Men's Soccer Closes Non-Conference Action on Tuesday vs UNC Asheville

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer concludes non-conference action on Tuesday, Oct. 29 against UNC Asheville. First touch is set for 7 p.m. from the XU Soccer Complex.

THE MATCHUP VS UNC ASHEVILLE

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (7-6-1) vs UNC ASHEVILLE BULLDOGS (3-10-1)
Game Info - Tuesday, Oct. 29 - 7 p.m. - XU Soccer Complex (1,000)
Live Video - bit.ly/2MQclq2
Live Stats - bit.ly/2Pzr1JH

ABOUT UNC ASHEVILLE

2019 Record: 3-10-1
2018 Record: 2-13-2
Series History: First Meeting

NOTABLES
• A total of 11 players have scored a goal for the Bulldogs this season, led by Tyson Hichman's four goals.
• UNC Asheville has allowed 37 goals this season, while posting a 2.60 goals against average. Jarrett Payne ranks second in the NCAA in total saves with 81.
• The Bulldogs are on a three-game losing streak, most recently dropping a 5-0 match at Gardner-Webb on Oct. 26. UNC Asheville's last win was 3-0 at Winthrop on Oct. 5.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 1-0 win at DePaul on Saturday, Oct. 26. The win was the Musketeers second straight BIG EAST victory.

• Freshman Karsen Henderlong scored the game-winning goal for Xavier. The forward now has six goals this season, ranking second on the team.

• Redshirt-junior Matthew Rosenberg (7-6-1) made two saves, increasing his season total to 66. He now has five shutouts this season and 13 career shutouts.

BIG EAST HONORS

• Matthew Rosenberg and Karsen Henderlong earned BIG EAST Weekly honors on Monday afternoon. Rosenberg was named the Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time this season, while Henderlong was named the Freshman of the Week.

• Rosenberg posted a 0.50 goals against average in 180 minutes of action last week as the Musketeers posted back-to-back BIG EAST wins. Xavier recorded a 2-1 win over Seton Hall on Wednesday night before collecting a 1-0 win at DePaul on Saturday. He made six saves between the two matches and increased his shutout total to five this year.

• Henderlong scored the game-winning goal at DePaul, his sixth of the season. He now ranks tied for first in the BIG EAST for goals by a freshman this year. Henderlong also had an assist in the win vs Seton Hall.

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.

XAVIER AT HOME

• The Musketeers are 22-8-5 (.700) at home since the start of the 2016 season.

• Xavier is 61-21-10 (.717) at the XU Soccer Complex since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010.

COACH FLEMING NOTABLES

• Coach Fleming is the winningest coach (total wins and winning percentage) in program history with a 105-61-31 (.612) record. In the win vs Creighton, he surpassed Jack Hermans (102-154-18) who coached at Xavier from 1991-2004.

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

XU VS NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS

• Xavier has faced 35 United Soccer Coaches-ranked opponents since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010. The Musketeers have posted an 12-16-8 record during that span. Xavier is 1-2-1 against top-25 opponents this season.

• 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.

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
Oct. 28 - Karsen Henderlong - Freshman of the Week
Oct. 28 - Matthew Rosenberg - Goalkeeper of the Week
Oct. 14 - Matthew Rosenberg - Weekly Honor Roll
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

• Senior Samson Sergi has a team-leading seven goals this season. He now has 26 career goals, ranking tied for sixth all-time in program history.

• Senior Samson Sergi ranks tied for second in the BIG EAST in total goals, while ranking 60th in the NCAA.

• Freshman Karsen Henderlong has six goals this season to rank second among BIG EAST freshmen. He also ranks tied for 12th in the NCAA for goals by a freshman this season.

• Matthew Rosenberg (7-6-1) has 66 saves between the pipes this season to go along with five shutouts. The redshirt-junior has posted 13 career shutouts during his college career (transfer from Central Florida). He ranks 10th 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.

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 ( )

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 closes its home schedule on Saturday, Nov. 2 against Providence. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. from the XU Soccer Complex.

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