By Tyler Gullahorn, Guest Writer 

The Xavier men’s soccer team returns home this Thursday to host the Creighton Bluejays in an undefeated Big East matchup that could shape the Musketeer’s postseason push. 

The Bluejays have historically dominated this matchup, winning the last two matches against the Musketeers 1-0 and 2-0. They also lead the all time series with a record of 11-5-1. 

Beating a team of Creighton’s caliber would give the Musketeers a statement win in the conference race. The Musketeers started the season undefeated but need a strong win to show this stacked Big East conference that they are a team not to be overlooked. 

The Musketeers, under head coach John Higgins, enter the week at 8-0-3 after big wins against Marquette University and University of Evansville. This undefeated record has earned the Musketeers the 18^th spot in the NCAA Men’s Soccer rankings behind their Big East competitors No. 6 Creighton and No. 3 Georgetown. 

“It’s big time that we have an undefeated matchup at Corcoran. Creighton is one of the best teams in the nation and it’s super exciting that we get to host them.” Head Coach John Higgins said. “We are really excited to get a massive crowd on Thursday night for one of the biggest matchups of the season in college soccer.”  

Defense has continued to be the foundation of this Musketeer squad. They are yet to concede any goals from open play and have only let in four goals on the season all from set pieces. This gives the Musketeers a goals against average of 0.37 which is the second best in the NCAA. 

The Musketeers’ defense will have to contain Creighton’s attack which has been amongst the most productive in the country. 

Creighton is arriving with plenty of firepower to work against this Musketeer defense. Senior Matthew Reed leads the Bluejays with 10 goals which is the third most in the NCAA. Junior Miguel Lopez is not far behind with seven goals.  

“So far I think we are in a really good spot. You will only be able to tell come the end of Big East play, but this game will be a needed test to see where we stand. The guys are in a great spot, morale is high, energy has been better than ever, I think we realize what we can do and how much we can really achieve,” sophomore starting right back Ryan D’urso said. 

Thursday’s match carries a lot of weight for the Big East standings. With a challenging stretch ahead, every point matters for the Musketeers. Xavier reached the conference tournament eight out of the last 12 seasons and expectations are high this year. 

“If you asked me which game I was looking forward to most at the start of the season, I would have said this one,” D’urso said. 

Xavier closes out the Big East home stretch with a game against UConn on Halloween night.