No. 10/14 Xavier Travels to Cincinnati for Crosstown Derby

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer travels to Cincinnati for the Crosstown Derby on Friday, Sept. 6. First touch is set for 7 p.m. from Nippert Stadium.

THE MATCHUP VS CINCINNATI

No. 10/14 XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-0) at CINCINNATI BEARCATS (1-1)
Game Info - Friday, Sept. 6 - 7 p.m. ET - Nippert Stadium (40,000)
Live Video - bit.ly/2k4pksS
Live Stats - bit.ly/2lS3pWa

ABOUT CINCINNATI

2019 Record: 1-1 (0-0 American Athletic Conference)
2018 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier trails, 14-25-8
Last Meeting: Xavier 3, Cincinnati 1 (09/07/18)

NOTABLES
• The Bearcats were picked to finish eighth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 3-14-1 (1-6 AAC) record last season. Cincinnati did not have a player on the preseason all-conference team.
• Friday's match will end a three-match homestand to open the year for the Bearcats. Cincinnati lost its season opener to Mercer, 2-0, on Aug. 30 before defeating Albany, 2-1, on Sept. 2.
• Darryn Commissiong and Creggton Charlton each have one goal this season to pace the Bearcat offense.

CROSSTOWN DERBY SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series, 14-25-8, with the Bearcats. Since 2010, the Musketeers have gone 6-0-3 against Cincinnati with a +10 (17-7) goal differential.

• Xavier won the last meeting between the two schools, 3-1, on Friday, Sept. 7, at the XU Soccer Complex.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier defeated Eastern Illinois, 3-0, on Monday, Sept. 2 at the XU Soccer Complex. The win was career victory No. 100 for head coach Andy Fleming.

• Senior Samson Sergi scored two goals in the match, moving his season total to three goals. The forward now has four career multi-goal matches.

XU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

• Xavier is ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 14. Three of Xavier's opponents are also ranked: Georgetown (No. 6), Kentucky (No. 9) and Akron (No. 21).

• 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.

• 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.

• Xavier was also ranked 10th in the nation in the first regular-season poll by TopDrawerSoccer.com. Three of Xavier's opponents were also ranked in the weekly poll: Kentucky (No. 5), Georgetown (No. 9) and Akron (No. 12).

ROSENBERG WEEKLY HONORS

• Goalkeeper Matthew Rosenberg was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week on Tuesday. The redshirt-junior opened the season with back-to-back shutouts to go along with seven saves.

• The Manalapan, N.J., native was also named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday for his performance against No. 2/3 Akron on Aug. 30.

NOTABLES

• Senior Samson Sergi now has 22 career goals, two shy of moving into the all-time top-10 for goals at Xavier.

• Matthew Rosenberg (2-0) has made seven saves in goal this season. The redshirt-junior has now posted nine career shutouts during his college career (transfer from Central Florida).

• 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 32 United Soccer Coaches-ranked opponents since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010. The Musketeers have posted an 12-14-7 record during that span.

• The Musketeers are 8-2-2 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 100-54-30 (.625) 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. The Crosstown Derby against Cincinnati will be played at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 6.

• Xavier has posted a 33-21-12 (.591) non-conference record since 2013. The Musketeers have recorded an 20-6-4 (.733) 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 travels to No. 5/9 Kentucky on Wednesday, Sept. 11. First touch is set for 7:30 p.m.

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