Xavier Downs Wright State, 2-1
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Aug. 28, 2012
CINCINNATI - Senior forward Luke Spencer scored twice in the second half as the Xavier men's soccer team erased a deficit to beat Wright State, 2-1, in the first home game of the season.
Spencer scored from point-blank range for his first goal in the 62nd minute and followed it up with a penalty kick goal in the 64th minute to give the Musketeers (1-0-1) their first victory of the season. The goals were the second and third of the year for the Cincinnati native.
Xavier fell behind to the Raiders (0-2-0) when it allowed a goal from Emeka Ononye from the top of the box. Ononye guided it just inside the left upright on the goal.
The Musketeers had chances throughout the first half to tie the game but remained behind at the half for the first time since the 2011 NCAA Tournament despite holding an 11-6 shot advantage. In the first half Xavier had four shots on goal to the Raiders' one.
Spencer's first goal was aided by junior midfielder Matt Walker who drew defenders before dishing it to Spencer in front of a wide open net. A hard foul in the box set up the go-ahead goal and was the third converted penalty kick Spencer has made against the Raiders since last year. He led all players with six shots.
It was the third time of his career that Spencer recorded two goals in a game. He achieved the feat in 2010 against Dayton and last season against Wright State.
Matt Walker had four shots to go along with his first assist of the season. Tallying two shots a piece for the Musketeers was junior defender Nick Hagglund and sophomore midfielder Will Walker. Ononye and Tim Sampson each had two shots to lead the Raiders.
Senior goalkeeper Justin Marshall (1-0-1) worked the entire 90 minutes of play and made one save in the victory. Raiders' goalkeeper Jacob Bye (0-2-0) made five saves and allowed both goals.The Musketeers finished the match with a 16-10 shot advantage and had five shots on goal to the Raiders' one.
Xavier remains home for its next match on Sept. 2 against Cincinnati. That match will begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on GoXavier.com.
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