No. 19 Xavier Plays Host to Friars on Senior Day

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer continues BIG EAST action on Saturday, Oct. 29 vs Providence. First touch is set for 7 p.m. ET from Corcoran Field.

Xavier will hold its Senior Day ceremony prior to the start of the match and will recognize the following players: Kendall Allen, Pol Hernandez, Cole Jensen, Cameron Phillips, Alejandro Steinwascher and Toni Vrkic.

THE MATCHUP VS PROVIDENCE

NO. 19 XAVIER MUSKETEERS (9-1-5, 3-1-4) vs PROVIDENCE FRIARS (4-4-6, 2-2-4)
Game Info - Saturday, Oct. 29 - 7 p.m. ET - Corcoran Field (1,000)
Live Stats - bit.ly/2Pzr1JH
Watch Live (BEDN) - flosports.link/3dUulj6

ABOUT PROVIDENCE

2022 Record: 4-4-6 (2-2-4 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier trails, 3-6-1
Last Meeting: PC 3, XU 2 (Sept. 25, 2021 - Providence, R.I.)

NOTABLES
• Providence was picked to finish first in the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll after posting a 12-5-4 (5-2-3 BIG EAST) record last season. The Friars lost to Georgetown, 4-1, in the NCAA Third Round last season.
• The Friars rank 10th in the BIG EAST in total shots (152) and tied for seventh in total goals (20). Providence also ranks tied for fourth in fewest goals allowed (17) and sixth in goals against average (1.21).
• Gevork Diarbian leads the Friars in points with 10 (three goals, four assists). Ramzi Qawasmy and Gil Santos have both added three goals.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Providence, 3-6-1. The Friars won the last meeting between the two schools, 3-2, on Sept. 25, 2021 in Providence, R.I. The Friars entered the match as the No. 24 team in the United Soccer Coaches' Poll.

• The Musketeers have dropped three straight in the series and are 3-3 vs the Friars when playing in Cincinnati, Ohio.

• A win on Saturday would be Xavier's first win vs the Friars since a 3-0 victory on Nov. 4, 2017.

XU IN THE TOP-25

• Xavier men's soccer ranks No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll as announced on Oct. 25.

• Xavier and Georgetown (No. 24) are the only two teams ranked from the BIG EAST.

• 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 ranked as high as No. 9 on Oct. 19, matching the highest ranking in program history (was also ranked No. 9 on Oct. 28, 2014).

• Xavier also ranks No. 39 in the second NCAA RPI Standings of the season.

BIG EAST HONOREES

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

• No. 9 Xavier suffered its first setback of the 2022 season on Oct. 22, falling 3-0 at RV Georgetown at Shaw Field.

• Xavier allowed more than one goal in a match for only the second time this season (allowed two goals vs Seton Hall on Sept. 17). The Musketeers allowed three goals in a match for the first time this season and the first time since Oct. 23, 2021 (L, 3-1 vs No. 2 Georgetown).

• Georgetown took six more shots (19-13) than the Musketeers and had three more shots on goal (10-7). The Hoyas also took four more corner kicks (5-1) and committed six more fouls (15-9).

• Cole Jensen (9-1-5) took the loss in goal for Xavier. The goalkeeper made seven saves in the match. Kendall Allen, Jensen and Dominik Kurija all played 90 minutes.

• Nicolas Hald Willumsen led Xavier with five shots (three on goal), while Cameron Phillips added two shots (two on goal). Alejandro Steinwascher posted two shots.

• Xavier has now dropped three in a row vs the Hoyas, moving to 5-7 all-time in the series history.

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 (9-0-5) to start the season was 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).

• Goalkeeper Cole Jensen has seven shutouts this season, ranking seventh in single-season school history. He also has a 0.73 goals against average that ranks second in single-season school history.

BIG EAST STATS

• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in goals against average (0.73) and shutouts (7), while ranking fourth in total saves (54). The Musketeers rank tied for 14th in the NCAA in goals against average.

• Xavier has only allowed 11 goals this season, the fewest in the BIG EAST (the next closest teams are Seton Hall and DePaul with 16). Three of those 11 goals are via penalty kick. The 11 goals allowed are tied for the 14th fewest goals allowed in the NCAA.

• Cole Jensen ranks 24th in the NCAA in goals against average (0.57) and 14th in saves percentage (0.828). His seven shutouts ranks tied for seventh 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

1.	Providence (4)	94
2.	Georgetown (7)	93
3.	St. John's	79
4.	Creighton	71
5.	Butler	60
6.	Villanova	59
7.	Marquette	49
8.	UConn	38
9.	DePaul	23
10.	Seton Hall	22
11.	Xavier	17

First-place votes in ()

UP NEXT

• Xavier ends BIG EAST regular-season action on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at Butler. First touch is set for 7 p.m. ET from the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl.

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