For the second straight year, the Xavier University men’s soccer team was the last team in the Atlantic 10 tournament. And for the second straight year, they came out A-10 champions. After a weekend full of dramatic and exciting games at Robert R. Hermann Stadium, the A-10 once again sends Xavier to represent the conference in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament.
Xavier entered the tournament as a No. 6 seed, the lowest possible spot. They beat nationally ranked Charlotte in the first round, coming from behind to oust the 49ers in overtime. In their semifinal match, Xavier eliminated No. 1 seed Fordham, the conference leader and favorite to win the tournament.In the other semifinal, it took overtime for George Washington to finish off La Salle and earn a spot in the championship game.
Sunday’s conference championship match was the most dramatic of the weekend, pitting the comeback kids from Xavier against the No. 2 seed George Washington. After regulation and two overtimes, the conference title came down to penalty kicks.
On the final shot of the shootout, Xavier sophomore Adar Cohen beat the George Washington keeper by slotting one on the left side of the net, sending his teammates into a frenzy and sending the Musketeers into the NCAA Tournament. For Xavier, this marks the second trip in as many years.
Musketeers Head Coach Andy Fleming said he’s not at all surprised by his team’s resiliency. “The last couple of weeks, having to just survive and barely get in the playoffs… I think all those experiences made us battle tested,” Fleming said.
He smiled after the game when thinking about the city that hosted the A-10 Tournament.“We were almost like the St. Louis Cardinals,” he said. “We’ve been in playoff mode for three weeks.”
Fleming now takes his team to the NCAA Tournament, where they will face the Mountaineers of West Virginia in Morgantown, W.Va.
Saint Louis University men’s soccer players were in attendance Sunday to watch the match and congratulate the champions. Next year, they hope to be the ones hoisting the trophy.
