WSOC Notes - 9.28 Update
Women’s Soccer Weekend Preview
The third round of BIG EAST women’s soccer play is set for Sunday for all 10 teams, with three matches streaming live on BEDN. After Thursday’s games, No. 7 Georgetown and Butler remained atop the standings with six points apiece and matching 2-0-0 records, while a six-way tie at 1-1-0 formed in third place as Villanova, Xavier and St. John’s picked up their first wins of league play to jam in with Providence, DePaul and Creighton. Two of this weekend’s BEDN games feature head-to-head action with third-place squads, including Villanova at Xavier (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) and Creighton at DePaul (2 p.m.).
Sunday Matches - Why We’re Watching …
Villanova at Xavier (1 p.m. ET, BEDN): Both squads are coming off Thursday night victories decided by a single goal, including the Musketeers’ double-overtime win at Providence. There are plenty of similarities between the two, as both were shutout in their BIG EAST openers before winning 3-2 on Thursday, and have leading scorers with five goals on the season – Bri Austin for the Wildcats, Samantha Dewey for the Musketeers. Xavier has won the last three meetings with Villanova, as Dewey has two goals from the 2016 and 2015 victories, while Thursday’s hero, Sydney Schembri, provided the score in last season’s 1-0 decision.
#7 Georgetown at Seton Hall (1 p.m., SHUpirates.com): The Pirates face a tough task when aiming for their first BIG EAST win of the season when they welcome the seventh-ranked Hoyas to South Orange. Georgetown is unbeaten on the year at 9-0-2 to include seven shutouts. GU has outscored its two BIG EAST foes by a 6-0 margin as Caitlin Farrell is on an absolute tear with three goals over the past week. After back-to-back setbacks to open conference play, SHU will look to channel the solid defense it showed to open the year when it surrendered just four goals over its first seven matches. Anna MacLean showed a 0.46 goals against average over the first seven contests but has dropped to 1.01 after the last four. A clean sheet against the Hoyas would not only bump up the stats, but be a banner win for the Pirates as well.
Providence at Butler (1 p.m., facebook.com/ButlerBulldogs): With Butler’s Paige Monaghan sidelined, the Friars’ Hannah McNulty is making her case for BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year as the sophomore forward has at least one point in five of the last six matches, including a pair of goals over the first two league games. The Bulldogs have gotten a boost from rookie sensation Anja Savich, who has back-to-back game winners in her first two career BIG EAST contests and 13 total points on the year. Butler has won three of the last four meetings with PC, including the 2015 BIG EAST title game. Goalkeeping will be on display as well as the Bulldogs have two of the stingiest keepers in the league in Leonie Doege and Hannah Luedtke, while the Friars’ Shelby Hogan boasts the second-best save percentage in the BIG EAST.
Creighton at DePaul (2 p.m., BEDN): The Bluejays hit the road for the first time in league play while the Blue Demons host their first BIG EAST match of the year. Both show 1-1 marks on the season and DePaul owns an all-time series lead of 5-0-0, including last year’s 2-0 decision in Omaha. Despite being held scoreless yesterday at Georgetown, the Blue Demons still rank among the league leaders in scoring at 4.55 points and 1.64 goals per game. Franny Cerny has six scores on the year, while Morgan Turner has five. The Bluejays have gotten brilliance out of GK Katie Sullivan, who has averaged 8.0 saves per game over the last four outings and averages nearly five per game on the year. She has three shutouts to her credit, including the BIG EAST opening win over Xavier last week.
St. John’s at Marquette (2 p.m., BEDN): The Red Storm will look to make it two in a row after scoring a win in Omaha last night, while the Golden Eagles are still in search of their first BIG EAST win despite scoring two goals at Villanova yesterday. Marquette has won the last three meetings with St. John’s, including last year’s 1-0 decision in Queens which saw Maddy Henry make seven saves in the shutout. MU is still looking for that go-to scorer to support the efforts on the other side of the field from Henry, while that answer is clear for the Red Storm. Zsani Kajan has double the points and goals of the next closest person on their roster as the redshirt-sophomore forward has seven goals and 16 points, both of which rank third in the BIG EAST this season.
Up Next
Sunday
Villanova at Xavier, 1 p.m.*^
#7 Georgetown at Seton Hall, 1 p.m.*
Providence at Butler, 1 p.m.*
Creighton at DePaul, 2 p.m.*^
St. John’s at Marquette, 2 p.m.*^
*BIG EAST Contest
^BEDN
All times Eastern