUDENT GIVEAWAY: Pizza in the student section at halftime!

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier took a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute off a goal by Cam Taylor, but Loyola equalized in the 64th minute and won on a golden goal to escape with a win in the 2017 season opener at XU Soccer Complex.
• XU dropped to 3-3-2 in its last eight openers with the result.
• The Musketeers outshot Loyola 12-11 and had a 7-2 edge in corners.
• Taylor's goal was the third of his career.
• Jacob Goodall assisted on Taylor's score, launching a corner kick into the box for his first career assist.

CORY COLLECTS ACCOLADES

Senior defender Cory Brown, a native of Nelson, New Zealand, has collected an impressive list of awards during the preseason:

BROWN'S 2017 PRESEASON HONORS
• MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
• Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year (second straight season)
• Unanimous selection to Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
• Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI Second Team
• College Soccer News Preseason All-America Second Team
• No. 13 on Top Drawer Soccer list of best players in college soccer

PRESEASON WRAP-UP

• Xavier ended the 2017 preseason with a 1-1-1 record, including a 3-0 win over Marian (Ind.) and a 1-1 draw against ACC foe Duke.
• In the result against Duke, XU outshot the Blue Devils 15-6 and had a 12-5 edge in corners.
• Matt Vasquenza scored goals in all three preseason games after scoring in each of the Musketeers' spring matches as well, giving him a goal in nine straight exhibitions.

WHAT'S BACK

• Xavier returns 19 letterwinners and seven starters from last season's team, including its leading scorer in Matt Vasquenza and top defender in Cory Brown.
• The roster consists of eight freshmen, 10 sophomores, seven juniors and four seniors. 10 of those players are newcomers to the roster, including transfers Sean Wilson (UNC) and Simen Hestnes (LIU Brooklyn).
• XU's leading scorer in 2016, Matt Vasquenza brings back 17 career goals and should reach the top-10 in program history with another productive season.
• XU's typically-balanced offense saw 11 players record an assist or score a goal last season. Seven players who contributed points last season return to this year's roster, although senior Matt Nance (3g, 4a) will miss the season with an injury.
• The senior class of Cory Brown, Matt Vasquenza, Matt Nance and Josh Grant have led the team to a 35-20-6 (.623) record since 2014.
• The Musketeers bring back 59.3 percent (16-of-27) of their scoring and 59.8 percent (52-of-87) of their points.

HOLES TO FILL

• Midfielders Jalen Brown and Majed Osman departed after combining for 107 shots and eight goals last season. Both offensive weapons made 19 starts and leave big shoes to fill in the Musketeer midfield.
• Another midfielder, Walker Andriot, transferred to Louisville for his final season of eligibility after contributing a goal and three assists in 19 starts last season.
• Longtime stalwart Todd Pratzner graduated after making 70 career starts at center back for XU.
• In addition to player turnover, XU has an entirely new look on the sidelines with David Costa, Kevin Reiman and Jamie Starr all new additions to the coaching staff. Starr returns to XU as goalkeepers coach after spending over a year with the USL club FC Cincinnati.

BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL

1. Providence (9) – 81 pts.
2. Creighton (1) – 70
3. Butler – 68
4. Villanova – 52
5. Georgetown – 46
6. Xavier – 45
7. Marquette – 30
8. St. John's – 27
9. DePaul – 21
10. Seton Hall – 10

First place votes in ( )

BIG EAST PRESEASON HONORS

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Mac Steeves, Providence, RS-Sr., F *

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Cory Brown, Xavier, Sr., D *

Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
JT Marcinkowski, Georgetown, Jr. *

2017 Men's Soccer Preseason All-BIG EAST #
Ricky Lopez-Espin, Creighton, Sr., F
Mac Steeves, Providence, RS-Sr., F
Harry Cooksley, St. John's, So., F ^
Lewis Suddick, Butler, So., M
Jared Timmer, Butler, Jr., M
Christopher Lema, Georgetown, Sr., M
Luka Prpa, Marquette, So., M
Andreas Bartosinksi, Villanova, Sr., M
Lucas Stauffer, Creighton, Jr., D
Mark Jecewiz, Providence, RS-Jr., D
Cory Brown, Xavier, Sr., D ^
JT Marcinkowski, Georgetown, Jr., GK

AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE

• Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the last seven seasons.
• The Musketeers have won 10 or more matches in six of the last seven seasons.
• Xavier is the only program in the nation with five consecutive major conference awards, including 2016 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Cory Brown.
• XU has qualified for four consecutive BIG EAST Championships, including a trip to the title game in 2014.
• XU has been ranked in the nation's top-10 three times in the last five years. by the NSCAA.
• In 2015, XU knocked off the national No. 1 (Creighton) and No. 2 (Notre Dame) on the road last season. The Musketeers are widely believed to be the first program to ever knock off both a No. 1 and a No. 2 on the road in the same season.
• Three XU players have been selected in the MLS SuperDraft in the last six years, including 2017 second rounder Jalen Brown (38th overall).