NEW YORK – The 2018 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship presented by Jeep kicked off on Sunday afternoon with a pair of First Round matches, with sixth-seeded Providence prevailing at third-seeded St. John’s, 1-0, and fourth-seeded Xavier surviving fifth-seeded DePaul in penalty kicks, 1-1 (2OT). The Friars advance to face second-seeded Butler, while the Musketeers earn a semifinal date with top-seeded Georgetown. Both semifinals are set for Thursday, Nov. 1, with GU-XU kicking things off at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by BU-PC at 7 p.m. Both matches will stream on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi.
#6 Providence 1, #3 St. John’s 0
The Friars pulled off the upset over the higher-seeded Red Storm to advance to the BIG EAST Semifinals for the second consecutive year. Amber Birchwell scored the game’s lone goal in the 31
st minute with Hannah McNulty credited with the assist. Shelby Hogan made four saves in the shutout victory, while Meredith Reinhardt made seven stops for St. John’s. The Red Storm owned a 17-16 advantage in shots and 7-4 lead in corner kicks, while McNulty took a game-high five strikes. Zsani Kajan, Maia Cabrera and Christina Bellero all had three shots for St. John’s, which finishes the season 9-9-1.
Providence and Butler met this season on Sept. 30 in Indianapolis, with the Bulldogs scoring a 1-0 win. Butler defeated Providence, 3-0, in last season’s BIG EAST Semifinals, while the teams also met in the 2015 final, with Butler scoring a 1-0 win to claim their first BIG EAST title.
#4 Xavier 1, #5 DePaul 1 (2OT)
Xavier advances on PKs, 4-2
A thrilling end to the BIG EAST Championship First Round saw two second-half goals and penalty kicks decide the day’s second match. Recently crowned BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year Samantha Dewey struck first, giving Xavier the lead in the 64
th minute. Avery Hay knotted the game 11 minutes to later, while both teams were kept off the board over two overtime periods. Olivia Jenkins was the hero for the Musketeers in PKs as the XU goalkeeper who has made just three appearances this season made two decisive saves to push the Musketeers passed DePaul. All four Xavier players converted their attempts, while Jenkins denied the first and third shots by the Blue Demons. Rachel Butler buried the third PK for Xavier while Claire Fisher provided the fourth to seal the advantage.
The Musketeers advance to the BIG EAST Semifinals for the first time. Xavier is the lone BIG EAST team to not lose to regular-season champion Georgetown this year after the teams played to a scoreless draw on Thursday evening in Cincinnati. This is the first postseason meeting between Xavier and Georgetown.
2018 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship
Presented By Jeep
First Round – Sunday, Oct. 28 - BEDN
No. 6 seed Providence 1, No. 3 seed St. John’s 0
No. 4 seed Xavier 1, No. 5 seed DePaul 1 (2OT)
XU advances on PKs, 4-2
Semifinals – Thursday, Nov. 1 - BEDN
No. 4 seed Xavier at No. 1 seed Georgetown, 1:30 p.m.
No. 6 seed Providence at No. 2 seed Butler, 7 p.m.
Final – Sunday, Nov. 4 - FS1
Semifinal Winners, 1 p.m.
All times Eastern - All games played at the higher seed