WSOC Notes - 10.26
NEW YORK – The penultimate round of BIG EAST women’s soccer play is set for Sunday as postseason hopes could be realized or dashed. All 10 teams take the pitch at 1 p.m. ET, with all five matches streaming live on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi. Xavier is the lone team that has locked a spot into the six-team BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship field, while Seton Hall is the lone team mathematically eliminated from contention. Less than a game separates fourth-place DePaul and first-place Xavier, so jockeying atop the standings is also something to watch for as teams not only battle for postseason bids but also for first-round byes and regular-season titles.
Marquette at Butler, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube: Butler needs just a draw over its final two games to punch its sixth BIG EAST Championship ticket, while Marquette’s road is a bit murkier as the Golden Eagles currently sit in a three-way tie for fifth place with Providence and Villanova. MU beat VU already this season, but fell to the Friars. A win for Marquette on Sunday would guarantee a lead on at least one of those teams, as PC and Villanova also square off that day. Butler is unbeaten over their last five, which includes a shutout of then-No. 11 Georgetown, while Marquette saw its four-game unbeaten streak come to a halt with a narrow 2-1 setback to Xavier on Thursday night. MU has scored in six consecutive outings, matching the longest active streak in the BIG EAST (Xavier), while Butler hasn’t allowed a goal in the last four matches and has a league-leading five clean sheets in conference play.
Seton Hall at #14 Georgetown, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube: The Hoyas have a rather uncharacteristic draught out of wins as of late after being held scoreless in back-to-back matches. Despite the recent woes, GU is just one point back of first place and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with the first-place Musketeers. The Georgetown defense has been solid, surrendering just one goal in a pair of difficult road contests over the past week. Seton Hall continues to play spoiler the rest of the way, and almost completed that task on Thursday, holding Creighton scoreless until the 76
th minute. The Hoyas are coming off their first BIG EAST loss since 2017, but haven’t dropped a decision to head coach Dave Nolan’s alma mater Seton Hall since 2011. Three-time reigning BIG EAST champs, GU needs just one point over its final two outings to lock up a postseason berth.
Creighton at St. John’s, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube: This is as close to a win-or-go-home game as we have in Week 8 as neither team can afford a loss and still hope to qualify for the conference postseason. A number of qualifying or eliminating scenarios are out of both teams’ hands as the results of Marquette-Butler and Villanova-Providence can directly impact St. John’s and Creighton’s postseason aspirations. The Bluejays can still get in with a loss, but it would take quite a few dominions to fall (beat Villanova accompanied by Marquette losing out, Providence or Villanova losing out
and St. John’s losing its final game) for that to happen. Both squads are coming off Thursday night wins, with St. John’s scoring three unanswered goals to overcome a 3-1 second-half deficit at Villanova and win 4-3 in overtime. Creighton scored late at Seton Hall to pick up the crucial road victory.
DePaul at Xavier, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube: First place in the standings could become a carousel should the Blue Demons win at Xavier on Sunday. DePaul is currently two points back in fourth place and will look to leap over the Musketeers, Georgetown and Butler for the top spot. Xavier has already clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Championship field, so up next is sealing up a first-round bye. A win would get XU one step closer to that top-two finish, but the margin for error is very thin as the Hoyas and Bulldogs are just one point shy of the Musketeers. A win for DePaul locks up its 10
th BIG EAST Championship appearance, while a draw with Xavier could also do it, though it would require some other match results on Sunday to go their way (specifically, a Creighton loss/draw and Providence-Villanova not ending in a draw).
Villanova at Providence, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube: Making up two-thirds of the teams tied for fifth place, this game’s impact stretches from top to bottom in the standings. A win for either squad would guarantee them a finish ahead of at least two teams (Seton Hall, St. John’s), possibly three depending on the St. John’s-Creighton result, and possibly in the championship field completely thanks to pivotal head-to-head tiebreakers – such as Providence over Marquette and Villanova over DePaul. Since realignment, no team that has at least 13 points in the standings has missed the conference postseason, so the winner of this match will hope history remains on their side. Both suffered narrow setbacks on Thursday night, with the Wildcats falling in overtime to St. John’s and Friars halted by Butler, 1-0.
Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, Oct. 27
Marquette at Butler, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube
Seton Hall at #14 Georgetown, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube
Creighton at St. John’s, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube
DePaul at Xavier, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube
Villanova at Providence, 1 p.m.*^ Twitter | Caffeine | YouTube
Thursday, Oct. 31
St. John’s at #14 Georgetown, 2 p.m.*^
Marquette at DePaul, 4 p.m.*^
Providence at Seton Hall, 6 p.m.*^
Xavier at Butler, 7 p.m.*^
Villanova at Creighton, 8 p.m.*^
All times Eastern
*BIG EAST contest
^BEDN