BOYDS, Md. – The 2023 BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship presented by Jeep continued Thursday with the semifinals. No. 1 seed Xavier defeated No. 4 seed Providence 2-0 in the first match, followed by No. 2 seed Georgetown winning a closely contested 1-0 match against No. 3 seed UConn. The Musketeers and Hoyas advance to Sunday's title match, slated for 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Every BIG EAST title match since 2016 has featured either Georgetown or Xavier. These two teams faced off in last year's championship game, with Georgetown coming away with a 1-0 victory. The winner of the BIG EAST Championship receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Xavier 2, Providence 0
Xavier is headed to the BIG EAST Championship title match for the second consecutive year following its runner-up finish last season. The Musketeers earned a 2-0 shutout over Providence to advance. In the first matchup between the two schools in BIG EAST Championship history, Xavier held control throughout the contest, limiting the Friars to just two shots on goal. The game was knotted up for the majority of the first half, with both squads battling defensively. With just over two minutes remaining in the half the Musketeers struck first, as All-BIG EAST selection Sonia Vargas found the back of the net after a couple redirects in front of the goal. Xavier held their one-goal advantage into the second half, until in the 69
th minute the Musketeers were able to strike again off a header from Shelby Sallee, assisted by Ella Rogers. For Sallee it was her seventh score of the season, as her insurance goal proved to be all that was needed to secure the win.
Xavier outshot Providence 11-8, while also holding a 3-2 advantage in corners in the match. All-BIG EAST keeper Maria Galley recorded a two-save shutout for the Musketeers, tallying her conference-leading 12th clean sheet of the season. Providence moved to 10-4-5 for the year with the result.
Georgetown 1, UConn 0
The Hoyas advance to their eighth straight BIG EAST Championship match with their 1-0 victory over the Huskies. Georgetown will look to win their fourth consecutive BIG EAST title, as they earned their second victory over UConn in BIG EAST Championship history. The game looked like a repeat of the two teams' 0-0 draw during the regular season in the first half, as both teams were held without a goal at the halfway point. Early in the second half the Hoyas were able to break the tie, as a 48
th minute strike from Tatum Lenain, assisted by Allie Winstanley, put them ahead. Both teams had ample chances the rest of the way, but All-BIG EAST goalkeeper Allie Augur made tremendous saves down the stretch to keep Georgetown in front and secure the victory.
Augur finished with six saves in her 11
th shutout of the season, while recently named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Kaitlyn Mahoney tallied six saves for the Huskies. The Hoyas outshot UConn by a narrow 15-13 margin, registering seven shots on goal to the Huskies' six. All-BIG EAST players Cara Jordan and Chioma Okafor recorded two shots on goal each for UConn, but weren't able to find the back of the net. The Huskies record moved to 10-4-5 with the result.
For more on the BIG EAST Championship, visit Championship Central
here.
BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship
Presented by JEEP
First Round – Oct. 29 (home sites)
No. 3 seed UConn 3, No. 6 seed Butler 2
No. 4 seed Providence 3, No. 5 seed St. John's 1
Semifinals – Nov. 2 – Boyds, Md.
No. 1 seed Xavier 2, No. 4 seed Providence 0
No. 2 seed Georgetown 1, No. 3 seed UConn 0
Final – Nov. 5 – Boyds, Md.
No. 2 seed Georgetown vs. No. 1 seed Xavier, 1:30 p.m.^
All Times Eastern
*BEDN on FloSports
^FS1