Xavier Returns to BIG EAST Action vs Villanova

Saturday, September 26

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Xavier University

Villanova

Xavier Returns to BIG EAST Action vs Villanova

09.25.26 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats ESPN+

First touch is set for 6:30 p.m. from Corcoran Field on Sept. 26

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's soccer returns to BIG EAST action vs Villanova on Saturday, Sept. 26. First touch is set for 6:30 p.m. from Corcoran Field.

MATCH INFORMATION

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (5-0-2, 0-0-1) vs VILLANOVA WILDCATS (4-3-1, 0-1-0)
Game Info - Saturday, Sept. 26 - 6:30 PM - Corcoran Field (1,000)
Live Stats - xavier.statbroadcast.com
ESPN+ - espn.com/watch

ABOUT VILLANOVA

2026 Record: 4-3-1 (0-1-0)
2025 Record: 7-6-5 (2-3-3)
2025 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier is 5-3-2 all-time vs Villanova
Last Meeting: Xavier 1, Villanova 1 (Oct. 21, 2023)

NOTABLES
• Villanova was picked to finish sixth in the East Division of the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll.
• The Wildcats are 0-1-1 in road games this season. After starting the season with a 3-0-1 record, the Wildcats have recorded a 1-3 mark (posted a 4-2 win over Drexel in most recent match on Sept. 22).
• Nine different Wildcats have scored a goal this season. Luke Martelli leads the team in points with seven (two goals, three assists). Fynn Lahrsen has added two goals.
• Alex Yagudayev (4-2-1) has a 0.86 goals against average with three shutouts and 44 saves in 630 minutes of action. Dane Johnstone (0-1-0) has a 3.00 goals against average with six saves in 90 minutes of action.

SERIES HISTORY

The Musketeers are 5-3-2 all-time vs the Wildcats. The two teams are meeting on Saturday for the first time since the 2023 season.
The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the last meeting on Oct. 21, 2023 in Pennsylvania.
Xavier is 2-1-1 all-time vs the Wildcats when playing in Cincinnati. The Musketeers and Wildcats are meeting at Corcoran Field for the first time since Oct. 2, 2021 (Villanova defeated Xavier, 1-0).
Xavier's last win over the Wildcats was on Oct. 8, 2022 at Villanova (W, 2-1). The last home win for Xavier in the series was on Oct. 6, 2018 (W, 1-0).

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier is coming off a 6-0 win vs Wright State in non-conference action on Sept. 22 at Corcoran Field.
The Musketeers posted a six-goal win for the first time since Sept. 14, 2025 (W, 6-0 vs Siena at Corcoran Field).
Xavier held a 25-4 advantage in shots and took 11 more shots on goal (12-1). The Musketeers also took 10 more corner kicks (10-0) than Wright State.
The 25 shots taken by the Musketeers is the most shots in a match since Aug. 24, 2018 vs Cincinnati Christian (took 26 shots). The 25 shots are also the fourth most taken in a match this season by a BIG EAST team.
Five different Musketeers scored in the match, paced by Gerard Lorente who had two goals. He added two assists. The midfielder leads the team in points with 10 (three goals, four assists).
Jonny Mennell (5-0-2) made the start in goal and did not allow a goal in 66:33 of action.
Austin Nowak logged the first minutes of his career, playing in 23:27 of relief for Mennell. He made one save and did not allow a goal.
Xavier remained unbeaten at 5-0-2, the longest unbeaten streak to start the season since 2022, when the Musketeers started the season at 9-0-5.

MENNELL - XAVIER SCHOOL RECORDS

Jonny Mennell has a 21-17-16 career record with 22 shutouts and a 1.03 goals against average (fourth in school history). His 21 career wins rank third in school history (He is four wins away from moving into a tie for third second place with Eric Osswald).
Jonny Mennell has program-best 22 career shutouts.
Jonny Mennell has 173 career saves, ranking eighth all-time at Xavier. He is 29 saves away from moving into seventh place with Mark Armstrong (1984-86).

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

Sept. 14 - Ekene Okeke - Weekly Honor Roll
Sept. 8 - Ekene Okeke - Weekly Honor Roll
Aug. 31 - Ekene Okeke - Weekly Honor Roll

NOTABLES

Xavier ranks No. 17 in the latest NCAA Men's Soccer RPI (Sept. 22). The Musketeers are one of only nine teams in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer without a loss this season.
Eight different players have scored a goal this season for the Musketeers, paced by Gerard Lorente who has three goals. Nine different players have recorded an assist, paced by Gerard Lorente and Alejandro Silvestrini who both have four assists.
Xavier has six players with multiple goals this season. The last time Xavier had six or more players with multiple goals in the same season was 2023.
Xavier has four shutouts in seven matches this season. The Musketeers only had four shutouts during the 2025 season.
The Musketeers rank first in the BIG EAST and ninth in the NCAA in goals against average (0.571). Jonny Mennell ranks first in the BIG EAST and 12th in the NCAA in goals against average (0.594).
Xavier ranks first in the BIG EAST and sixth in the NCAA in corner kicks per game (8.14).
The Musketeers have only allowed four goals this season, the fewest goals allowed by a BIG EAST team this season. Xavier is also one of three BIG EAST teams without a loss this season: Arkon (4-0-2) and Creighton (8-0-2) are the other two teams.
Jabari De Coteau and Cooper Forcellini were taken in the MLS SuperDraft 2026. A total of nine Musketeers have been taken all-time in the MLS Draft, including five under head coach John Higgins.
Forcellini was taken in the second round (43rd overall pick) by St. Louis CITY SC. The 2025 All-BIG EAST First Team selection finished the year ranked fifth in the BIG EAST and 51st in the NCAA in total points (22). The midfielder was named to the 2025 United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Third Team and was selected to participate in the 2025 MLS College Showcase.
De Coteau was taken in the third round (86th overall pick) by the Colorado Rapids. He played in 38 matches in three seasons for the Musketeers with one goal and one assist. The defender helped the team post 20 shutouts in three seasons. In 2023, the defense posted a school record 0.83 goals against average with nine shutouts (tied for third in school history).
In 2025, Xavier scored 24 goals in 15 matches - an increase of 10 goals from the 2024 season (had 14 goals in 17 matches).
Cooper Forcellini, Jonny Mennell, Alejandro Silvestrini and Ezra Widman were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team in November of 2025.
All told, the Musketeers return 12 letterwinners from last season. Offensively, Harun Bakaran and Gun Ha Lee both scored three goals and recorded one assist.
Xavier welcomed 14 newcomers to the roster in the fall of 2026.

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.
John Higgins has posted a 32-19-24 (9-11-14 BIG EAST) record in five seasons at Xavier. His teams have posted 32 shutouts in 75 matches.
John Higgins had two players taken in the MLS SuperDraft 2026. Five of the nine MLS Draft Picks in school history have come under Coach Higgins.
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.
In 2022, the Musketeers 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 11 matches at Corcoran Field this fall, including the team's season opener on Aug. 20 vs Purdue Fort Wayne.
The Musketeers will play three teams that finished the 2025 season ranked in the top-25 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll: Georgetown (No. 5), Akron (No. 12) and UConn (No. 24).
Xavier played two matches during preseason. The Musketeers played host to Western Michigan on Aug. 8 and traveled to IU Indy on Aug. 15 (Xavier won both matches).
The Musketeers play four teams that participated in the 2025 NCAA Tournament: Western Michigan (Aug. 8), Seton Hall (Oct. 10), Akron (Oct. 24) and UConn (Oct. 31).
Xavier plays teams from four different conferences during non-conference action: ASUN, Big Ten, Horizon (3) and MVC.
BIG EAST action begins on Sept. 18 at DePaul. Xavier also travels to Seton Hall (Oct. 10), Akron (Oct. 24) and Butler (Nov. 6) during conference action.
The Musketeers open home BIG EAST action on Sept. 26 vs Villanova. Xavier also plays Marquette (Oct. 2), Creighton (Oct. 15) and UConn (Oct. 31) at Corcoran Field during conference action.
The BIG EAST Championships returns to the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md., on Nov. 12-15.

BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL

East Division
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown - 66 (11)
2. UConn - 46
3. Providence45 (1)
4. St. John's - 37
5. Seton Hall - 36
6. Villanova - 16

Midwest Division
(first-place votes)
1. Akron - 66 (11)
2. Creighton - 56 (1)
3. Xavier - 43
4. Marquette - 34
5. DePaul - 27
6. Butler - 20

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in five of the last 16 seasons. The Musketeers have also won 10 or more matches in seven of the last 16 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 13 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 13 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 two seasons 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.
Nine Xavier players have been selected in the MLS SuperDraft in the last 14 years.

XAVIER MLS HISTORY

2025 - Jabari De Coteau - 3rd Round (86th) - Colorado Rapids
2025 - Cooper Forcellini - 2nd Round (43rd) - St. Louis CITY SC
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

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Xavier will broadcast all 10 home matches on either Xavier+ or ESPN+.
The subscription cost of Xavier+ will be $10 per match or $45 for a fall men's soccer season pass to watch all six home Xavier+ broadcasts. 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).