NEW YORK – The 2026 BIG EAST women’s soccer season gets underway Wednesday with four teams taking the pitch to open a busy first week of non-conference action.
Marquette will officially kick off the season at 4 p.m. ET when the Golden Eagles visit St. Thomas (Minn.). Providence follows with a 6:30 p.m. home contest against UMass Lowell, while Xavier travels to Michigan State for a 7:30 p.m. matchup. Creighton closes Wednesday’s slate on the road against Colorado College at 8 p.m.
Four more teams begin their campaigns on Thursday. UConn visits Stony Brook at 6 p.m., while Villanova travels to Syracuse and St. John’s welcomes UMass at 7 p.m. Georgetown rounds out the evening with a 7:30 p.m. home matchup against Fordham at Shaw Field.
The opening week features several teams expected to contend near the top of the BIG EAST standings this fall. Georgetown was selected first in the preseason coaches’ poll with 98 points and eight first-place votes, followed by UConn with 89 points and two first-place votes. Xavier was picked third with 78 points and the remaining first-place vote, while Creighton and Villanova rounded out the top five.
Xavier enters the season as the defending BIG EAST tournament champion and opens with one of the week’s notable road tests at Michigan State. The Musketeers return home Sunday to face Miami at 7 p.m.
The league also welcomes back several of its top individual performers. Xavier’s Peyton Kohls was named BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Georgetown’s Lizzie Heller and Kaya Hanson earned Preseason Midfielder and Defensive Player of the Year honors, respectively. Villanova’s Hannah Dickinson was selected as the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. Full preseason awards
Providence will be the first BIG EAST team to play twice this season, following Wednesday’s opener against UMass Lowell with a Saturday home match against Rhode Island at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday features the busiest day of opening week with seven BIG EAST programs in action. Creighton travels to Air Force and Marquette visits North Dakota State at 2 p.m., followed by Villanova at Lehigh at 3 p.m. Butler opens its season at Wright State at 5 p.m., while DePaul hosts Northern Illinois at the same time. Seton Hall begins its campaign at home against FDU at 6 p.m., before Xavier closes out the opening week against Miami at 7 p.m.
The opening week gives all 11 BIG EAST programs an early opportunity to build momentum against non-conference competition, with matchups stretching from the East Coast to Colorado and the Midwest.
Opening Week Schedule
Wednesday, Aug. 12
Marquette at St. Thomas (Minn.) – 4 p.m.
UMass Lowell at Providence – 6:30 p.m.
Xavier at Michigan State – 7:30 p.m.
Creighton at Colorado College – 8 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 13
UConn at Stony Brook – 6 p.m.
Villanova at Syracuse – 7 p.m.
UMass at St. John’s – 7 p.m.
Fordham at Georgetown – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 15
Rhode Island at Providence – 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16
Creighton at Air Force – 2 p.m.
Marquette at North Dakota State – 2 p.m.
Villanova at Lehigh – 3 p.m.
Butler at Wright State – 5 p.m.
Northern Illinois at DePaul – 5 p.m.
FDU at Seton Hall – 6 p.m.
Miami (Ohio) at Xavier – 7 p.m.