Xavier To Face Indiana in NCAA Second Round

by Colin Waters

November 17, 2012

No. 22 Xavier (14-2-5) vs. Indiana (11-5-3)
Date/Time	Sunday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. ET
Location	Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium (Bloomington, Ind.)
Tournament Info	Bracket \| IU Notes
Match Notes	Xavier \| IU Notes
Television	Big Ten Network
Live Stats	GameTracker
Social Media	@XavierGameDay

Nov. 17, 2012

CINCINNATI - The Xavier men's soccer team continues its program's best season when it travels to Bloomington, Ind. to face the storied Indiana program in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Second Round on Sunday.

Kickoff for the first-ever meeting between the two clubs is set for 1 p.m. from Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The match will be aired live on the Big Ten Network. It will be the first television match in program history.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youths. Tickets can be purchased at the box office on game day.

Xavier Musketeers
• Xavier won its first-ever NCAA Tournament match on Thursday with a 1-0 victory over Kentucky in the first round. The Musketeers advance to play 16th-seed Indiana at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Bloomington, Ind.
• The Musketeers are in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season after earning the program's first at-large bid. Xavier is one of 17 teams to play in the last three NCAA Men's Soccer Championships.
• Xavier is ranked 22nd in this week's NSCAA poll and 14th in the Soccer America poll. The Musketeers have been ranked in NSCAA and Soccer America Top 25 polls for the entire 13 weeks this season.
• Forward Luke Spencer leads the Atlantic 10 in goals, goals per game and points. Midfielder Matt Walker became just the second player in the nation to record a season double-double in goals and assists. He assisted the game-winning goal on Thursday.
• In addition the duo of Spencer and Walker are one of two sets of teammates with 10-plus goals this year.
• Xavier's 14 wins are a new program best, breaking the old record of 12 set by the 2011 and 1994 teams.
• The Musketeers dropped out of the top two spots in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Poll for the first time since last year. The streak snapped a total of 12 weeks and included six weeks as the region's top team.
• Xavier has the nation's seventh-best scoring offense and 41st best defensive unit.
• Statistical Leaders: Luke Spencer (14g, 7a), Matt Walker (10g, 10a), Gino De Paoli (6g, 9a), Will Walker (7g, 6a) and Adar Cohen (8a). Justin Marshall (0.84 gaa) has the majority of minutes in net.

Indiana Hoosiers
• Indiana is the tournament's 16th seed and finished the regular season with a 11-5-3 overall record. The Hoosiers were eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament by eventual champion Michigan State, 2-1.
• The Hoosiers own an NCAA Tournament best .733 winning percentage (78-27-4). The program has seven national titles and appeared in 17 College Cups. IU's last appearance in the College Cup was 2004.
• Overall, Indiana owns an impressive 266-41-28 (.835) all-time record at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers are 52-4-2 (.913) in NCAA Tournament games at home as well.
• The Hoosiers faced a challenging schedule this season. Eight of their regular season opponents made the tournament field, including four seeded teams.
• Eriq Zavaleta is the nation's fourth-leading goal scorer and has accounted for half of the Hoosiers' goals this season. He was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
• Statistical Leaders: Eriq Zavaleta (16g, 2a), Nikita Kotlov (4g, 3a), A.J. Corrado (1g, 9a),, Jacob Bushue (1g, 4a), Caleb Konstanski (2g, 1a) and Femi Hollinger-Janzen (2g, 1a). Luis Soffner (0.81) gaa is a four-year starter in net for IU.

Match Recap: Kentucky
• The Musketeers won their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory on Thursday with a 1-0 decision on the road against Kentucky.
• Senior Luke Spencer tallied the Musketeers score in the 86th minute to advance the Musketeers into the second round where they will face Indiana. Matt and Will Walker were credited with assists.
• Xavier earned its sixth shutout of the season and first NCAA clean slate.

Match Recap: Atlantic 10 Championship
• Third-seed Xavier was unable to repeat as the three-time Atlantic 10 Champions after a 1-0 defeat to eventual champion Saint Louis in the semifinals.
• The Musketeers prevailed over six-seed Dayton on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. Xavier won the shootout 3-2 after earning a 1-1 draw. Matt Walker scored in the second half to tie the match for the Musketeers.
• The loss to Saint Louis snapped a seven-match unbeaten streak (4-0-3) that was tied for the longest in A-10 postseason history. Penn State's seven-straight victories between 1987 and 1990 shared the record.
• Junior Nick Hagglund was named to his second A-10 All-Championship Team.

A Record Breaking Offensive Pace
• Xavier has one of the best offenses in the country ranking third in total points, second in assists, seventh in goals per game and fifth in total goals. XU ranks first in every offensive category in the Atlantic 10.
• The Musketeers' goal and assist in the NCAA match against Kentucky broke the single-season record for points (149) set in 1994 when Xavier had 54 goals and 41 assists.
• Xavier's 48 goals this season ranks third all-time. XU is one behind the second highest total set in 1992 and six behind the program record (54) established in 1994.
• Xavier has already set a new single-season record for assists. The previous best (45) was established by the 1998 squad.

Spencer, M. Walker A Rare Combination
• Forward Luke Spencer (14g) and midfielder Matt Walker (10g) are one of two teammates to have 10-plus goals this season.
• The other combination is Coastal Carolina's Ashton Bennett (15g) and Ricky Garbanzo (13g).
• It is the fifth time that it has happened in program history and first time since 1997.

Walker Twins Have Opponents Seeing Double
• Twin brothers Matt and Will Walker have prov • Walker, Walker (as their mother says) have teamed up for 26 goals and 19 assists.
• The twins are actually separated by a year of eligibility after Will transferred to Xavier after committing to Northern Illinois. He was forced to sit out the 2010 season and has two years of remaining eligibility after this year. • Both brothers earned Atlantic 10 honors this season. Matt was a first team selection and Will was named to the second team.
• During their two years together the brothers have been a part of eight of their 29 goals.

Playing Clean, Card Free Soccer
• Xavier has committed 166 total fouls to its opponents 253 this season. XU leads the Atlantic 10 in fewest fouls per game (7.9) and yellow cards. The Musketeers total is sixth in the nation and second lowest among tournament teams (St. John's 157).
• Xavier has also received four yellow cards this year, which is the lowest in the nation. Northwestern and Monmouth are tied for second in the nation with eight yellow cards. Both Colgate and Indiana have 10. Duquesne has the conference's second lowest yellow cards (13).
• The Musketeers have not received a red card this season and one of 58 teams nationally without one as on Monday.