Men's Soccer Opens BIG EAST Action with Road Match at Georgetown

Saturday, September 15

Washington, DC

1 PM

Xavier University

No. RV/8 Georgetown

Men's Soccer Opens BIG EAST Action with Road Match at Georgetown

09.13.18 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats Watch (BEDN)

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer kicks off BIG EAST play this weekend, traveling to Georgetown for a 1 p.m. match at Shaw Field.

The match will be a return to the site of last season's BIG EAST Championship, which Xavier lost 2-1 in double overtime to the Hoyas.

The Musketeers (2-0-3) extended their unbeaten streak to five straight to start the season, most recently battling to a draw against No. 3/6 Kentucky on Tuesday at XU Soccer Complex. Xavier's unbeaten streak is its longest to start a season since 2012 and has featured four shutouts in five matches.

Georgetown comes into the match at 3-1-1 overall and is unbeaten in three straight, including a 1-1 draw against defending NCAA Champion Stanford on Monday, Sept. 3. The team's only loss came on the road against nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina on Sunday, August 26.

The Hoyas are receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and are ranked as high as No. 8 in the College Soccer News Top 25 and No. 19 in the Soccer America Top 25.

THE OPPONENT

at GEORGETOWN HOYAS
Match Info: Saturday, Sept. 16 – 1 p.m. – Shaw Field
2017 Record: 14-4-2, 6-2-1 BIG EAST Conference
Postseason: BIG EAST Tournament Champions, NCAA Tournament Second Round

Notable:
• Georgetown has won two of the past three BIG EAST Championships. The Hoyas knocked off the Musketeers in overtime in last year's title game.
• Xavier opens the conference season against Georgetown for a second straight season. The Musketeers came away with a dramatic 1-0 win in overtime on Sept. 16 last season at Shaw Field. Samson Sergi had the golden goal in the 92nd minute as XU knocked off the No. 9 ranked Hoyas.
• The all-time series is locked up at 4-4.

NOTABLE

• After five matches, Xavier ranks fifth in the nation in shutout percentage (.800) and fourth in team goals against average (0.176). XU allowed its first goal of the season in the second half of last Friday night's win over UC, snapping a three-match shutout streak that lasted 364:41 minutes.
• XU also ranks fifth nationally in shots per game (18.00) and tied for 32nd nationally in shots on goal per match (6.40).
• XU's goal differential for the year is 9-1 and the Musketeers are outshooting their opposition 90-44. XU also holds a 32-17 edge in shots on goal.
• The Musketeers hold a 28-21 edge in corner kicks against their opposition this season.
• Xavier is unbeaten in five matches to start the season 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 seven different players with an assist this season as well as six different goal scorers.
• Head coach Andy Fleming moved to 94-48-27 (.636) with a draw on Tuesday and remains just six wins from 100 in his career.

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

• With a 5-4 record in 2017, Xavier is now 26-15-4 (.622) 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. After an Oct. 28 win over Seton Hall, XU clinched its fifth straight appearance in the league tournament.
• 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 an 11-match unbeaten streak at home, including a 2-0-1 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 16-3-3 (.796) at home since the start of the 2016 season.
• Xavier is 56-16-8 (.750) at Xavier Soccer Complex since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Musketeers battled to a 0-0 double overtime draw against No. 3/6 Kentucky on Tuesday night at XU Soccer Complex. Xavier outshot UK 19-11 and had a ball cleared off the line late in the second overtime.
• Xavier moved to 7-2-2 against United Soccer Coaches Top 10 opposition since 2010.
• After allowing its first goal of the season last Friday, Xavier picked back up defensively with another shutout -- its fourth in five matches.
• Redshirt sophomore Zachary Nelson tied a career-high with six saves in the match, coming up with several big plays down the stretch to keep UK off the scoreboard. Nelson now has a 0.20 GAA on the year and four clean sheets in five outings.
• Head coach Andy Fleming moved to 94-48-27 (.636) since taking over at Xavier and is remains six wins from 100 in his career.
• Kentucky leads the all-time series 7-3-2, but XU is now 2-1-2 against the Wildcats under Fleming.

SIMEN SAYS "SCORE"

• Senior midfielder Simen Hestnes is off to fast-paced start in 2018, leading Xavier with 10 points (4g, 2a) in four matches.
• Hestnes ranks tied for 17th nationally with 2.00 points per match. His four goals rank tied for 23rd nationally, while his 10 points rank tied for 21st.
• Hestnes scored or assisted in 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 in the first three weeks and was a preseason All-BIG EAST selection.

GETTING IT DONE WITH "D"

• After five matches, Xavier is tied for second in the nation with four team shutouts.
• The Musketeers are among the national leaders in several defensive categories, including team GAA (4th, 0.176), shutout percentage (5th, 0.800) and save percentage (6th, .941).
• Goalkeeper Zachary Nelson ranks fifth in the nation in goals against average (0.202) and tied for seventh in save percentage (0.933).

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 2010, including No. 6 Kentucky this season.
• Since 2010, Xavier boasts an 11-12-7 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 0-0-1 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

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.