LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's soccer team will make its 2025 home debut when the Knights welcome Xavier for a 7 p.m. (ET) contest Saturday at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.

Bellarmine (0-1-1) and Xavier (1-0) are meeting for the second time in the Division-I era. The first matchup was actually a watershed moment for the Knights, who were playing in their first-ever game as a D1 program after reclassifying from D2. The contest took place in the spring of 2021 instead of the fall of 2020 after the season was delayed due to COVID, and it was a neutral-site game that unfolded at Grand Sports Complex in Westfield, Indiana. The Musketeers notched a 2-1 win.

Bellarmine head coach Tim Chastonay and Xavier head coach John Higgins have a long history. Before taking the helm of the Musketeers in 2022, Higgins was the head coach for 12 seasons at the University of Indianapolis, a former D2 rival of the Knights in the GLVC. Chastonay is BU's all-time wins leader (236), and Higgins remains UIndy's (150). Higgins led the Greyhounds to a pair of NCAA II Final Fours.

This season, Xavier opened with a 3-0 home win over Saint Francis. The Musketeers will be well-rested coming into Frazier Stadium, as that contest took place Aug. 21. XU is coming off a 4-8-5 campaign. Jonny Mennell was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week after his four-save shutout against Saint Francis.

KNIGHTS NOTES:
• With that win in the spring 2021 meeting, Xavier actually snapped Bellarmine's 23-game regular-season unbeaten streak entering D1. In their final season in D2, the Knights went unbeaten in the 2019 regular season after going 6-0 to end the 2018 regular season. BU was the 2019 GLVC Tournament champion and didn't lose a match until the NCAA II Sweet Sixteen (2-1 vs. Maryville).
• Bellarmine is largely testing its early-season mettle on the road this year, with four of the first five matches away from Frazier Stadium.
• Bellarmine opened the season with a 1-1 draw at Evansville before falling 1-0 Monday at Kentucky. The Knights' defense has yet to concede a goal on anything other than a penalty kick, as both the Purple Aces and Wildcats had one PK each. BU boasted the second-ranked defense in the ASUN last season (1.19 GAA).
• Peter Van Euwen has recorded eight saves and carries an .800 save percentage in goal over two matches. The redshirt senior, who is in his second season at Bellarmine and second as the starter, posted five saves against Kentucky.
• Redshirt sophomore defender Sam Safly, a transfer from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, made his first start as a Knight against Kentucky. The other 10 Bellarmine starters against UK were returners. BU's 11 starters against Evansville were all returning Knights, a seeming anomaly in the transfer portal era.
• Senior defender Rhys Davies was selected to the Preseason All-ASUN Team. Davies and fellow captain Jeffrey Cox, a redshirt junior defender, are the only two BU field players who played the full match in both of the first two games.

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