NEW YORK – The 2021 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship presented by JEEP kicked off on Sunday as higher seeds prevailed in First Round matches, with No. 3 seed Butler defeating No. 6 seed UConn, 1-0 in double-overtime, and No. 4 seed St. John’s topping No. 5 seed Providence, 1-0 in overtime. The Red Storm advance to face host and No. 1 seed Xavier in the first semifinal on Thursday, Nov. 4, slated for a 5 p.m. ET start. The Bulldogs advance to face No. 2 seed Georgetown in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. The Semifinals and Final will be played at Xavier’s Corcoran Field in Cincinnati, Ohio.
 
Both semifinals will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi, available on FloSports. Semifinal winners advance to the title game on Sunday, Nov. 7, which is slated for a 1:30 p.m. start and will air on FS1. The winner of the BIG EAST Championship receives the Conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
 
BIG EAST Championship First Round Recaps
No. 3 seed Butler 1, No. 6 seed UConn 0 (2OT)
UConn came out of the gate aggressive, but the Butler defense held strong as Emma Martin made five saves to score her ninth shutout of the season. The Bulldogs (15-3-1, 7-2-1 BIG EAST) held a slight 10-9 advantage in shots in regulation, but turned things up in overtime with a 4-1 advantage in the second bonus frame, including Abigail Isger’s 107^th minute golden goal. Isger’s eighth goal of the season was also her fifth game winner, sending Butler into the BIG EAST Semifinals for the fifth time. Isger matched UConn’s Jaydah Bedoya for the game high with four shots, while UConn goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mahoney had five saves. Butler finished with a 17-12 advantage in shots, while the Huskies (9-8-1, 5-4-1) posted seven corner kicks to the Bulldogs’ three. Butler kept UConn without a shot on goal for the entirety of overtime.
 
Butler advances to the semifinals where they’ll face a familiar foe in No. 2 seed Georgetown (11-1-6, 7-1-2). The Bulldogs and Hoyas have met four times previously in the BIG EAST Championship, including most recently in this past spring’s title match. Georgetown has won all four previous postseason showdowns with Butler, which included three championship game meetings. They’ve met just once in a postseason match that wasn’t the tournament final, with GU winning 4-0 in the 2016 First Round. Georgetown defeated Butler 1-0 when they met in Washington, D.C., this season on Oct. 7.


 
No. 4 seed St. John’s 2, No. 5 seed Providence 1 (OT)
The Red Storm are back in the BIG EAST Semifinals for the first time since 2016, after Isabelle Aviza scored the golden goal just 24 seconds into overtime. Aviza’s quick work followed Frederique St. Jean, who scored the game’s first goal just 34 seconds after subbing into the contest. St. Jean gave the Red Storm the 1-0 lead in the 31^st minute, which it held until Amber Birchwell leveled the score in the 79^th with her fourth goal of the season. It looked as if the momentum was in favor of the Friars (10-6-3, 5-3-2), who outshot St. John’s 16-3, including 11-1 in the second half. But the lone shot in overtime belonged to Aviza and the Red Storm (11-5-2, 6-3-1), who beat a diving Emma Bodmer to clinch the win. Naya Lipkens earned the victory with five saves, including three in the second half. Birchwell had a game-high four shots.
 
St. John’s and Xavier (16-1-1, 9-1-0) will meet in the BIG EAST Championship for the first time. The Red Storm lead the all-time series 6-2, with the Musketeers winning this year’s meeting by a 1-0 margin on Oct. 7 in Cincinnati. The Red Storm head to the semifinals for the seventh time in program history. 


 
For more on the BIG EAST Championship, visit Championship Central here.
 
BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship 
Presented by Jeep
First Round - Oct. 31 (home sites)
No. 3 seed Butler 1, No. 6 seed UConn 0 (2OT) BOX SCORE
No. 4 seed St. John’s 2, No. 5 seed Providence 1 (OT) BOX SCORE
Semifinals - Nov. 4 - Cincinnati, Ohio
No. 4 seed St. John’s vs. No. 1 seed Xavier, 5 p.m.*
No. 3 seed Butler vs. No. 2 seed Georgetown, 7:30 p.m.*
Final - Nov. 7 - Cincinnati, Ohio
Semifinal Winners, 1:30 p.m. ET^
*BEDN
^FS1