Westwater & Schembri score

Photo courtesy of Michael Millay | With her strong performance last week, Sydney Schembri was named to the Big East Honor Roll. This is her first career conference honor. 

Xavier women’s soccer began Big East play this past weekend with a emphatic victory over Creighton, defeating the Blue Jays on Saturday by a score of 2-1.

Entering the conference opener, the team was coming off a tough 1-0 home loss to Dayton on a golden goal. This marked only the second time this season that the Musketeers have been shut out.

Coming into the game, the team knew it would be facing a strong Creighton team. Play between the two teams was even until Xavier broke the deadlock in the final minutes of the first half.

Capitalizing on the rebounded shot from redshirt freshman Carrie Lewis, junior Emma Westwater netted her fourth goal of the season to put the Musketeers up at the break 1-0.

The score remained 1-0 throughout the second half until the 77th minute when Creighton tied the game at one a piece. This, however, did not affect the Musketeers. In a great show of resilience, the team battled back. In the 90th minute with only seconds remaining in the game, Sydney Schembri scored the game-winning goal for the Musketeers. Her goal, which was assisted by Lewis, was her fourth of the season. Schembri’s goal helped her earn a spot on the Big East Weekly Honor Roll, her first conference honor of her career. She is the fourth Musketeer to receive the honor this season.

Other notable action from Saturday on the pitch included goalie Toni Bizzarro earning her fifth win of the season, putting her at 5-4-1 overall. Maddie Tierney and Carly Alfano also performed well against the Blue Jays, playing the entire game on the backline.

The win over Creighton puts Xavier at 5-4-2 overall this season and 1-0 in Big East play.

The next game is Thursday at the XU Soccer Complex against Providence.

By: Colin Cooper ~Staff Writer~

Sergi, Taylor receive honors for performances

The Xavier men’s soccer team has found success on the pitch lately. After having a seven-match unbeaten streak, it fell victim to Big East opponent St. John’s by a final score of 3-0 on Saturday.

During this stretch the Musketeers battled top competition. They were able to pull out a 1-0 win against then No. 9 Georgetown and played to a 1-1 draw against 15th-ranked University of Kentucky. Xavier’s strong performances helped take hold of the 23rd ranking in the nation last week.

This is a big step in the right direction for Coach Andy Fleming and his squad. The hot streak for the Musketeers has been led by some explosive play upfront and persistent play from the back line.

Cameron Taylor, a redshirt junior, has been arguably the most valuable player for the Musketeers thus far in the season. Taylor’s 5’11 and 178-pound frame combined with his athletic ability has posed a matchup nightmare for opposing teams on set pieces and balls swung in from the far side.

Taylor scored four goals from the right back position and also tallied one assist against University of Cincinnati. He was named United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week.

Another standout performer for Xavier has been redshirt sophomore Samson Sergi. He received Big East Weekly Honor Roll for the second straight week after notching another goal against Kentucky last Wednesday. Sergi has tallied five goals from the forward position in the 2017 campaign, certifying himself as a top striker in the Big East conference.

The Musketeers will look to rebound from their 3-0 loss to St. John’s on Saturday at home against the Providence Friars.

The lads look to be poised and motivated to make a run in this year’s Big East play and to also qualify for the national tournament.

By: Tim Kramer ~Staff Writer~