WSOC Notes - 10.5 Update
Making The Turn On Sunday
All 10 BIG EAST women’s soccer teams will cross the halfway point in league play on Sunday as we move closer to postseason time. Week 5 sees one match streaming on the BIG EAST Digital Network – Butler at St. John’s. The Bulldogs are alone in second place with 10 points in the standings, while the Red Storm are deep in a logjam with Providence, Xavier and Marquette in fifth place at four points. The top six teams at season’s end earn BIG EAST Championship berths, with head-to-head results being a crucial factor in the tiebreaking process.
Why We’re Watching …
Villanova at #5 Georgetown (1 p.m., GUHoyas.com): The two hottest teams in the BIG EAST go head-to-head in our nation’s capital. The Wildcats have found their scoring groove and have won three straight and five of their last six, totaling nine goals over their last three outings alone. The nationally ranked Hoyas are unbeaten on the year, boasting the nation’s third-best winning percentage (.923), and have outscored their four BIG EAST opponents by a combined 16-1 margin. Caitlin Farrell catapulted from 31
st to eighth nationally in total points after last night’s three-goal, six-point outing, and is now the nation’s No. 2 goal scorer after entering the week ranked eighth. Villanova has scored nine goals in BIG EAST play thus far, one shy of their total over nine games in 2017, with Bri Austin ranking second in the conference behind Farrell in both goals and points.
Marquette at Providence (1 p.m., Friars.com): Knotted in fifth place in the standings, both are coming off scoreless draws on Thursday night. The Friars have been held scoreless in back-to-back games for the first time this season, but not due to lack of effort as Hannah McNulty pelted St. John’s with a season-high 10 shots last night. Marquette keeper Maddy Henry is primed to face McNulty, with Henry leading the BIG EAST with 5.62 saves per contest, including seven in each of the last two straight shutouts.
Seton Hall at Creighton (1 p.m., GoCreighton.com): The Bluejays have scored in four straight matches, the second-longest active streak in the league to just No. 5 Georgetown, with Taryn Jakubowski scoring a pair of goals during that stretch. Creighton is the lone conference team to score a goal against the Hoyas this season. The Hall is in search of its first BIG EAST win, and a victory Sunday would move the Pirates into a tie in the standings with the Bluejays and give SHU a crucial head-to-head advantage. Anna MacLean has made at least five saves in each of the last seven outings for The Hall.
Butler at St. John’s (1 p.m., BEDN): The Bulldogs have yet to surrender a goal in BIG EAST play as Hannah Luedkte and Leonie Doege have been flawless in the cage. The Butler back line has been stellar too, as BU has allowed just six shots on goal over four league games. St. John’s has recorded double-digit shots in three straight matches, with Zsani Kajan averaging three strikes per game in conference play. The Bulldogs are currently second in the BIG EAST standings with an unbeaten mark of 3-0-1, while a win for the Red Storm would move them into fourth place and out of the logjam in fifth.
Xavier at DePaul (2 p.m., DePaulBlueDemons.com): The Blue Demons own a three-point lead over the Musketeers in the standings and a win could potentially move DePaul into a tie for second place. DPU is unbeaten over its last two and has outshot all four league opponents thus far, including No. 5 Georgetown, as Franny Cerny has taken 4.5 attempts per contest. Xavier scored its first shutout of league play last night, but was also held out of the scoring column despite outshooting Butler 17-10. Samantha Dewey has nearly 2.5 times the attempts as anyone else on Xavier’s roster this season, averaging 3.71 strikes per game. The Musketeers are in that four-team logjam in fifth place, and a win would move them into a tie with DePaul and provide a pivotal head-to-head tiebreaker.