Men's Soccer Opens Season on Friday Night vs Eastern Illinois

Friday, August 27

Cincinnati, Ohio

8:27 p.m.

Xavier University

Eastern Illinois

Men's Soccer Opens Season on Friday Night vs Eastern Illinois

08.26.21 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats Watch Live ($)

First touch is set for 6 p.m. from Corcoran Field

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer opens the fall 2021 season on Friday, Aug. 27 vs Eastern Illinois. First touch is set for 6 p.m. ET from the Corcoran Field.

THE MATCHUP VS EASTERN ILLINOIS

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (0-0) vs EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHERS (0-0)
Game Info - Friday, Aug. 27 - 6 p.m. ET - Corcoran Field (1,000)
Live Stats - bit.ly/2Pzr1JH
Watch Live ($) - bit.ly/3ksezeO

ABOUT EASTERN ILLINOIS

2021 (Fall) Record: 0-0
2021 (Spring) Record: 1-8-2 (1-7-2 Summit)
Series History: Series tied, 2-2-1
Last Meeting: Xavier 3, Eastern Illinois 0 (Sept. 2, 2019 - Cincinnati, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• Eastern Illinois was picked to finish sixth in the Summit League's Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 1-8-2 (1-7-2 Summit) record during the spring.
• Reed Axthelm was tabbed as a 'Player to Watch' in the Summit League after scoring three goals in the spring. Goalkeeper Jonathan Burke was also on the list after leading the conference in saves in the spring with 69.
• Ronnie Bouemboue enters his second season as Panthers head coach. He was previously the assistant head coach at IUPUI.

SERIES HISTORY

• The series is tied, 2-2-1. The Musketeers have won the last two meetings between the two schools, most recently defeating the Panthers, 3-0, on Sept. 2, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The win marked head coach Andy Fleming's 100th career victory as the Musketeers' head coach.

• Xavier also played Eastern Illinois in the 2015 season opener, defeating the Panthers, 8-0, on Aug. 28, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

LAST TIME OUT VS EIU

• Xavier won the last meeting between the two teams, 3-0, on Sept. 2, 2019. Felix Boe-Tangen and Samson Sergi (two goals) scored for the Musketeers, while Noah Boffo provided two assists. Matthew Rosenberg posted a shutout in goal and made one save.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Xavier plays four of its first six matches at home. The Musketeers open their home schedule on Aug. 27 vs Eastern Illinois at 6 p.m.

• Xavier takes on four teams that participated in the 2021 NCAA Tournament this spring in Seton Hall, Marquette, Georgetown and Indiana. Each of those teams won at least one match in the tournament with Seton Hall and Georgetown advancing to the Elite Eight and Indiana losing in the national title match to Marshall.

• Indiana finished the year (spring season) ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, while Georgetown ranked fifth, Seton Hall ranked ninth and Marquette ranked 14th.

• The Musketeers are playing seven non-conference opponents, including three matches vs Big Ten members: Ohio State, Indiana and Northwestern. Xavier will take on one new opponent for the first time in program history in Robert Morris.

• Xavier has posted a 38-25-13 (.585) non-conference record since 2013. The Musketeers have recorded an 21-8-4 (.697) record at home in those matches.

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

• Xavier returns All-BIG EAST selections Felix Boe-Tangen and Karsen Henderlong.

• Boe-Tangen was named to the All-BIG EAST Third Team, earning all-conference honors for the first time in his career. The forward recorded eight points (three goals, two assists) in the spring, ranking tied for second on the team in points.

• Henderlong was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team, earning all-conference honors for the first time in his career. The forward led the Musketeers in points in the spring with 16 (seven goals, two assists). He also ranked 20th in the NCAA in total goals.

• Jerome Jolly and Jansen Miller were named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Midseason Freshmen Top-100 on April 12. Miller ranked 18th on the list, while Jolly ranked 86th.

• Miller played in 10 matches this spring, making nine starts. The defender logged 864 minutes on the back line and helped the Musketeers post three shutouts.

• Jolly ranked tied for second on the team with eight points (six assists, one goal) through nine matches. His six assists ranks tied for 19th in the NCAA.

• Xavier head coach Andy Fleming has posted a 109-70-32 (.598) overall record in 11 seasons with the Musketeers, leading the program to four NCAA Tournaments during that stretch. He is under contract through the end of the 2023 season.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the last 11 seasons. The Musketeers have also won 10 or more matches in seven of the last 11 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 of the last eight 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 eight 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 nine years, including 2018 third rounder Cory Brown.

XAVIER AT HOME

• The Musketeers are 23-12-5 (.637) at home since the start of the 2016 season.

• Xavier is 62-25-10 (.691) at Corcoran Field since Andy Fleming took over the program in 2010.

PRESEASON COACHES' POLL