Men's Soccer Plays Host to No. 23 Akron

Saturday, October 25

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 p.m.

Xavier University

Akron

10.23.25 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats Watch Live

First touch is set for 2 p.m. from Corcoran Field

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer returns to BIG EAST action on Saturday, Oct. 25 vs No. 23 Akron. First touch is set for 2 p.m. ET from Corcoran Field.

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (5-4-3, 1-2-2) vs AKRON ZIPS (8-3-3, 2-2-1)
Game Info - Saturday, Oct. 25 - 2 PM ET - Corcoran Field (1,000)
Live Stats - bit.ly/4oAG4CB
ESPN+ - bit.ly/4oraXZW

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ABOUT AKRON

2025 Record: 8-3-3 (2-2-1)
2024 Record: 12-5-4 (7-0-1)
2024 Postseason: NCAA Second Round
Series History: Akron leads the series, 8-2-1
Last Meeting: Akron 1, Xavier 0 (Oct. 4, 2024 - Akron, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• Akron was picked to finish first in the Midwest Division of the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll. The Zips collected 10, first-place votes.
• Senior Mitch Budler was named the BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. He has a 0.64 goals against average with 30 saves and nine shutouts this season. Budler leads the NCAA in total shutouts, while ranking 17th in goals against average.
• Stefan Dobrijevic leads the team in points with 16 (four goals, eight assists). Jack Roman has added 14 points (five goals, four assists), while Remi Agunbiade has added 10 points (four goals, two assists).
• Akron is 3-1-2 in road matches this season.

SERIES HISTORY

Akron leads the all-time series, 8-2-1. Xavier is 2-3-1 when playing the Zips at Corcoran Field.
Both of Xavier's wins vs Akron have been at Corcoran when the Zips were nationally ranked.
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 also defeated No. 2 Akron, 2-0, on Aug. 31, 2019 at Corcoran Field.

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).
The last time Xavier played a top-25 team was on Sept. 8, 2024 at Ohio State. The Buckeyes won the match, 3-1.

BIG EAST WEEKLY AWARDS

Aug. 25 - Jonny Mennell - Goalkeeper of the Week
Sept. 15 - Cooper Forcellini - Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 15 - Gabriel Kuffel - Goalkeeper of the Week
Sept. 22 - Gabriel Kuffel - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Sept. 29 - Cooper Forcellini - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Oct. 6 - Ryan D'urso - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier is coming off a 1-1 draw vs Butler on Oct. 17.
Shogo Haraikawa scored his second goal of the season. He ranks tied for third on the team in points with five (two goals, one assist).
Ekene Okeke posted his second assist of the season. He now has four points on the year (one goal, two assists). He ranks tied for first on the team in assists with two (Nolan Brice also has two assists).
The Musketeers took 10 more shots (18-8) than the Bulldogs. The 18 shots are tied for the second most in a match this season for the Musketeers. Butler took three more shots on goal (6-3) than Xavier.
Jonny Mennell (3-3-2) made five saves and allowed one goal in 90 minutes of action. He has a 1.25 goals against average on the year with 29 saves.

HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST

Cooper Forcellini was named to the United Soccer Coaches 2025 Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List on Oct. 10.
Cooper Forcellini scored two goals vs Providence on Sept. 27, the third time he has scored two goals in a match this season. He has a team-leading nine goals on the year.
Cooper Forcellini is the first Musketeer to score nine or more goals in a season since 2019 (Samson Sergi; 10 goals).
Cooper Forcellini ranks 12th in the NCAA in total goals with nine. He ranks second in the BIG EAST in total goals behind Georgetown's Zach Zengue who has 12 goals.
Cooper Forcellini ranks third in the BIG EAST in shots on goal per match (1.50), while ranking 18th nationally. He also ranks 22nd in the NCAA in total points (19).
Cooper Forcellini is also ranked 29th in the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top-100 List.

MENNELL - XAVIER SCHOOL RECORDS

Jonny Mennell has a 16-15-13 career record with 19 shutouts and a 1.00 goals against average (fourth in school history). His 16 career wins ranks tied for fifth all-time with Paul Wesseling (1997-00).
Jonny Mennell is tied with Justin Marshall (2009-12) for the most shutouts in school history (19).
Jonny Mennell has 138 career saves, sitting just outside the all-time top-10 at Xavier. Chris Wright (1995-95) ranks 10th with 141 career saves.

NOTABLES

Gabriel Kuffel (2-1-1) has a 1.25 goals against average in four matches this season, filling in for the injured Jonny Mennell. Kuffel has made 14 saves and posted one shutout.
Nine different Musketeers have now scored a goal this season. Twelve different players have also recorded an assist.
The Musketeers have 22 goals in 12 matches on the year (only had 14 goals in 17 matches last season). Six of Xavier's 21 goals have come via penalty kick.
Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST and 53rd in the NCAA in shots on goal per game (5.92).
Xavier ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in total goals (22) and 64th in the NCAA. The Musketeers also rank third in the BIG EAST in scoring offense (1.83) and 45th in the NCAA.
Xavier has scored three or more goals in a match three times this season.
John Higgins has posted a 27-17-21 (9-9-13 BIG EAST) record in four seasons at Xavier. His teams have posted 28 shutouts in 65 matches.
In 2024, the defense post a 1.12 team goals against average, ranking ninth in single-season school history and 57th in the NCAA. Xavier also posted seven shutouts, ranking tied for eighth in single-season school history and tied for 33rd in the NCAA.
Matthew Senanou was selected by the Colorado Rapids in the MLS SuperDraft 2025 on Dec. 20 as the sixth overall pick (first round) in the draft, becoming the highest MLS Draft pick in program history.
The Musketeers defeated No. 2 Marshall, 2-0, at Corcoran Field on Aug. 29 - only one of two losses during the season for the national runner-up Thundering Herd. Xavier also had one player earn All-BIG EAST Honors and four players named to the 2024 CSC Academic All-District® Team.
Xavier returns standout goalkeeper, Jonny Mennell. He had seven shutouts during the 2024 season, the fifth most in single-season school history. Mennell posted a 1.06 goals against average, ranking 10th in single-season school history
Jonny Mennell entered the 2025 season ranked third all-time at Xavier in career shutouts (16) and tied for sixth in career wins (13). He also finished the year with a 0.95 career goals against average, ranking fourth in school history.
Danny Flores was named an assistant coach on Aug. 12. He joins the Musketeers from Lawrence North HS (Indiana) where he was the program's head coach from 2022-24.

COACH HIGGINS

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.

SCHEDULE NOTES

Xavier will play seven matches at Corcoran Field this fall, including the team's season opener on Aug. 21 vs Saint Francis.
The Musketeers will play three teams that finished the 2024 season ranked in the top-25 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll: Western Michigan (No. 20), Akron (No. 21) and Georgetown (No. 25).
The Musketeers play four teams that participated in the 2024 NCAA Tournament: Western Michigan (Aug. 15), Providence (Sept. 27), Akron (Oct. 25) and Georgetown (Nov. 1).
Xavier plays teams from six different conferences during non-conference action: Big Ten, NEC, ASUN, MVC, MAAC and Horizon (2).
BIG EAST action began on Sept. 19 at St. John's. Xavier also travels to Marquette (Oct. 3), Creighton (Oct. 11) and Georgetown (Nov. 1) during conference action.
The Musketeers opened home BIG EAST action on Sept. 27 vs Providence. Xavier also plays Butler (Oct. 17), Akron (Oct. 25) and DePaul (Nov. 7) at Corcoran Field during conference action.
The BIG EAST Championships returns to the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md., on Nov. 13-16.

BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL

East Division
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown (10) - 65
2. Providence (2) - 56
3. St. John's - 45
4. Connecticut - 34
5. Seton Hall - 30
6. Villanova - 16

Midwest Division
(first-place votes)
1. Akron (10) - 65
2. Creighton (2) - 57
3. Xavier - 41
4. Marquette - 34
5. DePaul - 26
6. Butler - 23

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in five of the last 15 seasons. The Musketeers have also won 10 or more matches in seven of the last 15 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 12 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 12 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 all but one 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.
Seven Xavier players have been selected in the MLS SuperDraft in the last 13 years.

XAVIER MLS HISTORY

2024 - Matthew Senanou - 1st Round (6th) - Colorado Rapids
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

UP NEXT

Xavier travels to No. 15 Georgetown on Saturday, Nov. 1. First touch is set for 6 p.m. from Shaw Field.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Xavier will broadcast all seven home matches on either Xavier+ or ESPN+.
The subscription cost of Xavier+ will be $10 per match or $49 for a fall season pass to watch all 19 home Xavier+ broadcasts (includes men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball). All purchases are subject to the customer's state sales tax.
A subscription to ESPN+ is required to view the four home men's soccer matches aired on ESPN+. An ESPN+ subscription will also include a number of road men's soccer contests (determined by the host institution).