BIG EAST Release - 10.19.16
On The Line
While countless examples exist of teams qualifying for or being eliminated from BIG EAST Championship contention based on a domino effect of other outcomes, DePaul and Georgetown have it the most simple: win one more. The Blue Demons and Hoyas will punch their postseason tickets with a win on Thursday or in any of their final three games. The bottom four teams in the standings can earn no more than 16 points by season’s end, while a win would bump DePaul’s minimum points to 18 and Georgetown’s to 17, out of reach of the bottom four. Neither the Blue Demons nor Hoyas have an easy road the rest of the way which includes a showdown between one another on Oct. 23, while DePaul also has matches against the current Nos. 3 and 4 teams in the league in Providence and Marquette. The top six teams at season’s end qualify for the BIG EAST Championship, while the top two earn byes directly into the semifinals.
On The National Scene
For the fourth time in five weeks, five BIG EAST teams ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA RPI. Georgetown led the league at No. 6, while Marquette improved for a third consecutive week, jumping five spots to No. 29 for its best ranking of the season. Providence and St. John’s also enjoyed noticeable leaps, with the Friars improving 13 slots to No. 43, while the Red Storm gained nine spots to No. 91. BIG EAST standings leader DePaul rounded out the top 100 at No. 88. In the 2015 NCAA Championship, all teams within the top 44 of the RPI earned bids, while the worst at-large RPI was No. 47 Washington. For the second consecutive week, the BIG EAST overall was the sixth-ranked conference in Division I following only the “football five” leagues. Georgetown also maintained its position in both national polls, coming in once again at No. 7 in the NSCAA Top 25 and No. 2 in the
Soccer America Poll.
Clean Sheets
BIG EAST back lines and goalkeepers have been among the stingiest in the country this season with three goalkeepers ranking in the top 20 in shutouts and three teams ranking in the top 25 in team shutout percentage. Reigning BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week Diana Poulin collected her 10
th clean sheet of the season on Saturday, matching the St. John’s single-season record. Poulin ranks third nationally in goose eggs this season while also having 30 in her career. Providence’s Kristyn Shea follows closely with nine shutouts thus far, ranking sixth nationally, while Georgetown’s Arielle Schechtman has seven shutouts to her credit to rank 20
th. Of the 30 league contests which have been played thus far, 22 (73 percent) have seen at least one team shutout, while only three conference matches have ended in double-overtime scoreless draws. St. John’s (0.667; sixth), Georgetown (0.600; 15
th) and Providence (0.563; 22
nd) all enter the week ranked among the national leaders in team shutout percentage.
Tune In
BEDN is your home for the remainder of the BIG EAST women’s soccer slate as all 15 regular-season games left will stream on the FOX Sports GO app. Coverage kicks off Thursday with a pair of 4 p.m. (ET) matches when Providence visits DePaul and Villanova hosts Marquette. St. John’s-Xavier follows at 6:30 p.m., before No. 7/2 Georgetown-Seton Hall and Creighton-Butler wrap up the night at 7 p.m. BEDN will also stream the BIG EAST Championship First Round and Semifinals before FS1 takes over for the title match.
Weekly Schedule/Results
Thursday
Providence at DePaul, 4 p.m.*^
Marquette at Villanova, 4 p.m.*^
St. John’s at Xavier, 6:30 p.m.*^
#7/2 Georgetown at Seton Hall, 7 p.m.*^
Creighton at Butler, 7 p.m.*^
Sunday
Villanova at St. John’s, 1 p.m.*^
Seton Hall at Providence, 1 p.m.*^
Xavier at Creighton, 1 p.m.*^
DePaul at #7/2 Georgetown, 1 p.m.*^
Butler at Marquette, 2 p.m.*^
*BIG EAST Contest
^BEDN