2017 Men's Soccer Championship Central
BIG EAST Notes - 11.04.17 (PDF)
NEW YORK – The 2017 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship presented by Jeep starts Saturday night with both first round matches on the BIG EAST Digital Network. No. 6 Creighton plays at No. 3 St. John’s first at 6 p.m., followed by No. 5 Providence at No. 4 Xavier at 7 p.m. Both times are Eastern.
Winner of the Creighton/St. John’s contest will face No. 2 seed Georgetown on Semifinal Wednesday (Nov. 8) at 1 p.m. in Washington, D.C. No. 1 seed Butler will play the winner of the Providence/Xavier matchup also at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Both semifinal teams are unbeaten at home against league teams this year. Georgetown was 4-0-1 at Shaw Field, Butler was 5-0-0 at the Sellick Bowl.
Matchup: No. 6 Creighton at No. 3 St. John’s
Time: 6 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (CT)
Live Stats: GameTracker
Live Video: BEDN
Meeting Notes: It is the first meeting in the BIG EAST tournament between St. John’s and Creighton. During regular season play, the Red Storm have never tallied a win over the Bluejays. St. John’s (8-6-3, 5-2-2 BIG EAST) is back in the playoff picture for the first time in five years, exiting early in the 2012 tournament. The Red Storm last hoisted the league tournament banner in 2012. Creighton (9-6-2, 3-4-2) has been in the playoffs since joining the league in 2013 and has made it to championship Sunday the past two years. The Bluejays have finished as the runner up both times.
Last Meeting: Creighton and St. John’s played on Oct. 6 in Omaha. The match finished in a rare weather-ended tie where the Red Storm came back with two goals from BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year Harry Cooksley. SJU had the lead with Cooksley’s goal in the 56th, but Creighton’s Connor Ramlo scored the game-tying goal in the 70th. The match was ended due to lightning in the 81st minute. Creighton was heavy handed in shots during the course of the game, but SJU keeper Andrew Withers had eight saves in net to keep the score even. Creighton leads the series between these two teams 3-0-2.
In The BIG EAST Championship: First meeting
Creighton In The BIG EAST Championship: 3-4-0; Fifth appearance (Last 2016); Runner-Up (2015, 2016)
St. John’s In The BIG EAST Championship: 34-16-4; 26th appearance (Last 2012); Nine-time champion (1992-95, ’98, ’01, ’06, ’09, ’11)
Matchup: No. 5 Providence at No. 4 Xavier
Time: 7 p.m. (ET)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Live Video: BEDN
Meeting Notes: The last time Providence and Xavier met in the BIG EAST Tournament was the championship final in 2014. The Friars were victorious over the Musketeers with a 2-1 win at PPL Park. Overall, this will be Providence’s 18th appearance in the BIG EST Championship. Xavier has also been in the dance since 2013.
Last Meeting: Xavier (10-5-2, 5-4-0) outscored Providence 4-1 in the regular season meeting between these two teams on Sept. 30 in Providence. XU’s Samson Sergi scored two goals in the first four minutes of action, setting the tone for the entire match. Xavier is 7-1-0 at home at the XU Soccer Complex this season, unbeaten in league play at 4-0-0. Providence (5-7-5, 2-2-5) was picked as the league favorite in the preseason coaches’ poll. After a 0-2-1 start to league action, the Friars rebounded to qualify for their fifth-straight BIG EAST tournament. Since the loss to Xavier, Providence went unbeaten in their final seven matches with a 3-0-4 record. Three of those matches have been 0-0 draws. The Musketeers put together a three-match win streak from Oct. 21-28 to move up the standings an qualify for the postseason. Xavier had a marquee win over then-No. 9 Georgetown, 1-0 in overtime. Providence leads the all-time series by a slight margin of 3-2-1.
In The BIG EAST Championship: Providence leads 1-0-0, Finals (2014)
Providence In The BIG EAST Championship: 14-14-6; 18th appearance (Last 2016); 2014 Champion
Xavier In The BIG EAST Championship: 2-4-0; Fifth appearance (Last 2016); 2014 Runner Up