NEW YORK – A dramatic second-to-last set of BIG EAST women’s soccer matches ended with three more teams clinching conference postseason berths. Butler defeated Marquette, No. 14 Georgetown topped Seton Hall and Villanova won at Providence as the Bulldogs, Hoyas and Wildcats officially joined Xavier in the six-team BIG EAST Championship field. Two bids and all six seeds will be sorted out on Thursday, the final day of the regular season. All five of Thursday’s finales will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi beginning at 2 p.m. ET when St. John’s visits No. 14 Georgetown. Games follow at 4, 6, 7 and 8 p.m., as all five matches can impact who qualifies for the BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep and where the teams will be seeded.
Butler 3, Marquette 0
The Bulldogs scored three goals in the first half to pull away early from the visiting Golden Eagles. Butler’s win not only clinched a BIG EAST Championship berth but guaranteed a top-four finish as the Bulldogs will either host a first round match or earn a bye directly into the semifinals. Macy Miller scored her fifth goal of the season in the seventh minute, which proved to be the game winner. Katie Soderstrom and Alana Wood added first-half insurance scores. Stephanie Rodriguez made two saves to earn her league-leading ninth shutout of the season. Marquette remains in contention for a BIG EAST Championship berth and can clinch one with a win at DePaul on Thursday.
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#14 Georgetown 4, Seton Hall 0
The Pirates held the host Hoyas off the scoreboard until the 67
th minute, but once Georgetown scored they kept doing it. GU scored twice within two minutes to get the ball rolling at the 67
th-minute mark, including Amanda Carolan’s 10
th goal of the season, before adding two more in the 80
th and 84
th minutes. The Hoyas outshot Seton Hall 22-0, with Carson Nizialek taking a game-high five strikes. Georgetown clinched a BIG EAST Championship berth with the win and remains in contention for a regular-season title.
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Creighton 1, St. John’s 1 (2OT)
Creighton continued to control play in the second half, surging ahead in the 65th as freshman Skylar Heinrich fielded a long pass from fellow freshman Jordy Rothwell. Heinrich raced past two Red Storm defenders to put Creighton up 1-0 with her 11th goal of the season from 15 yards away. St. John's answered in the 79th minute as Zsani Kajan delivered the equalizer from 12 yards away. Madeline McCracken earned the assist for the Red Storm. The two overtime sessions saw both squads push for the victory, but each had to settle for the draw. The Bluejays finished the match with a 19-10 edge on shots and a 7-6 lead on corners earned.
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Xavier 2, DePaul 1
After going into half time in a scoreless draw, Xavier struck first out of the break with Molly McLaughlin scoring from Hayley Jakovich to put Xavier up 1-0 in the 48th minute. DePaul answered in the 68th minute to send the match to the closing minutes in a 1-1 draw. In the final minute, Allie Anderson set up Jenna Prathapa for the game-winner, setting the final score at 2-1. Xavier ended the regular season home schedule undefeated, going 6-0-1 at XU Soccer Complex. The Musketeers picked up their 13th win overall, the most since winning 14 in 2000.
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Villanova 1, Providence 0
Brice McInroy scored the game’s lone goal in the 22
nd minute as the Wildcats stole a 1-0 road win to clinch their first BIG EAST Championship berth since 2014. Providence outshot VU 14-6, but Rebecca Gartner made four saves to pick up her third shutout of the year. McInroy led Villanova with four shots on the afternoon, while PC’s Hannah McNulty took a game-high five strikes. The Friars remain in contention for a postseason berth.
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Upcoming Schedule
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