Men's Soccer Continues BIG EAST Action with Home Match Against Villanova

Saturday, October 6

XU Soccer Complex

7 PM

Xavier University

Villanova

Men's Soccer Continues BIG EAST Action with Home Match Against Villanova

10.02.18 | Men's Soccer

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By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer continues BIG EAST play at home on Saturday, hosting Villanova for a 7 p.m. match at Xavier Soccer Complex.

Xavier is now 3-2-5 (1-1-1 BIG EAST) after a 3-3 midweek draw against visiting Santa Clara. The Musketeers began the season with a seven match unbeaten streak, but are looking for a bounce back performance after going 0-2-1 in their last three matches.

Villanova (6-3-1, 1-2 BIG EAST) is well-rested after last playing on Saturday in a 1-0 home win over DePaul, the team's first league win of the fall. The Wildcats lost on the road to Marquette to begin league play and also fell 1-0 at home against nationally-ranked Creighton.

PROMOTIONS

JUNIOR MUSKETEERS DAY: Members of the Junior Musketeers can get a free popcorn at the concession stand with their membership credential. To learn more about the Junior Musketeers program, click here.

THE OPPONENT

vs. VILLANOVA WILDCATS
Match Info: Saturday, Oct. 6 – 7 p.m. – XU Soccer Complex
2018 Record: 6-3-1, 1-2 BIG EAST
Postseason: N/A

Notable:
• Villanova is coming off a disappointing 2017 season, going 7-11 (2-7 BIG EAST) after making its first-ever NCAA appearance in 2016.
• The Wildcats won 2-1 on Oct. 7 at Higgins Field in last season's matchup.
• Xavier now leads the all-time series 3-1-1.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier came back from a late deficit to play to a 3-3 draw against visiting Santa Clara on Tuesday night at XU Soccer Complex.
• With Tuesday's result, Xavier tied a program record for draws in a season. The Musketeers have tied five matches in three seasons prior to 2018 (1980, 2005, 2012).
• Xavier scored at least three goals for the fourth time in 10 matches.
• Simen Hestnes scored in the 17th minute for his team-leading fifth tally of the season. The senior now has a team-best 15 points (5g, 5a) this season.
• Felix Boe-Tangen's 84th minute equalizer was the first goal of his collegiate career.
• Samson Sergi led Xavier with three shots, scoring his second goal of the season and also assisting on the equalizer.
• Cameron Belle recorded his second assist of the season on Sergi's goal.
• XU had a 16-5 advantage in corner kicks.
• Zachary Nelson made five saves in goal.
• Santa Clara held a 9-2 advantage in shots during the overtime period.
• The Musketeers were outshot for the fifth time this season with Santa Clara holding an 18-13 edge in shots and 8-5 advantage in shots on goal.
• The all-time series with Santa Clara moves to 1-0-1 in favor of the Broncos. The only previous meeting came in 1998.

NOTABLE

• XU ranks 32nd nationally in shots per game (14.30) and tied for 66th nationally in shots on goal per match (5.50).
• XU's goal differential for the year is 17-13 and the Musketeers are outshooting their opposition 143-116.
• The Musketeers hold a 67-47 edge in corner kicks against their opposition this season. Xavier ranks 11th in the nation in corner kicks per match (6.70).
• 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 95-50-29 (.598) with a tie on Saturday and is five 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 seven 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 0-1-1 after a loss in 2018, but has bounced back after losses consistently under head coach Andy Fleming compiling a record of 24-12-5 (.646) after a loss.

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

• With a 1-1-1 record in 2018, Xavier is now 27-16-5 (.615) 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 is currently riding a 13-match unbeaten streak at home, including a 2-0-3 mark in 2018.
• The Musketeers' last loss at XU Soccer Complex came on Friday, August 25 against Loyola Chicago in the 2017 season opener.
• The Musketeers are 16-3-5 (.771) at home since the start of the 2016 season.
• Xavier is 56-16-10 (.744) at Xavier Soccer Complex since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010.

SIMEN SAYS "SCORE"

• Senior midfielder Simen Hestnes is one of the top offensive weapons in the nation, leading Xavier with 15 points (5g, 5a) in 10 matches. He has recorded at least a point in each of Xavier's last four matches.
• Hestnes ranks tied for 40th nationally with 1.50 points per match. His five goals rank tied for 54th nationally, while his 15 points rank 33rd.
• 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.

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 the three matches since, Xavier (0-2-1) and has been out-scored 9-4 with 1.33 goals per match and a goals against average of 3.00.

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 30 United Soccer Coaches-ranked opponents since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010, including No. 6 Kentucky and No. 20 Notre Dame this season.
• In the Fleming era, Xavier boasts an 11-13-7 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 0-1-1 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

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.