#BEfútbol Minute – NCAA Rematch And Six Top 25 Games Highlight Opening Weekend
NEW YORK – A rematch of Providence’s NCAA quarterfinal game against UNC highlights a weekend full of matches as the 2017 men’s soccer season gets underway on Friday. All 10 teams play Friday night with an even split of home and away matches.
Fifteen games will be played by Sunday, with an additional three on Monday and a match on Tuesday. Of those 19, six games will be against top 25 competition, four with ranked squads on opposing benches.
The official start to the BIG EAST’s 2017 schedule is at 5 p.m. as Georgetown travels up the metro to local-rival American.
Facing Top Competition
Providence, the BIG EAST’s coaches’ preseason favorite, not only opens Friday night against the No. 4 Tar Heels, who ended the Friars run in the postseason last season in a double overtime thriller; but continues Sunday at the home pitch of the national runners up, Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were just edged out of a championship title by Stanford, who won on PK’s, 5-4. WFU is ranked second in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
In addition to the Friars’ two top-25 clashes, Villanova will travel to No. 13 Virginia on Friday for the season-opener at Klockner Stadium, testing the waters early against a perennial national powerhouse. The Wildcats were picked fourth in the league standings and are coming off their first-ever NCAA tournament berth. No. 14 Creighton hosts a top-25 clash at “Fortress Morrison” as the Bluejays host No. 17 Virginia Tech for their 2017 lid-lifter. Creighton and Virginia Tech have never played each other previously.
Monday afternoon, No. 19 Coastal Carolina visits Georgetown and No. 25 Butler, the reigning BIG EAST tournament champions, travel to No. 9 Louisville.
Top 25 Matches Scheduled:
Villanova at No. 13 Virginia (Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. ET)
No. 4 UNC at No. 12 Providence (Aug. 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET)
No. 17 Virginia Tech at No. 14 Creighton (Aug. 25 at 8 p.m. ET)
No. 12 Providence at No. 2 Wake Forest (Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. ET)
No. 19 Coastal Carolina at Georgetown (Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. ET)
No. 25 Butler at No. 9 Louisville (Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET)
In addition to ranked match ups that are ear-marked in the early weekend schedule, there are four games against 2016 NCAA tournament qualifiers.
Marquette will travel to Kentucky to open the Golden Eagles 2017 slate. Fellow BIG EAST team Creighton knocked Kentucky out of title contention at “The Bell” last season. Marquette will look to follow the Bluejays success to bring another BIG EAST win home from Lexington. No. 25 Butler will host UIC at the Butler Bowl on Friday night. UIC, like Butler was also an NCAA tourney qualifier. DePaul will get its shot at UIC on Sunday as the Blue Demons visit their cross-town rival. UIC got defeated in the first round. Xavier hosts Loyola-Chicago for Friday’s opener. Loyola-Chicago defeated UIC in the opening round of the NCAA tourney before losing to Notre Dame in round two.
Early Regional Match Ups For Opening Friday
In addition to the ranked match ups that highlight the weekend, there are some regional rival games on the schedule as Georgetown kicks off the entire league schedule with a 5 p.m. Friday evening match at neighboring American, Seton Hall hosts Saint Peter’s at 7 p.m. and St. John’s heads down to Philadelphia to face Drexel at the same time.
#BEfutbol Weekend Schedule
Friday, Aug. 25
GEORGETOWN at American at 5 p.m.
UIC at No. 25 BUTLER at 7 p.m.
Saint Peter’s at SETON HALL at 7 p.m.
VILLANOVA at No. 13 Virginia at 7 p.m.
ST. JOHN’S at Drexel at 7 p.m.
DEPAUL at N.I.U. at 7:30 p.m.
No. 4 North Carolina at No. 12 PROVIDENCE at 7:30 p.m.
Loyola Chicago at XAVIER at 7:30 p.m.
MARQUETTE at Kentucky at 7:30 p.m.
No. 17 Virginia Tech at No. 14 CREIGHTON at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 27
Drake at XAVIER at 5 p.m.
No. 12 PROVIDENCE at No. 2 Wake Forest at 7 p.m.
ST. JOHN’S at Loyola-Maryland at 7:30 p.m.
Grand Canyon at No. 14 CREIGHTON at 8 p.m.
DEPAUL at UIC at 8 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 28
No. 19 Coastal Carolina at GEORGETOWN at 1 p.m.
Rider at SETON HALL at 7 p.m.
No. 25 BUTLER at No. 9 Louisville at 7:30 p.m.
All times listed are Eastern.