Men's Soccer Plays Host to Creighton on Friday Night

Friday, October 11

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 p.m.

Xavier University

Creighton

Men's Soccer Plays Host to Creighton on Friday Night

10.10.19 | Men's Soccer

Watch Live - BEDN Live Stats

First touch is slated for 7 PM from the XU Soccer Complex

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer returns to action on Friday, Oct. 11 against Creighton. First touch is set fo 7 p.m. from the XU Soccer Complex.

THE MATCHUP VS CREIGHTON

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (4-5-1, 0-3) vs RV VILLANOVA WILDCATS (6-3-1, 2-1)
Game Info - Friday, Oct. 11 - 7 p.m. ET - XU Soccer Complex (1,000)
Live Video - BEDN - bit.ly/2ICdv6j
Live Stats - bit.ly/2Pzr1JH

ABOUT CREIGHTON

2019 Record: 6-3-1 (2-1)
2018 Record: 11-4-3 (7-1-1)
Series History: Xavier trails, 2-5-1
Last Meeting: CU 3, XU 1 (Oct. 12, 2018 - XU Soccer Complex)

NOTABLES
• Creighton is 2-1 in BIG EAST play with all three matches being decided by a 1-0 result.
• Luke Haakenson leads Creighton with four goals and five other Bluejays each have a pair of goals.
• Musa Qongo paces the team with four assists while six other players each have at least two.
• Creighton averages 1.60 goals per match, while Paul Kruse and Collin Valdivia have combined for a 1.25 goals against average.

XU-VU SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Creighton, 2-5-1. The Musketeers have lost three straight in the series.

• The Musketeers are 1-1-1 when playing the Bluejays at home. The last time Xavier defeated Creighton at home was on Oct. 26, 2016 by a score of 2-1. The Bluejays were ranked No. 11 in the country at the time.

• The Musketeers dropped the last meeting between the two schools, 3-1, on Oct. 12, 2018 at the XU Soccer Complex. Simen Hestnes scored the lone goal for Xavier.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 1-0 road loss at Villanova. The Wildcats scored in the 80th minute to secure the win.

XAVIER AT HOME

• The Musketeers are 20-8-5 (.682) at home since the start of the 2016 season.

• Xavier is 60-21-10 (.714) at the XU Soccer Complex since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010.

XU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

• The Musketeers have been ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll three times this season, reaching as high as 11th. The Musketeers have also ranked in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top-25 Poll four times this season.

• 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.

• Xavier has been ranked in the nation's top-10 three times in the last seven years by the United Soccer Coaches. The Musketeers highest ranking was ninth in the USC Poll on Oct. 28, 2014.

• Xavier was ranked in all three national polls last season 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 TopDrawerSoccer's Top 25, ranking 18th overall.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOREES
Sept. 16 - Derrick Otim - Weekly Honor Roll
Sept. 9 - Samson Sergi - Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 9 - Matthew Rosenberg - Weekly Honor Roll
Sept. 2 - Matthew Rosenberg - Goalkeeper of the Week

COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS HONORS

• Two Xavier players have earned College Soccer News National Team of the Week honors this season. Jacob Goodall earned the honors on Sept. 9 and Matthew Rosenberg picked up the recognition on Sept. 2.

CSN NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK HONOREES
Sept. 9 - Jacob Goodall
Sept. 2 - Matthew Rosenberg

NOTABLES

• The Musketeers have not allowed a goal in the first half of a match this season.

• Senior Samson Sergi has a team-leading five goals this season. He now has 24 career goals, ranking tied for 10th all-time in program history.

• Senior Samson Sergi and freshman Karsen Henderlong both have five goals this season to rank second in the BIG EAST, while ranking 57th in the NCAA. Henderlong also ranks 5th in the NCAA among freshman in total goals.

• Matthew Rosenberg (4-5-1) has 47 saves between the pipes this season to go along with three shutouts. The redshirt-junior has posted 10 career shutouts during his college career (transfer from Central Florida). He ranks 17th in the NCAA in total saves.

• Senior Samson Sergi scored two goals in the match against Eastern Illinois. The forward now has four career multi-goal matches.

• Xavier signed the No. 7 ranked recruiting class in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com. The class consists of nine true freshmen and two transfers (Ryan Bellavance, Matthew Rosenberg).

• Xavier returns All-BIG EAST Freshman Team selection in Taylor Crull. The Carmel, Ind., native made all 19 starts at center back and helped the team post five shutouts.

• Xavier has had 21 players earn All-BIG EAST honors since joining the conference (7 First Team Honorees, 7 Second Team Honorees, 7 All-Freshman Team Honorees). The Musketeers have also had two Goalkeepers of the Year and two Defensive Players of the Year. Xavier has had at least one player on the league's first team during all seven years in the BIG EAST.

XU VS NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS

• Xavier has faced 34 United Soccer Coaches-ranked opponents since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010. The Musketeers have posted an 12-15-8 record during that span.

• The Musketeers are 8-3-2 against USC Top-10 teams since 2010, 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.

COACH FLEMING NOTABLES

• Coach Fleming is the winningest coach in program history with a 102-60-31 (.609) record.

• Coach Fleming has led the Musketeers to four NCAA Tournament appearances. The Musketeers made the NCAA Tournament in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST

• Senior Samson Sergi was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The Ashburn, Va., native, was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team last season after leading the team in goals (9), while adding three assists.

PRESEASON BIG EAST POLL

1. Georgetown (9) - 81 pts.
2. Creighton - 68
3. Providence - 65
4. Marquette (1) - 59
5. Xavier - 44
6. Butler - 40
7. St. John's - 33
8. Seton Hall - 28
9. DePaul - 21
10. Villanova - 11
First place votes in ( )

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE NOTES

• The Musketeers will play five of their eight non-conference matches at home.

• Xavier has posted a 34-23-13 (.579) non-conference record since 2013. The Musketeers have recorded an 20-8-4 (.688) record at home in those matches.

XU SOCCER PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the last nine seasons.

• The Musketeers have won 10 or more matches in seven of the last nine 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 six 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. 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.

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 19 at No. 12 Georgetown. First touch is set for 1 p.m.