#BEfútbol Bracket Set for 2017 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship Presented by Jeep
Men's Soccer Championship Central
NEW YORK - The bracket for the 2017 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship presented by Jeep has been set on the final night of the regular season. No. 1 seed Butler defeated Xavier 2-1 during a Wednesday night downpour in Indianapolis finishing BIG EAST play with a 8-1-0 record, the most wins in the Bulldogs' BIG EAST history. The Bulldogs (12-4-1 overall) return to the tournament as the defending champions.
Locking up the No. 2 seed was Georgetown (12-3-2, 6-2-1 BIG EAST). The Hoyas rallied to defeat Creighton, 3-1, behind two goals from freshman Derek Dodson.
Top-seeded Butler, nationally ranked 15th in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, received a bye in the tournament's first round and will host a semifinal match on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m., against the winner of No. 4 seed Xavier (10-5-2, 5-4-0) and No. 5 seed Providence (5-7-5, 2-2-5). The 4-5 match up will take place on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Cincinnati at the XU Soccer Complex.
Second-seeded Georgetown, ranked No. 18 nationally, also gets a week break and will host a 1 p.m. semifinal playing the winner of the No. 3-6 first round match which pits No. 3 St. John's (8-6-3, 5-2-2) against No. 6 Creighton (9-6-2, 3-4-2). The Red Storm and Bluejays will play their first round match at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Belson Stadium in Queens, N.Y. St. John's was picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST preseason coaches' poll.
Going into Wednesday, Butler, Georgetown, St. John's and Xavier had all clinched a spot in the tournament, with seeds for the Hoyas, Red Storm and Musketeers yet to be determined. Creighton, Providence and Marquette were all vying for the final two spots in the tournament.
St. John's and Providence played to a double-overtime scoreless tie on Wednesday night. The tie gave Providence a much-needed standings point, clinching the tournament berth and knocking Marquette (3-11-2, 3-5-1) out of the tournament.
In the first match of the day, DePaul defeated Marquette, 3-1. The Blue Demons ended their season at 5-11-2, 2-6-1 BIG EAST. Seton Hall (6-10-1, 3-6-0) defeated Villanova (7-11-0, 2-7-0) 2-0 ending the Pirates and Wildcats 2017 campaign.
BIG EAST Championship First Round matches will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network, as will both Semifinal tilts. FS2 takes over for the final, slated for Nov. 12 at 12 p.m. For the third-straight year, the higher seed will serve as host of each contest in all three rounds. Four of the six participants in this season's tournament have BIG EAST Championship titles to their credit, with Butler winning in 2016, Georgetown in 2015, and Providence in 2014. St. John's makes its first appearance in the BIG EAST tournament since 2012. The Red Storm has won nine league tournament titles, their most recent in 2011. Creighton has been the tournament runner up in both 2015 and 2016. Xavier was runner up in 2014.
For more on the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship, visit Championship Central
HERE.
2017 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship
Presented By Jeep
First Round - Nov. 4 - BEDN
No. 6 seed Creighton at No. 3 seed St. John's, 6 p.m.
No. 5 seed Providence at No. 4 seed Xavier, 7 p.m.
Semifinals - Nov. 8 - BEDN
No. 3/6 winner at No. 2 seed Georgetown, 1 p.m.
No. 4/5 winner at No. 1 seed Butler, 7 p.m.
Final - Nov. 12 - FS2
Semifinal Winners, 12 p.m.
All times Eastern - All games played at the higher seed