Men's Soccer Heads Across Town to Face Cincinnati on Friday Night

Friday, September 8

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 PM

Xavier University

Cincinnati

Men's Soccer Heads Across Town to Face Cincinnati on Friday Night

09.06.17 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats Watch

Musketeers come into Crosstown Derby with three goals in each of last three matches

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's soccer rides a three-match win streak into this year's Crosstown Derby, meeting the University of Cincinnati on Friday night at Gettler Stadium. First touch is set for 7 p.m. in Clifton.

The Musketeers (3-1) have beaten Drake, Harvard and No. 22 Boston College in succession after falling in overtime during their season opener against Loyola Chicago. During the win streak, XU has scored three times in each match and posted two shutouts.

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

CINCINNATI BEARCATS
Match Info: Friday, Sept. 8 – 7 p.m. – Gettler Stadium
2017 Record: 2-2 Overall, 0-0 American Athletic Conference
2016 Record: 9-7-1, 3-4 AAC

Notable:
• UC has begun the year with wins over Gardner-Webb and IUPUI, while dropping matches against Wright State and Western Michigan.
• Sophomore David Sanz leads the team in scoring with three goals and two assists in four matches.
• The Bearcats had a winning record in 2016, but narrowly missed a berth in their conference championship after a 1-0 loss at UCF to close the season. UC finished the year fourth in the AAC and with its first winning record since 2010.
• Cincinnati leads the all-time series 25-13-7, but hasn't had a result against the Musketeers since 2010.
• XU has won five straight in the crosstown rivalry and is unbeaten in the last seven meetings, including a 4-2 win in the last matchup on Sept. 9, 2016.
• Under head coach Andy Fleming, Xavier is 5-0-2 against UC with an 11-5 goal differential.
• The match has been played every season since 1974 and will be the 44th all-time meeting between the programs. UC leads the series 25-13-5, but haven't won against the Musketeers since Sept. 30, 2009.
• XU played three matches at Gettler Stadium last season, going 1-0-2, but none against UC after flooding rendered the XU Soccer Complex unplayable for a vast majority of the season.

XAVIER VS. CINCINNATI (SINCE 2010)
Home: 2-0-1 | Away: 2-0-1 | Neutral: 1-0

DATE	LOCATION	RESULT
Sept. 29, 2010	XU Soccer Complex	T, 0-0 (2OT)
Sept. 28, 2011	Gettler Stadium	T, 1-1 (2OT)
Sept. 2, 2012	XU Soccer Complex	W, 2-1
Sept. 25, 2013	Gettler Stadium	W, 1-0
Sept. 13, 2014	XU Soccer Complex	W, 3-0
Sept. 11, 2015	Gettler Stadium	W, 2-1
Sept. 9, 2016	NKU Soccer Stadium	W, 4-2

COACH FLEMING'S COMMENTS

On last year's 4-2 win and the program's familiarity with Gettler Stadium...
"A year ago we weren't ready to play UC and they came out and out-worked us and were more hungry than us. We were fortunate to roar back and get the game last year. I don't see that happening all the time, or maybe even never again. I think we learned a lesson there and I think we'll be ready. Playing several games there last year has us familiar with the area. I actually like the venue, I've always kind of liked the place and the Gettler Stadium setup. The last game we played there was the Villanova game a year ago, where we lost a late lead and missed a layup in overtime. And that draw really took some wind out of our sails and hurt us as we limped to the finish line. I reminded the guys of that and I think this program is good on learning some lessons and not repeating mistakes."

On the UC team...
"I think in the last year or so the personality of their team has changed. I think you're going to see the hardest-playing UC group that they've had. They're not necessarily a veteran team, but I have a lot of respect for some of their pieces and I think the collective chemistry of the young guys and some of the guys they have in attacking spots are very good. They had a successful season last year and a strong finish and I would imagine they had a good offseason with that chemistry and a high belief amongst the team. Having said that, it is another game. You can't say it's like the other ones. It is unique, it does command a little bit more attention and energy. But at the same time, we're big into trusting our process and going through our daily routine. We'll approach it similarly to our other games and it's a road game, no question, but certainly we hope to have some support over there to make it a balanced road-home game, so to speak, and I think you'll see that from our supporters."

LAST TIME OUT

• Matt Vasquenza scored a golden goal in double overtime to lead Xavier to a 3-2 win on the road against No. 22 Boston College.
• Xavier found itself trailing 2-0 after 26 minutes, but rallied to eventually win in the 105th minute.
• BC's first goal snapped a scoreless streak of 195:52 for the XU defense.
• Josh Grant, Matt Vasquenza, Simen Hestnes and Samson Sergi each provided points for the the third straight match.
• Simen Hesntes got XU on the board with a goal in the 39th minute. The junior transfer from LIU Brooklyn now has three goals in XU's last two matches.
• Samson Sergi had the equalizer in the 79th minute, giving him three goals in his last three matches.
• GK Zach Nelson made a career-high four saves in the match.
• XU picked up its first ranked win on the road since Oct. 28, 2015 when the Musketeers knocked off then-No. 1 Creighton in Omaha, Neb.
• XU is now 10-10-4 against United Soccer Coaches Top 25 opponents since 2010.

XAVIER WHEN...

WHEN	RECORD
Outshooting Opponent	3-1
Shots Even	1-0
Outshot	0-0
After A Win	2-0
After A Loss	1-0
Scoring 1 Goal	0-1
Scoring 2 Goals	0-0
Scoring 3 Goals	3-0
Scoring 4 Goals	0-0
Taking More Corners Than Opponent	3-1
Taking Less Corners Than Opponent	0-0
Leading At Half	2-1
Trailing At Half	1-0

MULTI-POINT MATCHES

DATE	OPPONENT	PLAYER	POINTS
Aug. 27	Drake	Josh Grant	2 (2 A)
Aug. 27	Drake	Jacob Goodall	2 (2 A)
Sept. 1	at Harvard	Simen Hestnes	4 (2 G)
Sept. 1	at Harvard	Matt Vasquenza	2 (2 A)
Sept. 4	at Boston College	Simen Hestnes	3 (1 G, 1 A)

SHUTOUTS

DATE	OPPONENT	GOALKEEPER	SCORE	SHOTS ALLOWED/SAVES
Aug. 27	Drake	Nelson (1)	3-0	5/1
Sept. 1	at Harvard	Nelson (2)	3-0	7/3

NOTABLE

• Xavier has outscored its opposition 10-4 this season, holding a 67-39 edge in shots and a 35-11 advantage in corner kicks.
• The Musketeers currently rank in the top-10 in the nation in a number of statistical categories, including: assists per game (9th, 3.25), corner kicks per game (8th, 8.75), total assists (7th, 13), total goals (9th, 10), total points (8th, 33).
• XU has tied its longest winning streak from 2016 with three straight victories. XU's last four-match win streak was Oct. 17-31, 2015.
• The Musketeers have outshot or taken as many shots as their opponent in all four matches this season.
• Six different Musketeers have recorded an assist in the first four matches of the season.
• Four XU players already have two goals this season (Matt Vasquenza, Cam Taylor, Samson Sergi, Simen Hestnes).
• Josh Grant leads the team with four assists, which ranks tied for fourth in the nation and leads the BIG EAST. His average of one assist per game also ranks sixth in the NCAA.
• Newcomer Simen Hestnes leads Xavier with eight points (3g, 2a), including three goals in his last two matches.
• Samson Sergi has goals in each of XU's last three matches.
• Simen Hestnes has goals in each of XU's last two matches.
• Josh Grant has assists in each of XU's last three matches.
• XU is 2-0 on the road this season with wins at Harvard and No. 22 Boston College, both coming this past weekend.

VASQUENZA MAKES HIS MARK

• Senior forward Matt Vasquenza has been one of the team's go-to scorers throughout his career and is starting to make his mark in the program's all-time record book.
• Vasquenza currently has 53 points and sits just outside the all-time top-10, needing just a goal to tie Martin Hernandez (12th, 55).
• Vasquenza needs four goals to get into the top-10 in career tallies. He currently has 19, trailing Charlie Combs (10th, 23).
• His second assist at Harvard (9/1) moved him into a tie for 10th all-time at Xavier.

XU MEN'S SOCCER INDIVIDUAL CAREER RECORDS

Points

#	Name	Years	Points
1.	Doug Tegge	1991-94	129
2.	Tom Holton	1988-91	108
3.	Luke Spencer	2009-12	79
4.	Maurice Schilten	1994-95	76
	Matt Walker	2010-13	76
6.	Koen Kuiken	1997-00	71
7.	Jim Sandmann	1972-82	69
8.	Josh Hammerschmidt	1997-00	67
9.	Charlie Combs	1991-94	64
10.	Will Walker	2011-14	59
11.	Mike Mossel	1992-93	58
12.	Martin Hernandez	1984-87	55
13.	Matt Vasquenza	2014-Present	53

Goals

#	Name	Years	Goals
1.	Doug Tegge	1991-94	51
2.	Tom Holton	1988-91	49
3.	Koen Kuiken	1997-00	30
4.	Jim Sandman	1972-82	29
	Luke Spencer	2009-12	29
6.	Maurice Schilten	1994-95	26
	Matt Walker	2010-13	26
8.	Mike Mossel	1992-93	25
9.	Vladimir Ciric	1995-96	24
10.	Charlie Combs	1991-94	23
--	Matt Vasquenza	2014-Present	19

Assists

#	Name	Years	Assists
1.	Josh Hammerschmidt	1997-00	29
2.	Doug Tegge	1991-94	27
3.	Maurice Schildten	1994-95	24
	Matt Walker	2010-13	24
5.	Will Walker	2011-14	23
6.	Luke Spencer	2009-12	21
7.	Rob Bakker	1998-01	19
8.	Charlie Combs	1991-94	18
9.	John McVey	1979-81	17
10.	David Spaccarelli	1997-98	15
	Martin Hernandez	1984-87	15
	Matt Vasquenza	2014-Present	15

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

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

• Cam Taylor was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday after supplying two goals last week and chipping in on a team shutout on Sunday.

NAME	AWARD (DATE)	RELEASE
Cam Taylor	BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (8/28)	Link

GETTING UP OFF THE MAT

• Xavier has bounced back after losses consistently under head coach Andy Fleming, including last Sunday with a 3-0 win over Drake.
• Since 2010, XU has compiled a record of 21-10-4 (.657) after a loss.

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).