Photo courtesy of goxavier.com | Redshirt junior forward Samson Sergi scored the lone goal for the Musketeers in their first Big East win against Villanova. The goal marked Sergi’s third tally of the season, which is tied for second on the team.
While most Xavier students were enjoying a few days off during fall break this past weekend, the men’s soccer team was busy on campus. The squad had two important matches over the break at home as they now enter the middle portion of the regular season.
The first game came against non-conference opponent Santa Clara while the second came against conference rival Villanova.
In a high-scoring affair against Santa Clara last Tuesday night, Xavier erased a late deficit and drew a 3-3 finish in double overtime.
Early in the match, Xavier jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half. Goals were scored by senior midfielder Simen Hestnes and redshirt freshman midfielder Cameron Belle.
Even with this early lead, the Broncos were able to equalize in the 56th minute.
Then, in the 77th minute, Santa Clara scored again to take a 3-2 lead with fewer than 15 minutes to play.
Xavier did not break, however, as freshman forward Felix Boe-Tangen was able to find the back of the net in the 84th minute — his first career goal as a Musketeer.
Boe-Tangen’s huge goal sent the game to overtime, tied 3-3, where both teams remained deadlocked through two OT periods.
Although Xavier was unable to get a win, a comeback draw shows the team’s great resilience.
This tie gave the Musketeers their fifth draw of the season, which ties a program record.
After Tuesday’s match, Xavier returned to the XU Soccer Complex on Saturday for a Big East Conference matchup against rival Villanova.
Although Villanova hasn’t seen much success on the pitch this season, Xavier anticipated a tough match.
The Musketeers used this anticipation to start the match strong by scoring a goal in the first five minutes. Redshirt junior forward Samson Sergi scored off a header to give Xavier the early lead. The men didn’t look back as they defeated Villanova by a score of 1-0.
Senior goalkeeper Colin Hanley was able to get the shutout in net, giving him his first solo shutout of his career.
Xavier’s conference win over Villanova puts the team at 2-1-1 in the Big East and keeps it within striking distance of the top of the conference.
With a huge match against conference leader Creighton on Friday at home, the team has gained early momentum in its Big East slate of games.
By: Colin Cooper | Staff Writer