The date was February 18, 2022. Xavier University men’s soccer head coach Andy Fleming and the university mutually agreed to part ways after 12 years together.

While the university had a decision regarding a new leader, the players had to determine whether or not to stay at the university.

All but one opted to stay put. Defender Jansen Miller entered his name into the transfer portal, seeking a new home.

“I didn’t want to take a chance at a rebuild,” Miller said. “So, I entered the portal and there were schools reaching out.”

It turned out that Miller was teammates with a player that already transferred, Karsen Henderlong. The two had become close friends during the time they had together with the Musketeers. Henderlong had already moved on to Indiana University by the time Fleming announced he was leaving Xavier.

“I wanted to see a change,” Henderlong said. “The expectations at Indiana are a little different than they are at Xavier.”

Although the forward scored over 20 goals in his three years with the Musketeers, Henderlong wanted to look at a school that he thought would be more challenging.

Both players realized quickly that Indiana is a much more competitive soccer school as their minutes on the pitch descended in their first year with the Hoosiers, even after playing nearly every minute at Xavier.

 

The playing minutes declined but the relationship could only get better. It was rock bottom at first, starting when they were on separate academy teams. Not only that but the time they played each other, Henderlong scored a hat trick against both Miller and another Indiana defender, Joey Maher. Miller and Henderlong were trash-talking one another at the start of the match, but Henderlong quickly shut them up with his play on the field.

But, when Henderlong found out that Miller was on his official Xavier visit, his mindset changed.

The two quickly became very close friends once the chirping subsided. They were on great terms when Henderlong left for Indiana and it seemed that the two would part their separate ways for good when Henderlong transferred after the 2022 fall semester.

However, when Miller decided to leave, the door opened for the two to be reunited once again.

“I’ll put in a good word for you if that’s want you want,” Henderlong told Miller once he found out his former Xavier teammate entered the transfer portal a year after he went through the same process.

“Karsen’s a big reason why I’m here,” Miller said. “He’s basically like a brother to me.” The two hang out together all the time and the relationship has gotten even stronger in the two seasons together with the Cream and Crimson.

 

Now, with the bond closer than ever and the two sharing the field again, Henderlong and Miller have enjoyed the rekindling of their relationship and the team’s success in the second half of the season.