MSOC Notes - 10.2.18
Top 10s Tangle On Tuesday
Four non-conference matches are set for Tuesday night, highlighted by a top-10 showdown in Omaha. Eighth-ranked Creighton welcomes fifth-ranked Denver at 8 p.m. ET, with the Bluejays eyeing their seventh win in a row. The match will stream live on FOX Sports GO. The Pioneers are the highest ranked BIG EAST opponent since then-No. 9 Butler earned a 2-2 draw at then-No. 4 Akron on Aug. 24 of this year. BIG EAST teams are a combined 5-3-3 (.591) against ranked foes this season. Also set for Tuesday, Xavier hosts Santa Clara (7 p.m.), Butler visits Evansville (7 p.m.) and Providence welcomes longtime foe RV Connecticut (7 p.m.). The fourth round of BIG EAST play is set for this weekend, with one match on Friday and four on Saturday.
In The Polls
Stretching its win streak to six matches following two more victories last week, Creighton moved up one in Tuesday’s United Soccer Coaches Poll to No. 8. Creighton is listed in the top 10 of the coaches poll for the second consecutive week, marking the 16th time in the past 17 seasons in which the Bluejays have been in the top 10 in at least twice during the same year. Creighton continued to lead the BIG EAST in the latest NCAA RPI as well, landing at No. 11 for a four-spot jump from a week ago.
NCAA Stats
Georgetown and No. 8 Creighton led the charge in the latest NCAA statistical rankings, each with multiple top-10 marks. The Bluejays and goalkeeper Paul Kruse boast the nation’s fourth-best goals against average at 0.325, both team and individual, while Kruse’s six shutouts are also fourth-most. CU’s six team shutouts for a .667 percentage rank sixth overall. Georgetown takes the second-most shots in Division I at 18.2 strikes per game, followed by Creighton in fifth at 17.0. The Hoyas not only fire frequently, but does so accurately as well, as GU ranks sixth with 7.5 shots on goal per game. The Hoyas’ Achara has three game-winning goals on the year, as does St. John’s Matt Forster, to rank ninth among all Division I players.
Weekly Schedule
Tuesday, Oct. 2
Santa Clara at XAVIER, 7 p.m.
[rv] UConn at PROVIDENCE, 7 p.m.
BUTLER at Evansville, 7 p.m.
[5] Denver at [8] CREIGHTON, 8 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 5
GEORGETOWN at BUTLER, 7 p.m. (BEDN)
Saturday, Oct. 6
SETON HALL at DEPAUL, 2 p.m. (BEDN)
MARQUETTE at PROVIDENCE, 4:30 p.m.
[8] CREIGHTON at ST. JOHN’S, 7 p.m. (BEDN)
VILLANOVA at XAVIER, 7 p.m.
All times listed are Eastern