WSOC Notes - 10.28
NEW YORK – The 2017 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship presented by Jeep kicks off Sunday with a pair of First Round contests. The BIG EAST Digital Network will stream both matches, which are slated for 2 p.m. (ET) starts. No. 3 seed Providence hosts No. 6 seed DePaul, while No. 4 seed Marquette welcomes No. 5 seed Xavier with trips to the semifinals on the line.
The Friars and Blue Demons played to a scoreless double-overtime draw on Oct. 19 in Friartown, with PC holding a 15-6 advantage in shots and not allowing a single DePaul strike to reach Providence goalkeeper and recently crowned BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year Shelby Hogan. Lauren Frasca made five saves in the clean sheet. The Friars are making their seventh appearance in the BIG EAST Championship while the Blue Demons punched their postseason ticket for the eighth time. Both have one conference tournament title to their credit, with DePaul winning in 2014 and Providence claiming the inaugural trophy in 1993. The Friars and Blue Demons have met in the BIG EAST Championship just once before, with PC scoring a 1-0 win in the 2015 First Round.
Darian Powell’s golden goal in the 93
rd minute gave Marquette the 1-0 win over Xavier on Oct. 14 in Milwaukee. The defensive battle saw XU’s Toni Bizzarro and MU’s Maddy Henry combining for 13 saves, while the Golden Eagles held a narrow 11-10 advantage in shots. The Musketeers are making their first BIG EAST Championship appearance since joining the league prior to the 2013 campaign, while Xavier makes its first postseason appearance overall since 2003. Marquette is the lone team in the field with multiple BIG EAST Championship titles to its credit, winning the trophy in 2012 and 2013. This is Marquette’s 13
th consecutive berth in the conference championship, the only current BIG EAST team to qualify for the league tournament every season since joining.
The winner of Providence-DePaul advances to the semifinals against No. 2 seed Butler, set for Thursday in Indianapolis at 7 p.m. The Marquette-Xavier winner advances to the semifinals against top-seeded and regular-season champion Georgetown on Thursday in Washington, D.C., with kickoff set for 2 p.m. For more information on the BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship, visit Championship Central by clicking
HERE.