Men's Soccer Travels to Memphis on Thursday Night

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer continues non-conference action at Memphis on Thursday, Sept. 1. First touch is set for 8 p.m. ET from the Billy J. Murphy Soccer/Track & Field Complex.

THE MATCHUP AT MEMPHIS

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (1-0-1) at MEMPHIS TIGERS (1-0-1)
Game Info - Thursday, Sept. 1 - 8 p.m. ET - Billy J. Murphy Soccer/Track & Field Complex (2,042)
Live Stats - bit.ly/3qcjZhH
Watch Live (ESPN+) - es.pn/3Rio4wJ

ABOUT MEMPHIS

2022 Record: 1-0-1 (0-0 AAC)
Series History: Xavier leads, 3-2-1
Last Meeting: Memphis 3, Xavier 2 (2OT) (Sept. 14, 2019 - Cincinnati, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• Memphis was picked to finish sixth in the Preseason AAC Coaches' Poll after posting a 6-9-2 (5-4-1 AAC) record last year. The Tigers did not have anyone named to the preseason all-conference team.
• The Tigers opened the season with two matches at the Soccer for the Cure Classic in Birmingham, Ala. Memphis defeated Queens, 5-0, on Aug. 26 and tied College of Charleston, 1-1, on Aug. 28.
• Bryce Meredith was named as the AAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. He logged 126 minutes of action last week and limited opponents to only five combined shots on goal.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Memphis, 0-2. The Musketeers dropped the last meeting, 3-2, in double overtime on Sept. 14, 2019 at Corcoran Field. The Tigers entered the matched ranked No. 10/11 in the NCAA.

• The Tigers won the first meeting between the two schools, 4-2, on Sept. 27, 1986.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier is coming off a 1-1 tie vs Eastern Illinois on Sunday, Aug. 28. The match served as the Musketeers home opener.

• Freshman Nicolas Hald Willumsen scored his first career goal from just outside the front of the goal off a pass from the left by Alejandro Steinwascher. Steinwascher now has 26 career assists.

• Cole Jensen (1-0-1) made three saves in 90 minutes of action. He allowed one goal.

• Xavier held a 16-5 advantage in shots and took two more shots on goal (6-4). The Musketeers also took seven more corner kicks (9-2) and committed one more foul (13-12).

• Alejandro Steinwascher paced the Musketeers in shots with five (two on goal). Nicolas Hald Willumsen added three shots (one on goal), while George Waites added two.

BIG EAST HONOREES

• Cole Jensen and Brandon Osterholt were both named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday afternoon after helping the Musketeers post a 1-0-1 record last week.

• Jensen posted a 0.50 goals against average with 11 saves in two matches last week. The junior goalkeeper made his first career start on Aug. 25 at Virginia, making eight saves and recording his first career shutout. He also made three saves in Sunday's match vs Eastern Illinois.

• Osterholt scored the game-winning goal at Virginia on Aug. 25, the first goal of his career. He took three shots (two on goal) in 49 minutes of action off the bench last week.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Xavier has posted a 45-26-14 (.612) non-conference record since 2013. The Musketeers have recorded an 25-8-5 (.724) record at home in those matches.

• Xavier will play 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 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

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

• The Musketeers return to action on Sunday, Sept. 4 vs Robert Morris. First touch is set for 7 p.m. ET from Corcoran Field.

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