Men's Soccer Wraps Up Non-Conference Schedule at Western Michigan on Tuesday

Tuesday, October 16

Kalamazoo, MI

4 PM

Xavier University

Western Michigan

Men's Soccer Wraps Up Non-Conference Schedule at Western Michigan on Tuesday

10.15.18 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats Watch

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule on Tuesday at 4 p.m., traveling to Western Michigan to take on the Broncos at the WMU Soccer Complex.

Xavier dropped a tight match to No. 12 Creighton at home on Friday night, slipping to 4-4-5 (2-2-1 BIG EAST) with five regular season matches to play. The Musketeers are 1-4-1 in their last six matches after a eight match unbeaten streak to begin the season.

Western Michigan is 7-5-2 overall and 0-1-1 in MAC play, but is 5-2-1 at home this season.

THE OPPONENT

at WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
Match Info: Tuesday, Oct. 16 – 4 p.m. – WMU Soccer Complex
2018 Record: 7-5-2 overall, 0-1-1 MAC
Postseason: MAC Tournament Runner-Up, NCAA Tournament Third Round

Notable:
• 16 different players have a point for the Broncos, who score by committee. Freshman Zack Shane (3g, 3a) and senior Cameron Sipple (3g, 3a) lead the team with nine points apiece.
• Freshman goalkeeper Lukas Von Lienen has a 0.98 GAA in 10 starts for the Broncos.
• Western Michigan is coming off the best season in school history after winning its first MAC regular season title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2017. The NCAA appearance was just the second in school history and first since 2003. The Broncos finished the year 17-4-1 overall and 5-0 in the Mid-American Conference.
• Three of WMU's four losses last year were to schools that advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
• Xavier leads the all-time series 2-0-1 with the last meeting coming in 2002.

LAST TIME OUT

• Simen Hestnes scored an equalizer in the 50th minute, but No. 12 Creighton pulled away late as Xavier lost, 3-1, on Friday night at XU Soccer Complex.
• The Musketeers celebrated their senior class ahead of the match, recognizing seven graduating seniors: Robert DeWitt III, Jacob Goodall, Colin Hanley, Simen Hestnes, Tomek Pauer, Samson Sergi and Joash Sutherland.
• Xavier saw a 14-game home unbeaten streak snapped. Prior to Friday, the Musketeers' last home loss was August 25, 2017 against Loyola. XU is now 3-1-3 at home this season.
• Xavier was outshot 16-13, but edged Creighton 7-6 in shots on goal. Creighton's Paul Kruse made six saves in net, including several highlight-reel stops to keep the Musketeers off the board.
• Xavier also held an 8-5 edge in corner kicks.
• Simen Hestnes scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season in the 50th minute, giving him 17 points for the season (6g, 5a).
• Samson Sergi registered his second assist of the season on the sequence.
• Tomek Pauer led Xavier with three shots, including two on goal.

NOTABLE

• XU ranks 52nd nationally in shots per game (13.31) and tied for 105th nationally in shots on goal per match (5.08).
• XU's goal differential for the year is 19-17 and the Musketeers are outshooting their opposition 173-146.
• The Musketeers hold a 82-55 edge in corner kicks against their opposition this season. Xavier ranks 17th in the nation in corner kicks per match (6.31).
• Xavier began the season unbeaten in seven matches (3-0-4) for the first time since a program record 14-match unbeaten streak to start the 2012 season.
• Balanced offense has become a hallmark for Xavier and the team already has nine different players with an assist this season as well as 10 different goal scorers.
• Head coach Andy Fleming moved to 96-52-29 (.624) with a loss on Friday and is four wins from 100 in his career.

X IN THE RANKINGS

• Xavier was ranked in all three national polls for the first time this fall on Sept. 25, checking in at No. 20 in the College Soccer News Top 30 and No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25. Xavier was rated the highest in Top Drawer Soccer's Top 25, ranking 18th overall.
• The Musketeers have received votes in the coaches poll in five of eight weeks.
• XU has been ranked in the nation's top-10 three times in the last six years by the United Soccer Coaches.
• The Musketeers have been nationally-ranked in at least one major college soccer poll (United Soccer Coaches, Top Drawer Soccer, College Soccer News, Soccer America) in every season since 2011.

GETTING UP OFF THE MAT

• XU is 0-2-1 after a loss in 2018, but has bounced back after losses consistently under head coach Andy Fleming compiling a record of 24-13-5 (.631) after a loss.

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

• With a 2-2-1 record in 2018, Xavier is now 28-17-5 (.610) in BIG EAST play since joining the conference ahead of the 2013 season.
• The Musketeers have never finished below fifth-place or missed qualifying for the BIG EAST Championships in five seasons in the league.
• Xavier has reached the league semifinals twice (2013, 2015) and has appeared in the title game twice (2014, 2017). Xavier was defeated in the quarterfinals at Creighton in 2016.

HOME SWEET HOME

• Xavier saw a 14-match home unbeaten streak snapped on Friday and is 3-1-3 at XU Soccer Complex in 2018.
• Prior to Friday, the Musketeers' last loss at XU Soccer Complex came on Friday, August 25 against Loyola Chicago in the 2017 season opener.
• The Musketeers are 17-4-5 (.750) at home since the start of the 2016 season.
• Xavier is 57-17-10 (.738) at Xavier Soccer Complex since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010.

HERE VS. THERE

• Xavier is 3-1-3 and averaging 2.14 goals per game while holding opponents to 1.14 goals per game at XU Soccer Complex this season. The Musketeers also hold a 16.0-11.4 edge in shots at home and a 49-22 advantage in corner kicks.
• On the road, XU is 1-3-2 with a 0.67 goals per game average while allowing 1.50 goals per game. Opponents have a 11.0-10.2 edge in shots on the road and corner kicks are even at 33-33.
• XU has been shut out four times on the road and has just four goals in six matches with three of those coming in a 3-2 win at Georgetown on Sept. 15.

A TALE OF TWO TEAMS

• XU's unbeaten start (3-0-4) featured prolific scoring and defense as the team averaged 1.86 goals per match and a 0.57 goals against average. The Musketeers posted four shutouts in the seven matches and out-scored their opposition 13-4.
• In five matches since the unbeaten start, Xavier is 1-4-1 and has been out-scored 16-7 with 1.00 goals per match and a goals against average of 2.17.
• Three of XU's four losses during the last six matches have come on the road, while XU is 1-1-1 at home during the stretch.

SIMEN SAYS "SCORE"

• Senior midfielder Simen Hestnes is one of the top offensive weapons in the nation, leading Xavier with 17 points (6g, 5a) in 13 matches. He has recorded at least a point in five of Xavier's last seven matches.
• Hestnes ranks tied for 68th nationally with 1.31 points per match. His six goals rank tied for 59th nationally, while his 17 points rank 48th.
• Hestnes scored or assisted on all three goals during XU's 3-1 win over rival Cincinnati in the "Crosstown Derby" on Friday, Sept. 7.
• Hestnes began the season with his first career hat trick, scoring three times in just 32 minutes in a 6-0 win over Cincinnati Christian.
• Hestnes transferred to Xavier from LIU Brooklyn before his junior season and is XU's leading returning scorer after recording 21 points (7g, 7a) in 2017.
• The Oslo, Norway native has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll twice this season and was a preseason All-BIG EAST selection.

XU'S STINGY START

• Xavier saw its season-opening shutout streak come to an end against UC on Friday, Sept. 7 after 364:41 minutes of scoreless soccer.
• XU's three match shutout streak to start the season was the longest for the program since the Musketeers had three consecutive shutouts from Oct. 4-11 during the 2016 season, a span of 279:07 minutes without allowing a goal.
• Xavier's last four match shutout streak was from Sept. 15-26 during the 2015 season, which tied a program record from 1988 and 2014. The shutout streak stretched a total of 485.38 minutes, including the second half of a 2-1 win over UC on Sept. 11, 2015.

XAVIER AGAINST THE BEST

• Xavier has faced 31 United Soccer Coaches-ranked opponents since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010, including No. 6 Kentucky, No. 12 Creighton and No. 20 Notre Dame this season.
• In the Fleming era, Xavier boasts an 11-14-7 overall record against USC ranked opposition, including wins over No. 9 Georgetown and No. 22 Boston College last season.
• XU has a home draw against No. 6 Kentucky this season and is 0-2-1 against ranked opponents in 2018.
• The Musketeers are also an incredible 7-2-2 against the Top-10 in that time frame, including wins at No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 1 Creighton in 2015. In 2014, the Musketeers claimed victories against No. 5 Indiana and No. 8 Georgetown on the way to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 berth.

2018 AWARDS

BIG EAST Major Awards

NAME	AWARD	LINK
Simen Hestnes	Preseason All-BIG EAST	Story
Cameron Taylor	Preseason All-BIG EAST	Story

BIG EAST Weekly Awards

NAME	AWARD	LINK
Simen Hestnes	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (8/27)	Story
Zachary Nelson	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/3)	Story
Simen Hestnes	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/10)	Story
Zachary Nelson	BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week (9/17)	Story
Cameron Belle	BIG EAST Freshman of the Week (9/17)	Story
Matt Nance	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/17)	Story
Zachary Nelson	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/24)	Story
Samson Sergi	BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (10/8)	Story
Cameron Belle	BIG EAST Freshman of the Week (10/8)	Story

PRESEASON WRAP-UP

• Xavier wrapped the 2018 preseason with a 1-0-1 record against a pair of vaunted opponents.
• The Musketeers topped preseason No. 2 Indiana by a score of 2-1 on the road on Sunday, Aug. 12. Bryce Curran and Cameron Belle supplied the goals in the first period of the match.
• XU then closed exhibition action on Friday, Aug. 17 with a 0-0 draw against preseason No. 7 Michigan State.

PRESEASON POLL/HONORS

• Xavier was picked third in the BIG EAST preseason poll, receiving 60 points for its highest-ever preseason ranking. Xavier had previously been picked as high as fourth in the 2016 preseason poll.
• Cameron Taylor and Simen Hestnes were also picked to the preseason All-BIG EAST Team, giving XU multiple players on that team for the third time in six seasons.

PRESEASON POLL
1. Georgetown (7) - 79
2. Butler (3) - 73
3. Xavier - 60
T4. Creighton - 54
T4. Providence - 54
6. Marquette - 37
7. St. John's - 33
8. Villanova - 31
9. Seton Hall - 20
10. DePaul - 9

AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE

• Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the last eight seasons.
• The Musketeers have won 10 or more matches in seven of the last eight seasons.
• Xavier was the only program in the nation with five consecutive major conference awards from 2012-16, including 2016 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Cory Brown.
• XU has qualified for five consecutive BIG EAST Championships, including trips to the title game in 2014 and 2017.
• XU has been ranked in the nation's top-10 three times in the last six years by the United Soccer Coaches. The Musketeers have been nationally-ranked in at least one major college soccer poll (United Soccer Coaches, Top Drawer Soccer, College Soccer News, Soccer America) in every season since 2011.
• 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.
• Four XU players have been selected in the MLS SuperDraft in the last seven years, including 2018 third rounder Cory Brown.