Men's Soccer Opens 2022 Season at Virginia

Thursday, August 25

Charlottesville, Va.

7 p.m.

Xavier University

Virginia

08.24.22 | Men's Soccer

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First touch is set for 7 p.m. from Klöckner Stadium

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer opens the 2022 season on Thursday, Aug. 25 at Virginia. First touch is set for 7 p.m. ET from Klöckner Stadium.

THE MATCHUP AT VIRGINIA

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (0-0) at VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (0-0)
Game Info - Thursday, Aug. 25 - 7 p.m. ET - Klöckner Stadium
Live Stats - bit.ly/3cdFgnP
Watch Live - ACCNX - es.pn/3KgODQ1

ABOUT VIRGINIA

2021 (Fall) Record: 6-9-3 (2-5-1 ACC)
Series History: Series tied 0-0-2
Last Meeting: Xavier 1, Virginia 1 (2OT) - Sept. 2, 2016

NOTABLES
• Virginia was picked to finish sixth in the Coastal Division of the Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 6-9-3 (2-5-1 ACC) record last season.
• Senior captain Andreas Ueland was named to the ACC Preseason Watch List. He had five points last season (two goals, one assist).
• The Cavaliers return 18 players from last season and welcome 16 newcomers. The recruiting class ranks in the top-five nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Xavier-Virginia series is tied, 0-0-2. The Musketeers and Cavaliers played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2016 in Charlottesville, Va., in the last meeting between the two teams.

• The two teams also played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 14, 2012 in the first meeting between the two schools. The match was also played in Charlottesville, Va.

LAST TIME OUT VS VIRGINIA

• The two teams played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2016 Charlottesville, Va. Matt Vasquenza gave the Musketeers a 1-0 lead in the 58th minute over No. 12 Virginia. The Cavaliers scored the equalizer on a goal from Leon Maric in the 62nd minute. Virginia held an 18-14 advantage in shots, while the Musketeers had one more shot on goal (7-6).

SCHEDULE NOTES

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

• Xavier's remaining non-conference road matches are vs Memphis (Sept. 1), Northern Kentucky (Sept. 12) and Evansville (Sept. 20).

• The Musketeers open 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