Men's Soccer Plays Host to St. John's in BIG EAST Opener

Friday, September 20

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 p.m.

Xavier University

St. John's

Men's Soccer Plays Host to St. John's in BIG EAST Opener

09.18.24 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats Watch Live (FloSports)

First touch is set for 7 p.m. from Corcoran Field

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer opens BIG EAST action on Friday, Sept. 20 vs St. John's. First touch is set for 7 p.m. from Corcoran Field.

MATCH INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (2-2-3, 0-0-0) vs ST. JOHN'S RED STORM (2-2-3, 0-0-0)
Match Info - Friday, Sept. 20 - 7 p.m. - Corcoran Field (1,000)
Live Stats - bit.ly/4enFaEd
Watch Live (FloSports) - flosports.link/3dUulj6

ABOUT ST. JOHN'S

2024 Record: 2-2-3 (0-0-0 BIG EAST)
2023 Record: 8-4-5 (3-1-4 BIG EAST)
2023 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier trails, 4-3-3
Last Meeting: Xavier 0, St. John's 0 (Oct. 5, 2022 - Queens, N.Y.)

NOTABLES
• St. John's was picked to finish third in the east division of the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll. Senior forward Macoumba Ba was named to the preseason all-conference team.
• Miguel Diaz leads the team in goals with three, while Macoumba Ba and Dechlyn Hauge have added two each. Thomas Lamaille paces the squad in assists (3).
• Alec McLachlan (2-2-3) has a 1.29 goals against average with 17 saves and one shutout this season.
• The Red Storm are coming off a 1-1 tie at No. 6 Marshall on Sept. 14. St. John's is 0-1-2 in road matches this season.

SERIES HISTORY

Xavier trails the all-time series vs the Red Storm, 4-3-3. The Musketeers are 2-1-1 in home matches vs St. John's.
St. John's won the last meeting between teams in Cincinnati, 1-0, on Sept. 18, 2021 at Corcoran Field.
Xavier's last win over the Red Storm was on Oct. 8, 2016. The Musketeers defeated St. John's, 2-0, at Walnut Hills HS (match was played at the nearby high school due to flooding at Corcoran Field).
Xavier and St. John's did not play each other in 2023. The Red Storm and Musketeers played to a scoreless draw in the 2022 meeting on Oct. 5 in Queens, N.Y.

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 Siena on Sept. 13. The Musketeers held a 10-3 advantage in shots and recorded one more shot on goal (2-1). Cooper Forcellini, Michael Rogalski and Ekene Okeke paced the Musketeers with two shots each.
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).
Jonny Mennell (2-2-3) made one save and posted his third shutout of the season. He now has a 1.00 goals against average on the year.

NOTABLES

Seven different Musketeers have scored a goal this season, while six players have recorded an assist. Matthew Senanou leads the team with three goals. Michael Rogalski and George Waites in assists with two each.
Jonny Mennell has a career record of 11-6-9 in goal with a 0.88 goals against average, 86 saves and 12 shutouts. He has a 1.00 goals against average this season with 23 saves and three shutouts.
Jonny Mennell ranks tied for first in the BIG EAST in shutouts (3), while ranking second in saves (23).
Xavier has posted 20 shutouts in 44 matches coached by John Higgins.
Offensively, Xavier is one of four BIG EAST teams that does not have 10 or more goals this season. Xavier ranks ninth in the conference in goals (9), followed by Providence (8), Georgetown (7) and Villanova (6).
Xavier ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in fewest goals allowed (7) and goals against average (1.00). The Musketeers also rank second in total saves (25) and shutouts (3).
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. 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 55-30-19 (.620) non-conference record since 2013. The Musketeers have recorded an 31-9-8 (.729) record at home in those matches.
Xavier is 77-32-20 (.674) 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 170-63-45 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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