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After a disappointing 2024 campaign the Saint Xavier University Cougars look to turn the page and hope for a potential playoff run in 2025.
Last Two Seasons
In 2023, they finished with an 8–7–4 overall record and a respectable 6–5 mark in conference play. That season established them as a middle-tier Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) squad capable of challenging stronger opponents as they headed into the 2024 season hoping to build momentum for a playoff appearance.
At the conclusion of the 2024 season the Cougars finished 3-11-4 overall and 3-4-3 within the conference. They finished 6th overall in the CCAC and dropped the opening game against Trinity Christian College in the CCAC tournament. Junior midfielder Aiden Breslin led the team with 3 goals while fifth-year midfielder Francisco Espinoza led the team in assists with 2. Despite a tough run, their Goalkeeper, Joel Estrada, earned All–CCAC Second Team honors, with a 81.3% save percentage, ranking third in saves and fourth in save percentage within the conference
2024 Season Team Stats
Goals: 12 (10th of 11th in CCAC)
Goals per game: 0.67 (10th of 11th in CCAC)
Shots: 166 (9th of 11th in CCAC)
Shots per game: 9.2 (10th of 11th in CCAC)
Shots on goal: 74-166
Assists: 8 (10th of 11th in CCAC)
Saves: 92 (4th of 11th in CCAC)
Roster
Coach Ed Vucinic returns for his 22nd season as head coach. He enters the season with an all time record of 198-180-30 (.522).
Assistant Coaches Adam Hewitt and Alan Garica each returning for their 7th (Hewitt) and 6th (Garcia) seasons.
Heading into the 2025 season the Cougars will have 24 returning players from last season and 5 new additions to the roster including junior midfielder Mark Vitaliy Hul from Ternopil, Ukraine. He played at Moraine Valley Community College the last two seasons where he had 5 points, 3 assists and 1 goal. Another addition to the roster is junior forward Yael Diaz from Chicago, Ill who also spent his last two years at Moraine Valley where he totaled 30 points, 14 assists, and 8 goals.
Schedule
The Cougars opened the season on Aug. 22 and are tasked with facing No.22 ranked University of Rio Grande at home, a team they are 2-10-1 against all-time. They then head to Grand Rapids, Mich to face Cornerstone University on Aug 27 to close out the month. Flipping the calendar over to Sept. SXU will have a total of four road games and five home games including a three game homestand against Hannibal LaGrange University on the 9th, Roosevelt University on the 13th, and Purdue University Northwest on the 16th. From Sept. 24 to the end of the season on Nov. 2 all remaining 10 games will be against CCAC opponents. The CCAC tournament will take place from Nov. 5 to Nov. 12 and the quest for the NAIA Championship will begin on Nov. 20.
Key Storylines
- Within the CCAC SXU can be a strong competitor to make some noise at the top of the standings but is this the year they make national headlines in the NAIA?
- How do the new additions stack up and help the team make a deep playoff run?
- Can the team start attracting attention in the NAIA coaches poll?
- Can the team sustain their academic success?
- Closing out games: In 2024 SXU let many games slip away late if they can find a way to turn those close games into wins, playoffs should not be out of the question.
With early momentum and a clear path for improvement, the Saint Xavier University Cougars look ready to take on the 2025 season with some renewed confidence and momentum. Whether they can transform their potential into postseason success remains the defining question, but for now, the Cougars have plenty of reason to believe this can be a turnaround season.