Last Night In # BEfútbol – 10.23
NEW YORK – Six matches down, three to go, Creighton holds on to the top spot in the BIG EAST men’s soccer standings despite a 1-0 loss at Villanova on Saturday. Butler moves back to second in the league, tied with Providence at 4-2. Butler won 1-0 over Seton Hall, ending a three game skid. Providence won their fifth straight after a 2-1 road win at DePaul. Georgetown earned win No. 2, shutting out St. John’s 1-0 at home at Shaw Field and Marquette earned its first BIG EAST victory with the offensive effort the Golden Eagles had put forth in early non-conference play. Marquette defeated Xavier at home on Alumni Day as the Musketeers drop to fourth in the league.
BIG EAST fútbol will return early this week as play resumes on Wednesday across the board. All five matches will air on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
Villanova 1, No. 10 Creighton 0
A majestic goal from junior Miguel Polley and stellar defense lifted Villanova past No. 10 Creighton 1-0 on a wet and blustery Saturday afternoon at the Higgins Soccer Complex. The Wildcats (8-5-2 overall, 3-2-1 BIG EAST) picked up their third consecutive home pitch win in the month of October. Junior goalkeeper Will Steiner posted his second consecutive shutout victory, while making five saves. It was the first league loss for the Bluejays, who remain on top of the standings at 4-1-1.
Georgetown 1, St. John’s 0
Georgetown (5-8-1, 2-3-1 BIG EAST) used an early goal to get the 1-0 victory over the St. John’s Red Storm (6-4-4, 2-2-2 BIG EAST) in a windy BIG EAST Conference matchup at Shaw Field on Saturday. The win leaves the Blue & Gray in contention for a BIG EAST Championship berth. Brett Campbell scored what would be the game-winning goal in the eighth minute of play. St. John’s Andrew Withers had six saves in net, Georgetown’s JT Marcinkowski had three.
Providence 2, DePaul 1
Providence extended their winning streak to five games, as the Friars jumped up to tied for second in the league standings with 12 points at 9-5 overall, 4-2 in BIG EAST play. DePaul drops to 7-6-2 (2-4 BIG EAST) with the loss. Freshman Liam Wilson gave the Friars a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute. Wilson collected a feed from senior Julian Gressel during a corner kick and drove it past the Blue Demon’s goalkeeper. It marked Wilson’s first career goal, while Gressel was credited with the assist. Gressel put the Friars ahead, 2-0, in the 51st minute as he converted a penalty kick for his team-best ninth goal of the year. DePaul scored its lone goal of the game in the 87th minute as Simon Megally found the lower left hand corner of the net, unassisted, for his seventh tally of the year.
No. 19 Butler 1, Seton Hall 0
The 19th-ranked Bulldogs returned to their winning ways with a 1-0 triumph over Seton Hall Saturday night in the Butler Bowl. With the win, Butler improves to 9-4-1 overall and 4-2 in BIG EAST play. Eric Leonard's first goal of the season proved to be the game-winner. It came in the 22nd minute. The Bulldogs had a 14-8 advantage in shots, with nine of those attempts coming on goal. Butler also had an 8-4 edge in corner kicks on the night. Dick made two saves on the night in posting his fifth shutout of the season. It was Butler's first clean sheet since Sept. 11 against Oregon State. Seton Hall's Jonathan Jimenez picked up his second yellow with 15 minutes to play, forcing the Pirates a man down. Seton Hall is now 3-10-1 on the season and 1-5 in BIG EAST play.
Marquette 4, Xavier 1
Marquette exploded offensively with a 4-1 victory over visiting Xavier on Alumni Day at Valley Fields. Freshman Luka Prpa provided a brace, while redshirt junior Daniel Szczepanek tallied a goal and an assist as MU collected its first BIG EAST win in 2016. The Golden Eagles (4-5-4, 1-3-2 BIG EAST) struck early with Prpa converting a penalty in the 10th minute, followed by his second of the match and eighth of the season just eight minutes later. Szczepanek made it 3-1 by halftime, while freshman Connor Alba added his fourth of the season with a score off a redirect in the 48th minute. Luis Barraza had nine saves in the net. Xavier’s Matt Vasquenza scored in the 25th minute with Marquette ahead 2-1.