Musketeers shut out Red Storm, move to 3-1 in Big East play

Courtesy of GoXavier.com

CINCINNATI – Second-half goals from Jalen Brown and Matt Vasquenza lifted the Xavier men’s soccer team to a 2-0 win over St. John’s on Saturday afternoon.

The Musketeers improved to 6-3-2 (3-1 BIG EAST), while the Red Storm moved to 5-3-3 (1-1-2 BIG EAST). Xavier has now posted a shutout in four of its last five matches.

The match was played at nearby Walnut Hills High School.

HOW THEY SCORED
• 47′ | Xavier | Matt Vasquenza scored from 20 yards out on the right, beating the last St. John’s defender off a pass from Majed Osman – giving Xavier a 1-0 advantage.

• 70′ | Xavier | Jalen Brown scored from just outside the top left side of the penalty box. Osman recorded his second assist of the day on the goal as Xavier took a 2-0 lead.

NOTABLE
• Colin Hanley made six saves, earning his fourth clean sheet of the season.
• Majed Osman doubled his season assist total on Saturday as the senior midfielder now has four the year. Osman also posted a match-high four shots on the day.
• Jalen Brown now has a team-leading four goals on the year. Matt Vasquenza’s goal brings his total to three this season, ranking tied for second on the squad.
• Xavier is only the second team to score multiple goals on St. John’s this season. No. 6 Syracuse scored three on the Red Storm on Sept. 4.
• St. John’s held a 12-6 advantage in shots, including a 6-4 lead in shots on goal.

UP NEXT
• Xavier returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 11 against Belmont. The match will be played at Northern Kentucky University at 7 p.m.

AMONG THE NATION’S BEST
• Xavier men’s soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the last six seasons.
• The Musketeers finished 2015 at 12-6-1 overall, marking a sixth straight season with at least 10 wins – one of just 12 programs that can claim the feat.
• Last fall also marked Xavier’s third straight finish in the top-four of the BIG EAST.
• XU was ranked in the nation’s top-10 by the NSCAA for the third time in four years, while knocking of the national No. 1 (Creighton) and No. 2 (Notre Dame) on the road last season. 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.