MSOC Notes - 10.30
Wednesday’s Finales
Plenty of drama is on deck for Wednesday’s regular-season finales in BIG EAST men’s soccer. Four of the five games have postseason implications, including make-or-break games for Xavier and DePaul. No. 14 Creighton, RV Georgetown, Providence, Marquette and St. John’s have all clinched berths into the 2018 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship presented by Jeep, while only the regular-season champ Bluejays have solidified their seed – No. 1 and a First Round bye. The final spot will come down to Xavier or DePaul. The Musketeers have a two-point lead over the Blue Demons in the standings, and DePaul owns the head-to-head tiebreaker, should they finish knotted at 11 points apiece. Xavier finishes at home against Butler at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, while the Blue Demons visit Marquette at 8 p.m. All five of Wednesday’s finales will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
High-Low: Where Each Team Can Land And What Has To Happen
#14 Creighton (RV Georgetown, 8 p.m., BEDN): The Bluejays are locked into No. 1 after claiming their second BIG EAST regular-season title last week. Creighton can play spoiler to the Hoyas and force them to play a first-round game by knocking off GU and Providence wins or draws at St. John’s.
DePaul (at Marquette, 8 p.m., BEDN): The Blue Demons are either the No. 6 seed or out. They need to win and have Xavier lose or draw to Butler. A DePaul loss or draw, or a Xavier win, will end the Blue Demons’ season.
RV Georgetown (at #14 Creighton, 8 p.m., BEDN): GU is guaranteed to play at least one more match at Shaw Field and it will be a semifinal contest as the No. 2 seed with a win in Omaha. They can also lock up the No. 2 seed by at least matching whatever outcome Providence has at St. John’s. The Hoyas have the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Friars, but PC could force GU into the No. 3 seed by bettering GU’s result at Creighton.
Marquette (DePaul, 8 p.m., BEDN): The Golden Eagles will earn a home match at Valley Fields with a win, or by St. John’s losing or tying (regardless of the MU outcome). Marquette will the road for the first round as a No. 5 seed should they lose to DePaul and St. John’s wins over Providence.
Providence (at St. John’s, 7 p.m., BEDN): The Friars can be the No. 2 seed and advance directly into the semifinals by bettering Georgetown’s results at Creighton – PC doesn’t necessarily have to win, they can draw if GU loses – but if Georgetown wins, the Friars are locked in as the No. 3 seed, regardless of PC’s outcome.
St. John’s (Providence, 7 p.m., BEDN): The Red Storm can the No. 4, 5 or 6 seed. St. John’s can be the No. 4 and earn a first round home game at Belson Stadium by winning and Marquette losing or earning a draw. St. John’s is the No. 5 with a draw, or a win accompanied by a Marquette win. The Red Storm would drop to the No. 6 seed with a loss, accompanied by a Xavier win over Butler.
Xavier (Butler, 7 p.m., BEDN): The Musketeers can be No. 5, No. 6 or out. XU is the is the No. 5 seed with a win, accompanied by a St. John’s loss; the No. 6 seed with a win and a St. John’s win or draw; the No. 6 seed with a draw accompanied by a DePaul draw or loss; and out with a draw or loss accompanied by a DePaul win.
Notable Head-To-Head Results
Georgetown: win over PC, DPU; draw with MU; loss to SJU, XU
Providence: win over MU, XU; draw with CU; loss to GU, DPU
Marquette: win over SJU, XU; draw with GU; loss to PC, CU
St. John’s: win over GU; draw with XU, DP; loss to CU, MU
Xavier: win over GU; draw with SJU; loss to PC, CU, MU, DP
DePaul: win over PC, XU; draw with SJ; loss to GU, CU
Wednesday, Oct. 31
SETON HALL at VILLANOVA, 3 p.m. (BEDN)
BUTLER at XAVIER, 7 p.m. (BEDN)
PROVIDENCE at ST. JOHN’S, 7 p.m. (BEDN)
RV GEORGETOWN at #14 CREIGHTON, 8 p.m. (BEDN)
DEPAUL at MARQUETTE, 8 p.m. (BEDN)