Senior Forward Yael Diaz at Deaton Field in Chicago SXU Athletics
With a (3-4) record the Saint Xavier University (SXU) men’s soccer team currently sits in 5th place in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC).
They started the season 0-2 after back to back shutout losses on the road to ranked opponents, University of Rio Grande (Ohio) and Grace College (Ind.).
In their home opener the Cougars shutout Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) 1-0, before falling to Marian University (Ind.) 4-1.
During a quick two game homestand the Cougars found themselves back at .500 with wins against Goshen College (Ind.) [2-0] and Cornerstone University (Mich.) [2-1].
On Saturday, Sept. 12, the Cougars dropped to 3-4 after a 4-0 loss to Spring Arbor (Mich.) in Michigan.
In 2025, SXU finished the regular season 11-4-3, and just seven games into the 2026 season SXU has already tied last year’s regular season loss total.
It’s a small sample size but the Cougar offense has seen a decline in pretty much every offensive category compared to the first seven games during the 2025 season.
Throughout the first seven games in 2025, SXU scored 12 goals and allowed just seven while going 5-2. Fast forward to 2026, they have scored six goals while allowing 13.
SXU is currently averaging 0.86 goals per game compared to the 1.71 they had last season, and opponent goals per game is up to 1.86 compared to the 1.00 from a year ago.
The difference in shot production has also been very noticeable, through seven games last year SXU averaged 13.1 shots per game compared to just 7.6 this year. They have also recorded 31 shots on goal this season compared to the 50 they had in 2025.
The 2025 team was not only able to just create more opportunities while also scoring more but they also limited opponents to fewer scoring chances. Despite the 2026 team putting a good percentage of limited shots on target and creating fewer scoring chances, opponents have still converted at a higher rate.
In terms of individual stats, senior forwards Yael Diaz and Mark Vitaliy Hul currently lead the team in goals scored with two each. Saul Lagunas, Cristian Morales, and Mauri Martinez all share an assist each for a team combined total of three on the season so far.
On Tuesday, Sept.15, they will look to turn the page against Maharishi International University at home. Then on Saturday, Sept. 19, the Cougars host Huntington University (Ind.) before they begin a crucial stretch against their conference opponents starting on Sept. 26.
While the season hasn’t been on par to last year’s, the Cougars will still have plenty of time to turn their season around before the CCAC tournament begins on Nov. 3.
With conference play fast approaching, SXU will need to find a way to get more production on both the offensive and defensive side before it’s too late.
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