Musketeers Return to BIG EAST Action at Creighton

Saturday, October 11

Omaha, Neb.

7 p.m. ET

Xavier University

Creighton

Musketeers Return to BIG EAST Action at Creighton

10.09.25 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats ESPN+

First touch is set for 7 p.m. ET from Morrison Stadium on Saturday night

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer returns to BIG EAST action on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Creighton. First touch is set for 7 p.m. ET from Morrison Stadium.

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (5-3-2, 1-1-1) at CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS (6-3-2, 2-1-0)
Game Info - Saturday, Oct. 11 - 7 PM ET - Morrison Stadium (7,500)
Live Stats - bit.ly/4q2H9o5
ESPN+ - bit.ly/4h3TynF

ABOUT CREIGHTON

2025 Record: 6-3-2 (2-1-0)
2024 Record: 9-6-3 (4-3-1)
2024 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier is 5-10-1 vs Creighton
Last Meeting: Creighton 1, Xavier 0 (Oct. 12, 2024 - Cincinnati, Ohio)

NOTABLES
• Creighton was picked to finish second in the Midwest Division of the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll.
• Creighton is 6-1 in its last seven matches, most recently picking up a 1-0 win vs Missouri State on Oct. 8. The Bluejays are 4-0-1 in home matches this season.
• Miguel Arilla leads the team in points with 11 (four goals, three assists). Matthew Reed has added nine points (three goals, three assists), while Bautista Rossi has added six points (two goals, two assists).
• Matthew Hudson (6-3-2) has a 1.09 goals against average with 38 saves and six shutouts. He ranks eighth in the NCAA in shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY

Xavier is 5-10-1 all-time vs Creighton. The Musketeers are 2-6 vs the Bluejays when playing in Omaha.
Creighton won the last meeting between the two schools, 1-0, on Oct. 12, 2024 in Cincinnati. Ali Ramadan scored the game-winning goal in the 32nd minute.
Xavier won the last meeting in Omaha, 1-0, on Sept. 29, 2023. Nathan Trickett scored the lone goal in the 23rd minute (it was also his first career goal).

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 2-0 win at Wright State on Oct. 7 to wrap up non-conference action.
Freshman Harun Bakaran scored his third goal of the season in the second minute of the match. It was the quickest goal for the Musketeers this season (Xavier's previous quickest goal of the season was scored by Cooper Forcellini in the fourth minute at Evansville on Sept. 10).
Jabari De Coteau scored his first career goal, becoming the ninth different Musketeer to score a goal this season. The junior defender now has three career points (one goal, one assist) in 33 career matches.
Jonny Mennell (3-2-1) posted his third shutout of the season and made three saves.
Xavier took four more shots (16-12) than the Raiders, including five more shots on goal (8-3). Wright State took one more corner kick (6-5) and committed four more fouls (14-10).

COOPER FORCELLINI

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 sixth 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 10 goals.
Cooper Forcellini ranks third in the BIG EAST in shots on goal per match (1.80), while ranking 10th nationally. He also ranks ninth in the NCAA in total points (19).

NOTABLES

Jonny Mennell has a 16-14-12 career record with 19 shutouts and a 0.98 goals against average (fourth in school history). He is tied with Justin Marshall (2009-12) for the most shutouts in school history (19).
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 now have 21 goals in 10 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 second in the BIG EAST and 24th in the NCAA in shots on goal per game (6.60).
Xavier ranks third in the BIG EAST in total goals (21) and 28th in the NCAA. The Musketeers also rank second in the BIG EAST in scoring offense (2.10) and 24th in the NCAA.
Xavier has scored three or more goals in a match three times this season.
John Higgins has posted a 27-16-20 (9-8-12 BIG EAST) record in four seasons at Xavier. His teams have posted 28 shutouts in 63 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 open 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 plays host to Butler in BIG EAST action on Friday, Oct. 17. First touch is set for 6:30 p.m. from Corcoran 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).