WSOC Notes - 9.4.18
Weekend Recap
A busy long weekend saw nine of 10 BIG EAST teams play multiple games, with No. 8 Georgetown leading the way with a pair of wins. The Hoyas remained unbeaten on the season and improved to 4-0-2 with a pair of shutout road victories, including a 2-0 clean sheet at longtime rival RV West Virginia on Sunday. Villanova (1-0, OT, at Brown), St. John’s (5-1, Stony Brook), Creighton (1-0, at South Dakota State) and Xavier (5-0, Southern Indiana) all capped the holiday weekend with Sunday wins. Eight of the 11 combined losses by BIG EAST teams over the four-day span were by just one goal, including Providence falling to then-No. 3 North Carolina in a 1-0 decision and then-No. 12 Duke 2-1, and then-No. 25 Butler dropping a 1-0 decision at then-No. 19 Kansas. Conversely, the eight combined wins were by an average margin of 2.0 goals.
In The Polls
For the third consecutive week, Georgetown and Butler (4-1-0) improved their positions in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. In Tuesday’s release, the unbeaten Hoyas rose three spots to No. 8, their highest ranking since being No. 5 in the 2017 Preseason Poll, while the Bulldogs also jumped three slots to No. 22, their highest since being 20
th on Oct. 31, 2017. St. John’s (3-3-0) has the lone contests against teams either ranked or receiving votes this week as the Red Storm face both RV Long Beach State and RV Pepperdine on the road.
Week Ahead
BIG EAST teams will be dark until Thursday, when five squads return to the pitch. Local foes Loyola Chicago and DePaul, and Providence and Brown are among the matches, as well as Marquette hosting Colorado, No. 22 Butler welcoming Evansville, and Xavier visiting Bowling Green.
Weekly Results/Schedule
Monday
Monmouth 1, Seton Hall 0
Thursday
Xavier at Bowling Green, 5 p.m.
Loyola Chicago at DePaul, 5 p.m.
Evansville at #22 Butler, 7 p.m.
Brown at Providence, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Marquette, 8 p.m.
Friday
Seton Hall at LIU Brooklyn, 4 p.m.
Virginia Tech vs. Villanova, 5 p.m.&
South Dakota at Creighton, 5:30 p.m.
St. John’s at RV Long Beach State, 10 p.m.
Sunday
George Mason at #8 Georgetown, Noon
Northern Kentucky at #22 Butler, 1 p.m.
Akron at Xavier, 1 p.m.
Marquette at Drake, 2 p.m.
Loyola Marymount at DePaul, 2 p.m.
St. John’s at RV Pepperdine, 4 p.m.
Harvard at Providence, 4 p.m.
All times Eastern
&Chester, Pa.