Men's Soccer Travels to Akron on Friday Night

Friday, October 4

Akron, Ohio

7 p.m.

Xavier University

Akron

Men's Soccer Travels to Akron on Friday Night

10.02.24 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats Watch Live (FloSports)

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

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer continues BIG EAST action on Friday, Oct. 4 at Akron. First touch is set for 7 p.m. from FirstEnergy Stadium.

MATCH INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (4-2-4, 1-0-1) at AKRON ZIPS (4-3-3, 2-0-0)
Match Info - Friday, Oct. 4 - 7 p.m. ET - FirstEnergy Stadium (5,800)
Live Stats - bit.ly/3BAWEyO
Watch Live (FloSports) - flosports.link/3dUulj6

ABOUT AKRON

2024 Record: 4-3-3 (2-0-0 BIG EAST)
2023 Record: 9-2-7 (2-1-5 BIG EAST)
2023 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier trails, 7-2-1
Last Meeting: Xavier 1, Akron 0 (Nov. 5, 2023 - Cincinnati, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• Akron was picked to finish first in the Midwest Division of the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. Senior defenders Jonas Buechte and Malik Henry were named to the preseason all-conference team.
• The Zips are 3-3-1 in home matches this season. Akron has won three straight matches, outscoring its opponents, 13-3, during that span. The Zips are coming off a 1-0 win at Georgetown on Sept. 28.
• Emil Jaaskelainen leads a group of 10 players who have scored this season with a team-leading eight goals. He has added a team-leading six assists and ranks first in the BIG EAST in points (22).
• Defensively, Akron ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in goals against average (1.30) and shutouts (3).

SERIES HISTORY

Xavier trails the all-time series with Akron, 7-2-1. The Musketeers went 1-0-1 vs the Zips during the 2023 season.
Xavier played No. 3 Akron to a scoreless draw on Oct. 14, 2023 at Corcoran Field. The Musketeers defeated No. 21 Akron, 1-0, in the quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST Tournament on Nov. 5, 2023 at Corcoran Field.
The Musketeers only other win in the series was on Aug. 31, 2019 vs the No. 2 ranked Zips. Xavier defeated Akron, 2-0, at Corcoran Field.
Xavier is playing at Akron for the first time since Sept. 20, 1998. The Zips defeated the Musketeers, 4-3, in overtime.

XAVIER VS THE TOP-25

Xavier has faced 48 United Soccer Coaches-ranked opponents since the start of the 2010 season, posting a 14-24-10 record in those matches. The Musketeers are 9-6-4 against USC Top-10 teams since 2010, including wins at No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 1 Creighton in 2015.
Xavier's last win over a ranked team was on Aug. 29, 2024 vs No. 2 Marshall, 2-0, at Corcoran Field. The win matched the program's highest ranked win at Corcoran Field (also beat No. 2 Akron, 2-0, on Aug. 31, 2019).
Xavier went 1-2-2 vs top-25 teams during the 2023 season and is 1-1 vs top-25 teams during the 2024 season.

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier is coming off a scoreless draw at DePaul on Sept. 28. The Musketeers held the Blue Demons to a season-low four shots, the fourth time this season the Xavier defense has held an opponent to four or fewer shots. The Blue Demons were also shut out for the first time this season.
Jonny Mennell (4-2-4) posted his fourth straight shutout, increasing his season total to six. He made two saves in 90 minutes of action. The Asheville, N.C., native now has a 0.70 goals against average on the year with 29 saves.
Xavier took 10 more shots (14-4) than DePaul an took two more shots on goal (4-2). The Blue Demons committed seven more fouls (16-9) than Xavier and took three fewer corner kicks (6-3).

NOTABLES

A total of 10 different Musketeers have scored a goal this season, while seven different players have recorded an assist. Matthew Senanou leads the team with three goals, while George Waites has a team-leading three assists.
Xavier's defense has not allowed a goal in 362:47. The last time the Musketeers allowed a goal was in the 77th minute at No. 21 Ohio State on Sept. 8. The Musketeers have posted four straight shutouts in a season under John Higgins for the second time in as many seasons (Xavier posted four straight shutouts from Oct. 28, 2023 - Nov. 12, 2023).
Jonny Mennell (13-6-10) has a 0.79 career goals against average with 15 shutouts and 92 saves. He ranks third all-time at Xavier in career shutouts (15) and third in career goals against average (0.79).
Jonny Mennell ranks first in the BIG EAST in shutouts (6), while ranking fifth in saves (29). He also ranks second in goals against average (0.70). Mennell ranks second in the NCAA in shutouts and 18th in goals against average.
Xavier has posted 23 shutouts in 47 matches coached by John Higgins.
Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST in fewest goals allowed (7) and goals against average (0.70). The Musketeers also rank sixth in total saves (32) and first in shutouts (6).
The Musketeers defeated Cal State Fullerton, 4-1, on Aug. 25 at Corcoran Field. Xavier scored three, first-half goals for the first time since Feb. 28, 2021. The Musketeers scored seven, first-half goals vs Chicago State en route to a 10-0 victory.
The Musketeers scored four goals vs the Titans on Aug. 25, the first time Xavier has scored four goals in a match since Oct. 28, 2023 (W, 4-0 at UConn).
Taylor Rhinehart scored in the third minute vs Cal State Fullerton on Aug. 25, the quickest Xavier goal since Oct. 30, 2021 at UConn (Bryce Curran scored with 4:44 on the clock).
The Musketeers have held an opponent to three or fewer shots three times this season (three shots vs Northern Kentucky on Aug. 22; two shots vs Duquesne on Sept. 1; three shots at Siena on Sept. 13).
The two shots vs Duquesne is the fewest allowed during the Coach Higgins Era and the fewest allowed by a Xavier defense since Sept. 15, 2021 at Robert Morris (W, 1-0; only allowed one shot).

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

2024 BIG EAST HONOREES
Sept. 30 - Jonny Mennell - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Sept. 23 - Jonny Mennell - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Sept. 23 - Cooper Forcellini - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Sept. 3 - Matthew Senanou - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Aug. 26 - Jonny Mennell - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll

KROPP - PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST

Dylan Kropp was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Men's Soccer Team on Aug. 19. All-BIG EAST honors and preseason polls were decided by a vote of the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own team or players.
Kropp and the defensive back line only allowed 16 goals last season, ranking second in the BIG EAST and 20th in the NCAA. The defender led all Xavier field players in minutes played with 1,633. The Musketeers finished the season with a 0.83 goals against average, ranking second in the BIG EAST.
The Columbus, Ohio, native was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team in 2023 and the All-BIG EAST Third Team in 2022.

KROPP - PRESEASON TDS Top-100

Dylan Kropp was ranked 94th in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Top-100 Players List on Aug. 21.
A total of 10 BIG EAST players from six different schools earned the honors. Akron (4) and Georgetown (2) had multiple players represented on the list.

SCHEDULE NOTES

Xavier will play 10 matches at Corcoran Field this fall, including five straight home matches to open the season.
The Musketeers will play two teams that finished the 2023 season ranked in the top-10 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll: Marshall (No. 8) and Western Michigan (No. 12).
The Musketeers play two teams that participated in the 2023 NCAA Tournament: Western Michigan (Aug. 11) and Marshall (Aug. 29).
Xavier plays teams from seven different conferences during non-conference action: Sun Belt, Horizon (2), Big West, A-10, MVC (2), Big Ten and MAAC.
BIG EAST action begins on Sept. 20 vs St. John's at Corcoran Field. Xavier's remaining three home conference opponents are Creighton (Oct. 12), Marquette (Oct. 19) and Seton Hall (Oct. 26).
The Musketeers travel to DePaul (Sept. 28), Akron (Oct. 4), Butler (Oct. 23) and Providence (Nov. 2) in BIG EAST action.
The BIG EAST Championships returns to the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md., on Nov. 14-17.
Xavier has posted a 56-30-19 (.624) non-conference record since 2013. The Musketeers have recorded an 32-9-8 (.735) record at home in those matches.
Xavier is 79-32-20 (.679) at Corcoran Field since the start of the 2010 season.

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

The Musketeers won the program's first BIG EAST Championship in 2023 - defeating No. 3 Georgetown in the tournament championship via penalty kicks to earn the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Xavier advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in school history and the first time since 2014. The Musketeers also had two top-25 wins during the season.
The Musketeers had two players earn All-BIG EAST honors in 2023: Dylan Kropp and Makel Rasheed. Rasheed was also named to the USC All-East Region Team.
Dylan Kropp and the defensive back line only allowed 16 goals last season, ranking second in the BIG EAST and 20th in the NCAA. The defender led all Xavier field players in minutes played with 1,633.
Jonny Mennell finished the season ranked second in the BIG EAST and 27th in the NCAA in goals against average (0.83). The goalkeeper also finished the year with a conference leading nine shutouts, ranking seventh in the NCAA.
Xavier's team goals against average (0.832) in 2023 ranks first in program history.
Offensively, the Musketeers return Taylor Rhinehart who recorded nine points (three goals, three assists). Fabrizio Bernal de la Garza also returns from an injury that sidelined the forward three matches into the season. He led the squad in points with nine (four goals, one assist) during the 2022 season.

JOHN HIGGINS - 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 150-57-29 overall record in 12 seasons with the Greyhounds. He now has a 172-63-46 overall record in 15 seasons as a head coach.
John Higgins was named the seventh men's soccer head coach in program history on March 28, 2022. Higgins joined the Musketeers from the University of Indianapolis where he compiled a 150-56-29 overall record in 12 seasons with the Greyhounds.
In 2023, Higgins led the Musketeers to the program's first BIG EAST Championship - defeating No. 3 Georgetown in the tournament championship via penalty kicks to earn the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Xavier advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in school history and the first time since 2014. The Musketeers also had two top-25 wins during the season.
The 2022 season was highlighted by two players being taken in the MLS SuperDraft 2023: Cole Jensen and Makel Rasheed. Xavier had two players taken in the same draft for the first time in program history. Jensen was taken as the 18th overall pick (first round) by Inter Miami CF, the second highest draft pick in school history. Jensen was also named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year and was named a United Soccer Coaches All-American, becoming only the second player in program history to earn All-American honors.
In 2022, the Musketeers also had a 14-match unbeaten streak during the regular season - matching the program record for longest unbeaten streak. Xavier also climbed to as high as No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches' Poll, matching the highest ranking in school history. The Musketeers also advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2018.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in five of the last 14 seasons. The Musketeers have also won 10 or more matches in seven of the last 14 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.
Xavier has qualified for eight of the last 11 BIG EAST Championships, including trips to the title game in 2014, 2017 and 2023.
Xavier has been ranked in the nation's top-10 four times in the last 11 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.
Xavier was ranked as high as No. 9 on Oct. 19, 2022 - matching the highest ranking in program history (was also ranked No. 9 on Oct. 28, 2014).
In 2015, Xavier 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.
Six Xavier players have been selected in the MLS SuperDraft in the last 12 years, including Cole Jensen and Makel Rasheed in 2022.

XAVIER MLS DRAFT HISTORY

2022 - Cole Jensen - GK - 1st Round (18th) - Inter Miami CF
2022 - Makel Rasheed - D - 3rd Round (65th) - Nashville FC
2018 - Cory Brown - D - 3rd Round (62nd) - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2017 - Jalen Brown - MF/F - 2nd Round (38th) - NYC FC
2014 - Nick Hagglund - D - 1st Round (10th) - Toronto FC
2013 - Luke Spencer - F - 1st Round (23rd) - New England Revolution

2024 PRESEASON COACEHS' POLL

EAST DIVISION
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown (11) - 66
2. Providence (1) - 55
3. St. John's - 42
4. Connecticut - 38
5. Seton Hall - 28
6. Villanova - 17

MIDWEST DIVISION
(first-place votes)
1. Akron (7) - 62
2. Xavier (4) - 56
3. Creighton (1) - 50
4. Butler - 35
5. Marquette - 25
6. DePaul - 18

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