No. 9 Men's Soccer Travels to RV Georgetown

Saturday, October 22

Washington, D.C.

1 p.m.

Xavier University

Georgetown

10.21.22 | Men's Soccer

Watch Live Live Stats

First touch is set for 1 p.m. ET from Shaw Field

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer continues BIG EAST action on Saturday, Oct. 22 at Georgetown. First touch is set for 1 p.m. ET from Shaw Field.

THE MATCHUP AT GEORGETOWN

NO. 9 XAVIER MUSKETEERS (9-0-5, 3-0-4) at RV GEORGETOWN HOYAS (7-4-3, 5-1-1)
Game Info - Saturday, Oct. 22 - 1 p.m. ET - Shaw Field (1,620)
Live Stats - bit.ly/2MvPT28
Watch Live (BEDN) - flosports.link/3dUulj6

ABOUT GEORGETOWN

2022 Record: 7-4-3 (5-1-1 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier trails, 6-5
Last Meeting: GU 3, XU 1 (Oct. 23, 2021 - Cincinnati, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• Georgetown was picked to finish second in the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll after posting an 18-3-1 (8-2 BIG EAST) record last season. The Hoyas advanced to the 2021 NCAA Semifinals before falling to Washington, 2-1. Daniel Wu was named the Preseason BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
• The Hoyas rank fourth in the BIG EAST in total goals (23), second in total assists (24) and eighth in goals against average (1.36).
• Jacob Murrell and Marlon Tabora have both scored five goals this season, ranking tield for seventh in the BIG EAST.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Georgetown, 6-5. The Hoyas won the last meeting between the two schools, 3-1, on Oct. 23, 2021 at Corcoran Field. Georgetown entered the match ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches' Poll.

• The Musketeers have dropped two straight in the series and are 2-3 when playing the Hoyas in Washington, D.C. Xavier dropped its last meeting at Georgetown, 1-0, on Oct. 19, 2019.

• A win on Saturday would be Xavier's first win at Georgetown since a 3-2 victory on Sept. 15, 2018.

XU IN THE TOP-25

• Xavier men's soccer ranks No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll as announced on Oct. 19.

• Xavier is the only BIG EAST team ranked in the poll this week, while Georgetown is receiving votes. The Musketeers are one of only five unbeaten teams in the country (Washington, Duke, Dayton, Kentucky, Xavier).

• Xavier enters the top-10 for the first time since being ranked No. 10 on Sept. 1, 2015. The No. 9 ranking matches the highest ranking in program history (was also ranked No. 9 on Oct. 28, 2014).

• The Musketeers entered the poll this season on Sept. 6 (as No. 25), the team's first time being ranked since Sept. 17, 2019.

• Xavier also ranks No. 37 in the second NCAA RPI Standings of the season.

BIG EAST HONOREES

• Cole Jensen was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday, Oct. 17. Alejandro Steinwascher was also named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.

2022 BIG EAST HONOREES
Cole Jensen - Goalkeeper of the Week - Oct. 17
Alejandro Steinwascher - Weekly Honor Roll - Oct. 17
Dylan Kropp - Defensive Player of the Week - Oct. 10
Cole Jensen - Weekly Honor Roll - Oct. 10
Cole Jensen - Weekly Honor Roll - Oct. 3
Cameron Wheeler - Weekly Honor Roll - Oct. 3
Makel Rasheed - Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 26
Cameron Wheeler - Offensive Player of the Week - Sept. 19
Makel Rasheed - Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 12
Cole Jensen - Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 12
Cole Jensen - Weekly Honor Roll - Sept. 5
Cole Jensen - Weekly Honor Roll - Aug. 29
Brandon Osterholt - Weekly Honor Roll - Aug. 29

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 1-1 tie at DePaul on Oct. 15. The Musketeers moved to 15-3-3 all-time vs the Blue Demons and 7-1-1 when playing in Chicago.

• Alvaro Heredia scored his first career goal in the 76th minute off a pass from Dominik Kurija. Kurija now has a team-high four assists on the year.

• Xavier held a 15-7 advantage in shots and took three more shots on goal (5-2). Xavier now has seven matches with 15 or more shots this season.

• Xavier also took one more corner kick (5-4) than the Blue Demons. Both teams committed 15 fouls with seven yellow cards issued (five on Xavier; two on DePaul).

• Eli Dulle and Alejandro Steinwascher paced the Musketeers with three shots (one on goal). Nicolas Hald Willumsen and Cameron Wheeler both added two shots.

• Cole Jensen (9-0-5) made one save in 90 minutes between the pipes. Kendall Allen and Dylan Kropp both played 90 minutes on the defensive back line.

NOTABLES

• Xavier has had 11 different players score a goal this season, paced by Fabrizio Bernal De La Garza and Jerome Jolly who each have three goals.

• Xavier's 14-match unbeaten streak to start the season is the longest unbeaten streak to start a season since 2012 (The Musketeers started the year 10-0-4 before losing a match).

• Xavier concluded non-conference action unbeaten for the first time since 2012 (The Musketeers went 7-0-2 in non-conference action).

• Xavier is the only men's soccer team in the BIG EAST without a loss this season. The Musketeers are one of only five unbeaten teams in the country (Washington, Duke, Dayton, Kentucky, Xavier).

BIG EAST STATS

• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in goals against average (0.57) and shutouts (7), while ranking fifth in total saves (47). The Musketeers rank eighth in the NCAA in goals against average.

• Xavier has only allowed eight goals this season, the fewest in the BIG EAST. Three of those eight goals were via penalty kick. The eight goals allowed are tied for the eighth fewest goals allowed in the NCAA.

• Cole Jensen ranks tied for ninth in the NCAA in goals against average (0.57) and seventh in saves percentage (0.852). His seven shutouts ranks tied for fifth in the NCAA.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Xavier has posted a 50-26-14 (.633) non-conference record since 2013. The Musketeers have recorded an 27-8-5 (.738) record at home in those matches.

• Xavier is 71-29-13 (.686) at Corcoran Field since the start of the 2010 season.

• Xavier played seven non-conference matches, three at home and four on the road. The Musketeers opened the home portion of their schedule vs Eastern Illinois on Sunday, Aug. 28. Xavier also played home non-conference matches vs Robert Morris (Sept. 4) and Pacific (Sept. 9). The meeting vs Pacific was the first in program history.

• Xavier also has non-conference road matches at Memphis (Sept. 1), Northern Kentucky (Sept. 12) and Evansville (Sept. 20).

• The Musketeers opened BIG EAST action vs Seton Hall on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Corcoran Field. Xavier's other four home BIG EAST contests are vs Marquette (Sept. 24), UConn (Oct. 1), Creighton (Oct. 12) and Providence (Oct. 29).

• Xavier will face five teams (all from the BIG EAST) that played in the NCAA Tournament last season, including College Cup participant Georgetown. St. John's, Providence, Creighton and Villanova all joined the Hoyas in the NCAA Tournament - the first time since 2013 that the BIG EAST had five teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

• Xavier returns four of its top five point leaders from last season, led by Justus Kauppinen who scored three goals and added four assists. The Musketeers also return Jerome Jolly (three goals, one assist), Taylor Rhinehart (one goal, three assists).

• Xavier added 18 newcomers to the roster, including four University of Indianapolis transfers: Eli Dulle (four goals, four assists), Brandon Osterholt, Makel Rasheed (five goals, three assists), Alejandro Steinwascher (14 goals, 10 assists).

• Lotem Ben Dov and Pol Hernandez will serve as team captains this season. Ben Dov missed the fall 2021 season with an injury, while Hernandez played in all 17 matches.

NEW HEAD COACH

• John Higgins was named the new men's soccer coach in March of 2022. He joined the Musketeers from the University of Indianapolis where he compiled a 150-56-29 overall record in 12 seasons with the Greyhounds.

• Higgins finished the 2021 fall season ranked fourth in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Top-25 Poll after posting an 18-1-3 record and advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. All told, he posted a 31-1-7 record over two seasons in 2021 (spring season due to COVID-19 pandemic).

• The three-time Great Lakes Valley Conference 'Coach of the Year' owns a 7-3-1 (.625) record in NCAA Tournament action and finished GLVC Tournament play with an 18-3-5 (.750) mark. He finished his coaching career at UIndy as the program's all-time leader in wins (150) and winning percentage (.700).

• Higgins led the Greyhounds to a total of six conference championships from 2010-21, including three regular-season titles and three tournament championships. All told, he has made five NCAA Tournaments with two national semifinal appearances.

• The Dunfermline, United Kingdom, native coached 54 All-GLVC selections at UIndy along with seven All-Midwest Region honorees and two All-Americans. Academically, the Greyhounds have earned the USC Team Academic Award in each season under Higgins.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the last 12 seasons. The Musketeers have also won 10 or more matches in seven of the last 12 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 nine 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 nine 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 10 years, including 2018 third rounder Cory Brown.

PRESEASON COACHES' POLL