No. 14 Xavier Remains Unbeaten, Defeats Norse in Non-Conference Action

Tuesday, October 20

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Xavier University

9-0-4, 2-0-3

Northern Kentucky

1-11-2, 1-5-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Northern Ky.	1	0	1
Xavier	0	3	3

Box Score (PDF)

2026 Ajmal Tesilimi vs Northern Kentucky

10.20.26 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)Photos

The Musketeers topped Northern Kentucky, 3-1, on Tuesday night at Corcoran Field

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - No. 14 Xavier men's soccer remained unbeaten on the year following a 3-1 win over Northern Kentucky on Tuesday night at Corcoran Field.

The Musketeers improved to to 9-0-4, while the Norse dropped to 1-11-2.

Xavier returns to BIG EAST action at No. 9 Akron on Saturday, Oct. 24. First touch is set for 6 p.m. from FirstEnergy Stadium.

SCORING RECAP

15' | NKU | Bennett Gerak (penalty kick)
49' | XU | Osi Onwudiwe (Beckham Williams)
58' | XU | Jose Pedro (Osi Onwudiwe)
60' | XU | Ajmal Tesilimi (Gerard Lorente)

NOTABLES

Xavier remained unbeaten on the year following Tuesday's win over the Norse. The Musketeers are one of only three teams in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer without a loss (the other two are No. 1 SMU and No. 8 Creighton).
The Musketeers have the second longest active unbeaten streak in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer (9-0-5; last loss was Nov. 1, 2025). Creighton ranks first (10-0-5; last loss was on Nov. 7, 2025).
Xavier has nine wins on the year, the most wins in a season for the Musketeers since 2023 (posted a 9-4-6 overall record).
The Musketeers scored three goals vs the Norse, the team's fifth game of the season with three or more goals. Xavier has outscored its opponents, 28-6, on the year.
Xavier has 28 goals on the year, the most goals in a season for the Musketeers since 2018 (30 goals). The Musketeers also have 29 assists on the year, the most assists in a season since 2018 (33 assists).
Osi Onwudiwe scored his team-leading fourth goal of the year, while adding his first assist of the season. The sophomore midfielder now ranks second on the team in points with nine.
Jose Pedro scored his third goal of the season. He now ranks tied for third on the team in points with seven (three goals, one assist). The sophomore midfielder is one of nine Musketeers with multiple goals on the year.
Ajmal Tesilimi scored his first career goal in a Xavier uniform. The junior defender now has four points on the year (one goal, two assists).
Gerard Lorente recorded his team-leading sixth assist of the season. He leads the team in points with 12 (three goals, six assists).
Jonny Mennell (9-0-4) made one save and allowed one goal in 90 minutes of action. He now has a 0.47 goals against average on the year with 39 saves and seven shutouts.
Jonny Mennell (25-17-18) has a program-best 26 career shutouts with a 0.96 goals against average (fourth in school history) and 195 saves (eighth in school history). His 25 wins in goal ranks tied for second in school history.
Xavier held an 18-4 advantage in shots and took four more shots on goal (6-2) than the Norse. The Musketeers also took nine more corner kicks (10-1). Northern Kentucky committed three more fouls (16-13).
Osi Onwudiwe and Beckham Williams took a team-high three shots each. Nolan Brice, Harun Bakaran, Jose Pedro and Ajmal Tesilimi each added two shots.
Bennett Gerak took a team-high three shots for Northern Kentucky. Liam Sloan (0-1) made three saves and allowed three goals in 90 minutes of action.
Xavier finished non-conference action with a 7-0-1 record. The Musketeers also improved to 8-0-1 all-time vs the Norse.
Xavier remains unbeaten at 9-0-4, the longest unbeaten streak to start the season since 2022, when the Musketeers started the season at 9-0-5.