MSOC Notes - 9.25.18
Musketeers Move In, Bluejays Move Up
Riding a seven-game unbeaten streak, Xavier broke into the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for the first time since Nov. 3, 2015, landing at No. 22. The No. 22 ranking is the Musketeers’ highest since Sept. 28, 2015, when XU was 20
th. BIG EAST standings leader and winners of four straight, Creighton moved up three spots to No. 9, its best ranking since Oct. 11, 2016 when the Bluejays were listed at No. 6. Winners of back-to-back contests, including a shutout of then-No. 9 Duke, Georgetown is receiving votes.
Midweek Matchups
Seven of 10 BIG EAST men’s soccer teams will take the pitch prior to the third round of conference play on Saturday, including matchups against two ranked foes. Highlighting the non-conference action is a top-25 showdown on Tuesday between No. 22 Xavier and No. 20 Notre Dame. Kickoff in South Bend is slated for 7 p.m. ET. RV Georgetown eyes its second straight top-10 win when it hosts No. 6 Louisville on Tuesday (6:30 p.m.), while Seton Hall’s scheduled match at No. 25 Fordham set for tonight was cancelled due to facilities issues in the Bronx. Other non-conference matchups include Mount St. Mary’s at St. John’s (Tuesday, 7 p.m.), Jacksonville at No. 9 Creighton (Tuesday, 8 p.m.), Marshall at Butler (Wednesday, 6 p.m.), Villanova at Temple (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), and Wisconsin at Marquette (Wednesday, 8:05 p.m.).
RPI Revealed
The season’s first NCAA RPI was unveiled on Monday, with four BIG EAST teams in the top 50 and two in the top 25. Creighton led the pack at No. 15, followed by Xavier at No. 25, Georgetown at No. 26 and DePaul at No. 49. The BIG EAST was listed as the fourth-ranked league, yet has a combined 4-1-4 record against the three conferences ranked higher (ACC: 2-1-1; MAC: 2-0-1; Pac-12: 0-0-2).
This Week On BEDN
Two matches this Saturday will be featured on the BIG EAST Digital Network – Xavier at Providence at 1 p.m. ET, and Seton Hall at Creighton at 8 p.m. The 22
nd-ranked Musketeers are riding a seven-game unbeaten streak (3-0-4, 1-0-1 BIG EAST) and ended the Friars’ season in 2017 with a 3-0 victory in Cincinnati in the BIG EAST Championship First Round. PC found its scoring groove in Saturday’s win at Butler, posting a season-high three goals to improve to .500 on the year at 4-4-1 and 1-1-0 in BIG EAST play. No. 9 Creighton is all alone atop the conference standings with six points, while the Bluejays have won four straight matches overall thanks to an 8-1 goals margin during that stretch. Seton Hall will look to break free from the five-team logjam in fourth place and claim a third consecutive win after the Pirates topped Sacred Heart and Marquette last week.
Weekly Schedule
Tuesday
#6 Louisville at RV GEORGETOWN, 6:30 p.m.
SETON HALL at #25 Fordham – cancelled
Mount St. Mary’s at ST. JOHN’S, 7 p.m.
#22 XAVIER at #20 Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
Jacksonville at #9 CREIGHTON, 8 p.m.
Wednesday
Marshall at BUTLER, 6 p.m.
VILLANOVA at Temple, 7 p.m.
Wisconsin at MARQUETTE, 8:05 p.m.
Saturday
DEPAUL at VILLANOVA, 1 p.m.*
#22 XAVIER at PROVIDENCE, 1 p.m. (BEDN)*
BUTLER at ST. JOHN’S (7 p.m.)*
SETON HALL at #9 CREIGHTON, 8 p.m. (BEDN)*
RV GEORGETOWN at MARQUETTE, 8 p.m.*
All times listed are Eastern
*BIG EAST contest