Men's soccer kicks off regular season with a draw against Wildcats

Saturday night, the Xavier men's soccer team suffered a
heart-breaking draw against No. 20 Northwestern Wildcats.
The Musketeers allowed a penalty kick by the Wildcats' Chris Ritter with nine seconds left in regulation, sending the game into overtime. Overall, Xavier displayed sharp defense throughout the game but gave Northwestern an opportunity
to score at the end. "Our mobility and self-confidence
in the attacking third is growing but can still get better,"
head coach Andy Fleming said. "The attacking quarter is a veteran group and we need to create a few more chances, but also finish the quality ones we've been able to generate."
Xavier's one and only goal came from the senior forward Lu ke Spencer. It was an early strike, as the goal came in the 14th minute. The assist was given to junior midfielder Matt Walker. Spencer's goal was a breakaway, and he found himself alone with the goalkeeper.The ball sailed pass the top left corner and ended up in the back of the net. It marked the 16th goal in the senior forward's career. Walker and Spencer combined for six shots out of the 12 shots on goal. Five of the shots taken were on target. The Wildcats had 19 shots on goal and seven were on target. Senior goalkeeper Justin
Marshall played the entire duration of the match racking up six saves including three in overtime. Northwestern struck four shots on target during overtime, all of which were dealt with cleanly by Marshall. Xavier played their home opener against Wright State on Tuesday. Xavier won with a score of 2-1.