Xavier Men's Soccer Gets Right Back to Action at Northwestern on Sunday

Sunday, August 26

Evanston, IL

5 PM

Xavier University

Northwestern

Xavier Men's Soccer Gets Right Back to Action at Northwestern on Sunday

08.25.18 | Men's Soccer

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By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Fresh off a season opening win on Friday night, Xavier men's soccer returns to action on Sunday at Northwestern for a 5 p.m. ET road matchup.

XU saw preseason All-BIG EAST selection Simen Hestnes turn in a hat trick in the first 32 minutes of Friday's win. The Musketeers also got goals from Derrick Otim, Joash Sutherland and Karl Bercy.

The Musketeers are receiving votes in the preseason United Soccer Coaches poll and posted an impressive 1-0-1 exhibition record against a pair of top-10 opponents, defeating No. 2 Indiana 2-1 on Sunday, Aug. 12 and drawing against No. 7 Michigan State in a 0-0 match.

Eight starters are back for XU after an 11-6-3 campaign in 2017 that saw the Musketeers reach the BIG EAST Championships title game.

THE OPPONENT

at NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
Match Info: Sunday, Aug. 26 – 5 p.m. – Martin Stadium
2017 Record: 7-12, 1-7 Big Ten
Postseason: Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals

Notable:
• Northwestern endured a tough 2-9 start last season before finishing the season 5-3 and earning a win in the Big Ten Tournament.
• The Wildcats return 10 of 11 starters from 2017, including 21 of its 22 goals scored.
• The Wildcats also boast the No. 25 ranked incoming recruiting class according to Top Drawer Soccer.
• Northwestern leads the all-time series 4-1-1.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier men's soccer won 6-0 in its home opener against Cincinnati Christian University, scoring its most goals in a regular season match since a 8-0 win against Eastern Illinois on August 28, 2015.
• Simen Hestnes recorded a hat trick in the first 32 minutes of the match, marking the first three goal match of his career. It was the first hat trick by an XU player since at least 2010.
• Derrick Otim scored his first goal since the 2016 season in the first half and now has four in his XU career.
• Joash Sutherland's second half goal was the first of his Xavier career.
• Karl Bercy's second half goal was the first of his Xavier career.
• Bryce Curran had a pair of assists in the match to give him three in his XU career.
• Sean Wilson and Payton Miller both picked up their second career assists in the match.
• Tomek Pauer and Cameron Belle each registered an assist in their respective Xavier debuts.
• XU used three keepers to record a shutout as Zachary Nelson, Colin Hanley and Nate Logan all saw time between the pipes.
• Xavier improved to 4-3-2 in its last nine season openers and 14-23-8 all-time in opening matches.
• Head coach Andy Fleming improved to 93-48-24 since taking over at Xavier and is now seven wins from the 100-win plateau.

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

PRESEASON NATIONAL RANKINGS

• Xavier is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches preseason Top 25 poll, marking the first time XU has been listed in the preseason poll since 2016.
• The Musketeers received votes in the poll last season after a season-long six match unbeaten streak in mid-September.
• Historically, the Musketeers have cracked the poll regularly since 2010 and have been ranked inside the top-10 three times in the last six years.
• XU was one of four BIG EAST teams to show up in the preseason poll, including No. 9 Butler and No. 13 Georgetown. Creighton was also listed as receiving votes.

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.
• 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.