Team-By-Team Status Check
Butler: The Bulldogs didn’t surrender a goal in BIG EAST play over the first four matches and went 3-0-1 during that stretch. Butler enters Week 6 coming off a loss at St. John’s, but are still alone in second place. Rookie Anja Savich has been a welcomed addition, ranking second in conference play with three goals. Goalkeepers Leonie Doege and Hannah Luedtke have allowed just one goal apiece as a stellar defense led by Annika Schmidt and Julia Leonard have kept opponents’ shots on goal at a premium.
Creighton: The Bluejays are coming off a win and are just one point behind the logjam in fourth place in the standings. Creighton is the lone conference team to score against the first-place Hoyas this season, and along with Georgetown, are the only teams to have scored in all five BIG EAST matches thus far. Taryn Jakubowski has five points in league play, while Katie Sullivan makes a BIG EAST-best 6.6 saves per contest.
DePaul: The Blue Demons have made opposing goalkeepers work as they have outshot four of their five BIG EAST opponents. They’re averaging 1.4 goals per game in league play, with Franny Cerny and Madeline Frick both in the four-way tie for second-most goals in the BIG EAST. Mollie Eriksson is one of a trio of freshmen starting goalkeepers in the conference, and one of two true freshmen. On the season she has five shutouts, most among rookies and third-best among all league keepers.
Georgetown: The Hoyas look unstoppable. They’re unbeaten over all 14 matches this season, including Division I’s second-longest winning streak (13 matches), thanks to a roster which features one of the nation’s top goalkeepers and the top scorers. Arielle Schechtman boasts D1’s top goals against average (.241) and save percentage (.946), and is the active career leader in shutouts (43) by a double-digit margin. Caitlin Farrell ranks second nationally in total goals (13), seventh in total points (27) and has scored at least one goal in eight consecutive matches.
Marquette: Only one BIG EAST foe has managed to score more than one goal against the Golden Eagles, as goalkeeper Maddy Henry averages 5.2 saves per game. Henry denies nearly 84 percent of the shots she faces, but will need some offensive support for Marquette to jump into the top six in the standings. Freshman Alyssa Bombacino has two of MU’s three goals scored in league play, and three total goals on the year, including two game winners.
Providence: The Friars closed out the first half of league play with a draw and a win, allowing just one goal over the last three matches. Shelby Hogan is among the national leaders in shutouts (7) and save percentage (.872), having allowed multiple goals just twice over 14 matches in 2018. Hannah McNulty is a constant offensive threat for the Friars with more shots on the season than anyone else in the BIG EAST, with eight of those strikes beating the keeper to rank third in the league.
St. John’s: The Red Storm closed out the first leg of league play unbeaten over their final two matches, including a crucial win over second-place Butler. St. John’s is the only BIG EAST team to score on and beat the Bulldogs this season, with team-leading scorer Zsani Kajan tagging Butler for two goals. Kajan ranks second in the conference with nine scores and 20 points on the year, while netminder Meredith Reinhardt has grown increasingly stingy. She hasn’t surrendered multiple goals since Sept. 23 and averages over four saves per contest.
Seton Hall: The Pirates are still in search of their first BIG EAST win, but closed out the opening half of league play scoring in their final two games. The Hall matched or outshot their final two foes which could indicate the offense is coming to life entering Week 6. Currently seven points out of the playoff picture, the Pirates will need to turn the corner and pick up a few wins to get back in the postseason conversation. Anna MacLean averages nearly five saves per contest, with three outings of six or more.
Villanova: The Wildcats have their most points in the standings (9) since 2014 and are only five matches into league play. Just one more win would give VU its most points since conference realignment, while getting the Wildcats one step closer to clinching their first postseason berth since 2014. Villanova underclassmen have been steering the ship, combining for 82 percent of goals and 75 percent of points, while rookie goalkeeper Henlsey Hancuff has started in nine of 13 contests. Sophomore Bri Austin leads the Wildcats in both goals (7) and points (15).
Xavier: The Musketeers find themselves in that logjam in fourth place. Samantha Dewey leads the offense whose 23 goals rank second in the BIG EAST, with Dewey scoring six of them, including four game winners. She has at least one point in three of five league contests, including the double-overtime game-winning goal at DePaul to close out the first leg of conference play.
Week Ahead
Saturday
St. John’s at Seton Hall, 6 p.m.*
Sunday
Providence at #4 Georgetown, 1 p.m.*^
DePaul at RV Butler, 1 p.m.*
Marquette at Xavier, 1 p.m.*
Creighton at Villanova, 1 p.m.*
*BIG EAST Contest
^BEDN
All times Eastern