Kicking Off 2017
BIG EAST women’s soccer teams hit the ground running this weekend as all 10 lift the lid on their 2017 campaigns. Five of the weekend’s tilts will pit BIG EAST programs against preseason top-25 teams, highlighted by Friday’s top-five showdown between No. 5 Georgetown and No. 1 West Virginia on the Hilltop. Both squads are coming off trips to the 2016 College Cup, with the Hoyas falling to USC in the semifinals and the Mountaineers losing to the Trojans in the national championship. Kickoff in Washington, D.C., is set for 4 p.m. (ET). Last season’s BIG EAST Championship runner-up Marquette will face the nation’s No. 2 team in Stanford on Friday night (8 p.m.). Butler (at No. 18 Notre Dame, 7 p.m.) and DePaul (at No. 23 Northwestern, 8 p.m.) also open against top-25 foes. Xavier, which faces Grambling State on Friday, rounds out the games against ranked opponents when it plays No. 12 Duke in Cary, N.C., on Sunday.
Preseason Recap
Coming off its first trip to the College Cup, Georgetown led the way in the BIG EAST preseason. The Hoyas earned all nine possible first-place votes and swept all three preseason major awards – BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Rachel Corboz, Defensive Player of the Year Elizabeth Wenger and Goalkeeper of the Year Arielle Schechtman. Georgetown was tabbed No. 5 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll and was followed in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll by 2016 co-regular-season champions DePaul, with 70 points, and Marquette, with 67. For the full preseason awards release, click
HERE.
Hermann Trophy Watch List
The MAC Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in college soccer, unveiled its 2017 Watch List last week which included a pair of standout midfielders from the BIG EAST – DePaul’s Alexa Ben and Georgetown’s Rachel Corboz. Ben was the unanimous pick as BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year in 2016, while Corboz is coming off back-to-back All-BIG EAST First Team selections. Both Ben and Corboz were among the “
NCAA Names To Know” announced in late July.
New To The Fold
Two sidelines this fall will feature fresh faces as Villanova and Xavier have new head coaches. Chris McLain, former associate head coach at Ohio State, takes over for the Wildcats, while Nate Lie, former associate head coach for Cincinnati, was tabbed to lead the Musketeers. Villanova went 2-7-0 in BIG EAST play last year while Xavier posted a 1-8-0 mark.
A Brief Look Back At 2016
The 2016 season was a memorable one as the BIG EAST saw two teams earn bids into the NCAA Tournament, including Georgetown which claimed its first conference postseason crown before advancing to its first College Cup. Three players garnered All-America honors, including two who will return to the pitch in 2017 – Georgetown’s Rachel Corboz and DePaul’s Alexa Ben. Five BIG EAST teams finished in the top 75 of the NCAA RPI (Georgetown, 6; Marquette, 29; DePaul, 54; Providence, 62; St. John’s, 74), tying the most since conference realignment, while the Hoyas peaked in the national polls at No. 2, while listing in the top 10 for eight consecutive weeks to close out the year. Also, for the fourth time in four years, the league crowned a different champion (Marquette, 2013; DePaul, 2014; Butler, 2015; Georgetown, 2016). Led by head coach Dave Nolan, Georgetown was tabbed National Coaching Staff of the Year by the NSCAA.
Weekend Schedule
Friday
Grambling State vs. Xavier, 3:30 p.m. (Cary, N.C.)
#1 West Virginia at #5 Georgetown, 4 p.m.
William & Mary vs. Providence, 4:30 p.m. (Harrisonburg, Va.)
St. John’s at La Salle, 7 p.m.
Butler at #18 Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
Siena at Seton Hall, 7 p.m.
Creighton at Iowa State, 8 p.m.
DePaul at #23 Northwestern, 8 p.m.
#2 Stanford at Marquette, 8 p.m.
Sunday
#12 Duke vs. Xavier, 1 p.m. (Cary, N.C.)
George Washington at Georgetown, 1 p.m.
Delaware at Villanova, 2 p.m.
DePaul at Illinois, 2 p.m.
Providence at James Madison, 2 p.m.
Butler at Ohio, 2 p.m.
Kentucky at Marquette, 3:30 p.m.
All Times Eastern