Sergi's Hat Trick, Boe-Tangen's Brace Lead Men's Soccer Past Butler 5-3

Wednesday, October 31

XU Soccer Complex

7 PM

Xavier University

6-7-5, 4-4-1BE

Butler

4-12-2, 2-7BE

BUTLER

Xavier

Sergi's Hat Trick, Boe-Tangen's Brace Lead Men's Soccer Past Butler 5-3

10.31.18 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

Musketeers clinch No. 5 seed in BIG EAST Tournament with win, will play at Marquette on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's soccer finished with a flourish on Wednesday, getting a hat trick from Samson Sergi and a brace from Felix Boe-Tangen in a 5-3 win over rival Butler at XU Soccer Complex.

The victory locked up the No. 5 seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Championships for the Musketeers, who will travel to face No. 4 Marquette in a playoff match on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. XU has never finished below fifth or missed the league's playoff since joining the BIG EAST in 2013.

Sergi scored twice in the first half and added another after the break for his first career hat trick, while Felix Boe-Tangen broke through late for his first career goals to help put the match away.

It was XU's highest-scoring effort since the season opener, a 6-0 win over Cincinnati Christian.

Xavier's win was its second straight as the team improved to 6-7-5 and 4-4-1 in the BIG EAST.

Butler closes its season at 4-12-2 and 2-7 in the league.

NEXT UP

• Xavier will continue its season with playoff soccer coming on Saturday against Marquette at Valley Fields in Milwaukee. First touch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Stay tuned to GoXavier.com and follow @XavierMSOC on Twitter for the latest updates.

BIG EAST TOURNEY SCHEDULE

2018 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship Presented By Jeep
First Round – Saturday, Nov. 3 - BEDN
No. 6 seed St. John's at No. 3 seed St. Providence, 7 p.m.
No. 5 seed Xavier at No. 4 seed Marquette, 8 p.m.
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 7 - BEDN
No. 3/6 winner at No. 2 seed Georgetown, 2 p.m.
No. 4/5 winner at No. 1 seed Creighton, 8 p.m.
Final – Sunday, Nov. 11 – FS2
Semifinal Winners, 2 p.m.

All times Eastern - All games played at the higher seed

HOW THEY SCORED

9' | Xavier 1-0 | Samson Sergi finished near post after a Derrick Otim cross found its way to Matt Nance, who centered the pass in front of the box.
13' | Tied 1-1 | Kieran Geldenhuys got loose in the box and lofted a shot just over Colin Hanley to equalize for the Bulldogs.
15' | Butler 2-1 | Brandon Guhl finished off a cross from Joel Harvey, coming from the left flank, as Butler took the lead with a second goal in a three minute span.
32' | Tied 2-2 | Tomek Pauer intercepted a goalie kick just short of midfield, immediately playing it back into the box and finding a streaking Sergi for his second tally of the night.
37' | Butler 3-2 | A long ball from Jack Haywood found Eric Conerty, who finished the breakaway.
55' | Tied 3-3 | Samson Sergi got his hat trick, threading the needle with his left foot to finish a breakaway opportunity. Tomek Pauer set him up with a long pass over the top of the defense.
65' | Xavier 4-3 | Derrick Otim rushed up the left flank after creating a turnover, tapping a pass to Simen Hestnes who fired a centering cross to Felix Boe-Tangen. The freshman chipped it in from point-blank range for his second career goal.
77' | Xavier 5-3 | Tomek Pauer played a ball to the right flank, finding a streaking Joash Sutherland who centered a pass to Boe-Tangen. The freshman fired a line drive from just inside 18 yards to seal the win.

NOTABLE

• Samson Sergi's hat trick was the first of his career and moved him into a tie for the team lead with eight goals on the season. His 19 points (8g, 3a) rank second on the team.
• The hat trick was the first for XU since the 2018 home opener when Simen Hestnes scored three goals against Cincinnati Christian.
• Felix Boe-Tangen's goals were the second and third of his Xavier career, it was his first career multi-point match.
• Tomek Pauer had a career-high three assists in the match.
• Joash Sutherland and Matt Nance also contributed assists. Nance is second on the team with five helpers this season, while Sutherland's assist was the first of his season.
• Simen Hestnes assisted fellow Norwegian Felix Boe-Tangen on his second career goal. He has at least one point in eight of Xavier's last 12 matches.
• Derrick Otim picked up a pair of assists in his second match back from a facial injury.
• Senior goalkeeper Colin Hanley made a pair of saves in 90 minutes between the pipes.
• Xavier outshot Butler 19-8 and 8-5 in shots on goal. The Musketeers also held a 8-6 edge in corner kicks.
• XU will appear in the BIG EAST Championships for the sixth straight season. The Musketeers have never missed the playoffs since joining the league in 2013. XU has advanced to the title game twice since 2014.

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