Women's Soccer Announces Fall 2018 Schedule

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's soccer head coach Nate Lie announced the Fall 2018 slate for the Musketeers. The schedule features 19-games, including nine home matches, and five teams who earned NCAA Tournament berths for the second year of Lie's tenure.

THE 2018 MUSKETEERS

Xavier returns 14 from last season's squad which became the first team in program history to earn a berth in the BIG EAST Championship.
Last season's team limited every BIG EAST opponent to a single goal or fewer during the regular season.
Xavier returns BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and the team's leading scorer Sydney Schembri who finished with 12 points on six goals.
Emma Westwater, who tallied nine points on four goals and assist, and Carrie Lewis, who led the team with four assists, also return for the Musketeers.
Xavier also returns starters Andie Kennard and Courtney Lankford as well as goalkeeper Toni Bizzarro, who played the bulk of the minute in-frame last season.
Leading scorers from the 2016 season, Samantha Dewey and Kenadie Carlson, return as well after both sat out the majority of last season with injury. Midfielder Jessica Miller returns from injury as well.
Xavier added three transfers, Grace Bahr, Sabrina Kunimoto and Claire Fisher, in the spring, as well as a well-rounded freshman class for the fall.
Xavier added Kristin Cannon to the coaching staff following the 2017 season.

SCHEDULE NOTES

Xavier will face 19 teams this season, including a 10-game non-conference schedule and the usual nine-game BIG EAST schedule.
Xavier will host nine games, including four non-conference matches and five BIG EAST matches.
The Musketeers face five squads who earned NCAA Tournament bids.
Xavier will face teams from seven different conferences during the non-conference portion of the schedule, including four teams from the MAC and teams from the ACC, A10, Big 12, GLVC, Horizon and SEC. Xavier will also face OVC school EKU for an exhibition match.

NON-CONFERENCE

at Eastern Kentucky (Exh.)
EKU Soccer Field
Sun., 8/12 | Time TBD
Richmond, Ky. | OVC

The Colonels finished last season 11-5-4 under then second-year head coach Nick Flohre, who, in his first season with EKU, led the program to the largest turnaround in the NCAA, taking the team from 4-14 in 2015 to 13-4 in 2016.
Eastern Kentucky finished 6-1-3 in OVC play, earning a No. 3 seed in the OVC Tournament and advancing to the title game. The Colonels played No. 1 seed Murrary State with chance to go to the NCAA Tournament. EKU fell 1-0 in the third minute of overtime.
EKU returns All-OVC honorees Bailly Bounds, Haley Kemper and Katie Shaffer, who each earned Second-Team honors after last season. The Colonels lose leading point scorer and two-time First Team All-OVC honoree Jordan Foster as well as goalkeeper Anna Hall to graduation.
Xavier is 5-2-1 all time against the Colonels, including a match in Cincinnati last year where EKU picked up the 1-0 win on a goal in the 86^th minute.

vs. Toledo
XU Soccer Complex
Fri., 8/17 | 7:00 PM
Toledo, Ohio | MAC

The Rockets finished 2017 at 12-8-3, led by head coach TJ Buchholz who enters his fourth season at Toledo in 2018.
Toledo finished 6-3-2 in MAC play, earning the No. 3 seed for the MAC Tournament. The Rockets advanced to the Championship game, defeating No. 4 seed Bowling Green 2-1 in extra time to win the MAC Championship and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
UT faced Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 5-0.
Toledo returns All-Conference selections Hannah Scafaria (All-MAC Second Team) and Madison Perrin (All-Freshman Team). Toledo loses First Team selection Isa Echeverri and Second Team selection Chiara Paradiso to graduation.
Xavier is 2-2-0 all-time against the Rockets, with the last match-up coming in 2015 where the Musketeers topped the Rockets, 2-0, in Cincinnati.

at Louisville
Lynn Stadium
Sun., 8/19 | 7:30 PM
Louisville, Ky. | ACC

The Cardinals finished 2017 at 9-7-2 overall and 3-5-2 in ACC play under head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes.
Freshman midfielder Emina Ekic became the first Cardinal to win a major award since joining the ACC, earning Co-Freshman of the Year after leading the team with 17 points during her rookie campaign. She also earned All-ACC Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors.
Xavier is 13-2 all-time against the Cardinals, with the last match-up occurring in 2006 when the Cardinals took the 5-0 win in Louisville.

at Northern Kentucky
NKU Soccer Stadium
Thurs., 8/23 | 7:00 PM
Highland Heights, Ky. | Horizon

NKU finished 2017 9-6-2 overall and 6-1-2 in Horizon League play under veteran coach Bob Sheehan.
The Norse earned the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, where NKU fell 3-2 to IUPUI after the Jaguars scored in the 89^th minute to win in regulation.
NKU return Second Team All-League selection Taylor Spaulding for her senior season. The Norse lose 2017 Horizon League Player of the Year and three-time Offensive Player of the Year, Macy Hamblin, as well as three-time All-Horizon League First Team selection Jessica Frey to graduation.
Xavier is 4-0-1 against NKU all time, including last year's match where the Musketeers took the 2-1 win after taking a 2-0 lead into the break on goals from Sydney Schembri and Emma Westwater.

at Tennessee
Regal Soccer Stadium
Sun., 8/26 | 1:00 PM
Knoxville, Tenn. | SEC

UT finished 2017 at 15-4-2, earning a ranking as high as No. 11 during the season.
The Vols went 6-3-1 in the SEC, earning the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament where Tennessee fell 1-0 on PKs to Vanderbilt.
UT earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, winning its First Round match, 2-0, over Murray State before falling on PKs to Washington State in the Second Round after playing Cougars to a 2-2 tied through double overtime.
Tennessee returns five all All-SEC selections from last season, forward Khadija Shaw, midfielder Katie Cousins and defender Maya Neal were all name First Team All-SEC. Midfielder Anna Bialczak was named to the Second Team and forward Erin Gilroy was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Xavier is 2-2 against Tennessee all-time. The last match-up occurred in 2000 when Xavier picked up the 1-0 road win over the Volunteers.

at West Virginia
Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium
Thurs., 8/30 | 7:00 PM
Morgantown, W. Va. | Big 12

WVU finished 16-4-3 in 2017 in head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown's 23^rd season, ending the season ranked 10^th after opening the season in the No. 1 spot in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and spending the first two weeks of the season.
The Mountaineers went 7-1-1 in Big 12 play, earning the No. 2 seed for the Big 12 Championship where WVU topped Texas Tech before falling to TCU on PKs (5-3) after playing the Red Raiders to a 1-1 draw through double overtime in the Big 12 Semifinals.
West Virginia earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where the Mountaineers topped Bucknell, 3-0, in the first round. WVU played No. 22 Rutgers to a 0-0 draw in double overtime in the second round, advancing on PKs to play No. 10 Penn State in the third round where WVU's season ended with a 3-1 loss.
The Mountaineers return All-Big 12 First Team defender Bianca St. Georges, as well as second team selections Vanessa Flores, Easther Mayi Kith, both defenders, and as goalkeeper Rylee Foster. Forward Lauren Segalla was a member of the Big 12 All-Freshman squad.
WVU lost Big 12 First Team selections Michaela Abam, who was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, and Amandine Pieree-Louis, who was the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year to graduation.
Xavier is 0-1 all time against WVU, with the lone official match coming in 2007, a 5-1 road loss for the Musketeers.

vs. Southern Indiana
XU Soccer Complex
Sun., 9/2 | 1:00 PM
Evansville, Ind. | GLVC (DII)

Southern Indiana finished the 2017 season at 8-5-5 overall and 6-4-4 in NCAA DII's Great Lakes Valley Conference.
The Screaming Eagles earned the No. 5 seed in the GLVC Tournament where they fell on PKs, 4-3, to Bellarmine University after playing to 0-0 draw through double-overtime.
USI returns All-GLVC backs Madelyne Juenger (second team) and Marie Auton (third team) and lost a pair of second team honorees to graduation, Carlie Scales and Haley Rheinlander.
This is the first match-up between the Musketeers and the Screaming Eagles.

at Bowling Green
Cochrane Stadium
Thurs., 9/6 | 5:00 PM
Bowling Green, Ohio | MAC

BGSU finished 2017 at 13-7-1 in Matt Fannon's first season as head coach.
The Falcons finished 6-4-1 in the MAC, earning the No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament where BGSU advanced to the Championship game, falling to Toledo, 2-1, in overtime.
The Falcons return All-MAC First Team selection Erica Hubert, second team honoree Alexis Fricke and All-Freshman team selection Nikhita Jacob. Also, In Fannon's first year as head coach, he was named MAC Coach of the year.
Bowling Green lost MAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-MAC selection Skylar Fleak, as well as First team honoree Madison Schupbach
Xavier is 1-2 all-time against the Falcons, with the last match occurring in 2010, a 3-2 win for the Musketeers. XU and BG played an exhibition last season, which ended in a 1-1 draw after three 30-minute periods.

vs. Akron
XU Soccer Complex
Sun., 9/9 | 1:00 PM
Akron, Ohio | MAC

The Zips finished 2-13-4 in 2017, including a 1-7-3 record in the MAC.
Akron returns goalkeeper Amani Jiu was named to the MAC All-Freshman after her rookie campaign. The Zips also return leading scorers Ashley Amato, Rachel Baughmann, Erica Schrader and Ally Brown from the 2017 season.
This is the first match-up between the Musketeers and Zips.

at Dayton
Baujan Field
Thurs., 9/13 | 7:00 PM
Dayton, Ohio | A10

The Flyers finished 9-9-2 last season in the first season of head coach Eric Golz's tenure.
UD finished conference play at 4-4-2, earning the No. 8 seed in the A-10 Championship where the Flyers fell to No. 1 seeded LaSalle, 3-2, in the quarterfinals.
The Flyers return defender Pestell, an All-A10 second team selection who led the Flyers in assists. UD lost A10 Offensive Player of the Year First Team selection Alexis Kiehl to graduation.
Xavier is 10-26-2 all-time against the Flyers, including a 1-0 overtime loss for Xavier in Cincinnati last season.

vs. Miami (Ohio)
XU Soccer Complex
Sun., 9/16 | 7:00 PM
Oxford, Ohio | MAC

The RedHawks finished 2017 at 2-15-1 overall and 2-8-1 in MAC play.
MU returns goalkeeper Patricia Koutoulas, who was named Second Team All-Mac after the 2017 season. Leading scorer Olivia Winnett returns for the RedHawks, as does Lydia Brosnahan, who matched Winnett's goal output on the season.
Courtney Sirmans was named head coach of the RedHawks following the 2017 season.
Xavier is 3-6-2 all time against the RedHawks, with the last match occurring in 2013, a 3-0 loss in Cincinnati.

THE BIG EAST

at Creighton
Morrison Stadium
Sun., 9/23 | Time TBD
Omaha, Neb. | BIG EAST

The Bluejays finished 2017 at 4-11-3 overall and 2-5-2 in BIG EAST play.
CU returns leading scorers Taryn Jakubowski and Kaira Houser, as well as primary goalkeeper McKenzie Meola.
Xavier is 5-3 all time against Creighton, including a 2-1 win for the Musketeers in Cincinnati last season.
Last season, Xavier took the lead in the first half on a put-back goal for Emma Westwater. CU scored the equalizer in the 77^th minute but a Sydney Schembri goal off a Carrie Lewis corner kick with less than 20 seconds remaining in the match gave the Musketeers the win.

at Providence
Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium
Thurs., 9/27 | Time TBD
Providence, R.I. | BIG EAST

PC finished the 2017 season at 10-8-2 overall and 5-3-1 in BIG EAST play.
The Friars earned the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Championship, advancing the semifinals after topping No. 6 seed DePaul on PKs in the quarterfinals, after playing the Blue Demons to a 1-1 draw through double overtime. PC's season came to a close with a 3-0 loss to No. 2 seed Butler.
The Friars return goalkeeper Shelby Hogan, who shared BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors with Xavier's Sydney Schembri and Butler's Leonie Doege. Hogan also earned BIG EAST Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors.
All-BIG EAST First Team honoree Katie Day (defender) also returns, as does second team honoree Kayla Steeves (midfield) and All-Freshman Team Selection Amber Birchwell (midfield/forward).
Xavier is 2-4 all-time against Providence, including last year's 1-0 win for the Musketeers in Cincinnati.
Last season, Tori Doss' goal in the 13^th minute proved to be the game winner, marking the first time since joining the BIG EAST the Musketeers had picked up a result against the Friars.

vs. Villanova
XU Soccer Complex
Sun., 9/30 | 1:00 PM
Philadelphia, Pa. | BIG EAST

Villanova finished 2017 at 6-12 overall and 2-7 in the BIG EAST.
The Wildcats lost leading scorer Emily Kuefler to graduation but return second-leading scorer Kristin Barbour on the 2018 roster.
Xavier is 3-2 all-time against the Wildcats, including a 1-0 win in Philadelphia last season.
Last season, Sydney Schembri scored the game winner in the 65th minute after getting behind the Villanova goalkeeper.

vs. Butler
XU Soccer Complex
Thurs., 10/4 | 7:00 PM
Indianapolis, Ind. | BIG EAST

The Bulldogs went 13-2-6 last season, including 5-0-4 in BIG EAST play, earning a spot in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll at the end of the regular season in a campaign that only allowed four goals in the regular season.
The Bulldogs earned a first-round bye with the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Championships. BU topped PC 3-0 in the semifinals to advance to play No. 1 Georgetown in the Championship where the Hoyas prevailed 3-0.
BU earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where the Bulldogs played Northwestern to a 0-0 draw through double overtime. Northwestern advanced on PKs.
Butler returns BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and all-conference first team selection Paige Monaghan, as well as Co-Freshman of the Year, goalkeeper Leonie Doege. First Team selection Annika Schmidt (defender), second team and all-freshman team selection Caitlyn DiSarcina and All-Freshman Team selection Julia Leonard also return.
The Bulldogs lost All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree Shannon McDevitt to graduation.
BU's coaching staff was named BIG EAST Staff of the Year after last season as well.
Xavier is 7-11-3 all time against the Bulldogs after playing to a scoreless draw in Indianapolis last season.
Last season, goalkeeper Toni Bizzarro collected six saves to keep the Bulldogs scoreless through double overtime.

at DePaul
Wish Field
Sun., 10/7 | Time TBD
Chicago, Ill. | BIG EAST

DePaul went 7-7-5 overall and 3-2-4 in BIG EAST play, earning the No. 6 seed in the BIG EAST Championship.
The Blue Demons fell to Providence on PKs in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals after playing to a 1-1 draw through double-overtime.
DePaul returns All-BIG EAST First Team selection and leading scorer Franny Cerny, as well as All-Freshman selection Morgan Turner. The Blue Demons lost first team honoree Alexa Ben to graduation.
Xavier is 0-4-1 all time against DePaul, including last season's 1-1 draw through double overtime in Cincinnati last season.
Last season, DU took the lead in the first half, holding the advantage until the 82^nd minute when Tori Doss scored the equalizer. Toni Bizzarro collected seven saves to hold the Blue Demons at a single goal through double overtime to help the Musketeers pick up the first result against the Blue Demons in program history.

vs. Marquette
XU Soccer Complex
Sun., 10/14 | 1:00 PM
Milwaukee, Wis. | BIG EAST

Marquette went 13-7-1 overall in 2017, and finished 5-4 in the BIG EAST, earning the No. 4 seed in the BIG EAST Championship where the Golden Eagles topped Xavier to move on to play Georgetown in the Semifinals. GU prevailed, 4-0.
MU returns forward Carrie Madden, who was name to the All-BIG EAST First Team in 2017, as well as Kylie Sprecher, who earned All-Freshman Team honors after last season.
Xavier is 1-8 all-time against the Golden Eagles, including a pair of losses from the 2017 season.
Xavier lost the regular season match, 1-0, on a golden goal in the third minute of extra time. The Musketeers also faced the Golden Eagles in the BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinals, falling 3-0 in Milwaukee.

at Seton Hall
Owen T. Carroll Field
Thurs., 10/18 | 6:30 PM
South Orange, N.J. | BIG EAST

Seton Hall finished 0-12-5 last season, including an 0-6-3 mark in BIG EAST play.
The Pirates return leading scorer Julia Stirpe as well as goalkeeper Anna MacLean, who played the majority of the minutes in-frame last season.
Xavier is 3-1-1 against Seton Hall all-time, including a 2-1 win over the Pirates from last season that secured the Musketeers' first bid to the BIG EAST Championship.
Last season, Xavier took the early lead, off a goal from Sydney Schembri in the first half. The lead held until SHU found the equalizer in the 67^th minute. Xavier responded with a goal from Tori Doss in the 77^th minute and held on to the advantage to secure the win.

vs. St. John's
XU Soccer Complex
Sun., 10/21 | 1:00 PM
Queens, N.Y. | BIG EAST

St. John's went 8-9-1 overall last season, and 4-5 in BIG EAST play.
SJU season came to an end at DePaul, where the Blue Demons and Red Storm battled for the final spot in the BIG EAST Championship. DU won, 1-0, to claim the No. 6 seed.
The Red Storm return leading scorer and All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Christian Bellero, as well as All-Freshman honoree Maia Cabrera. SJU loses a pair of Second Team selections, Allie Moar and Jesse Schaefer, to graduation.
Xavier is 0-5 against the Red Storm, including a 1-0 double overtime loss last season.
Last season, Xavier and St. John's played in a 0-0 draw through 107 minutes when an attempt by a Musketeers to clear the ball to the goalkeeper got past and SJU won, 1-0, on an own-goal.

vs. Georgetown
XU Soccer Complex
Thurs., 10/25 | 7:00 PM
Washington, D.C. | BIG EAST

Georgetown finished 2017 at 14-3-4 overall. GU opened the season at No. 5 after earning a trip to the College Cup in 2016 and spent most of the season in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25.
The Hoyas went 6-1-2 in BIG EAST play to earn the No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Championship. GU picked up a pair of comfortable wins, 4-0 over Marquette and 3-0 over Butler, to claim the BIG EAST Championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoyas played Wake Forest in the opening round of the tournament, playing the Demon Deacons to a 0-0 draw through double overtime. Wake Forest advanced on penalty kicks.
GU returns All-BIG EAST First Team selections Amanda Carolan and Caitlin Farrell, All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Meaghan Nally and All-Freshman Team selection Kelly Ann Livingstone.
The Hoyas graduated a number of prolific seniors after last season, including All-American and two-time BIG EAST Midfield of the Year, Rachel Corboz, All-American and BIG EAST Defender of the Year, Elizabeth Wenger and BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, Arielle Schectman.
Xavier is 0-5 all-time against the Hoyas, including a 1-0 loss in 2017.
Last season, Xavier held the Hoyas scoreless for 56 minutes before GU scored off a free kick. The Musketeers were unable to score the equalizer.

Schedule

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Grace Bahr

Toni Bizzarro

Kenadie Carlson

Samantha Dewey

Tori Doss

Claire Fisher

Andie Kennard

Sabrina Kunimoto

Courtney Lankford

Carrie Lewis

Jessica Miller

Sydney Schembri

Emma Westwater

Upcoming Events