Women's Soccer Travels to No. 1 seed Georgetown for BIG EAST Semifinals

Thursday, November 1

Washington, DC

1:30 PM

Xavier University

Georgetown

Women's Soccer Travels to No. 1 seed Georgetown for BIG EAST Semifinals

10.31.18 | Women's Soccer

Live Stream Live Stats

No. 4 seeded Musketeers take on the Hoyas at 1:30 PM on Thursday on the BEDN

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – After playing DePaul to a 1-1 draw and advancing on penalty kicks in the BIG EAST Championship First Round, Xavier women's soccer (10-7-3; 4-3-2 BIG EAST) will make the program's first appearance in the BIG EAST Semifinals on Thursday, facing No. 1 seed Georgetown at 1:30 in Washington, D.C.

The winner of Thursday's match, which will be available for live stream through the BIG EAST Digital Network, advances to play the winner of the Semifinal match between No. 2 seed Butler and No. 6 seed Providence in the BIG EAST Championship match. The Championship, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 4, will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.

THE MATCHUP

No. 4 Xavier Musketeers at
No. 1 Georgetown Hoyas
Thursday, Nov. 1 | 1:30 PM
Shaw Field
Watch Live | Live Stats

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

VIDEO

WATCH | Samantha, Molly and Grace talk about taking on No. 4 Georgetown, the top seed in the BIG EAST Championship, for the second time in eight days in the BIG EAST Semifinals. #LetsGoX pic.twitter.com/Fv97Bg4vpq
— XU Women's Soccer (@XavierWSOC) October 31, 2018

PREVIEWING GEORGETOWN

Georgetown was last in action at Xavier on Thursday, Oct. 25, when the Musketeers defense forced a 0-0 draw, its ninth shutout of the season, and the first result against Georgetown in program history. Xavier's record against the Hoyas stands at 0-5-1.
Against GU, Toni Bizzarro played the full 110 minutes in frame for the Musketeers, collecting a pair of saves to keep Georgetown scoreless. The shutout was her eighth of the season.
Hayley Jakovich, Grace Bahr and Allison Klimkowski also played the full-time on the Xavier backline, limiting the Hoyas to a season-low three shots on-frame. GU's previous season low was five (against DePaul and Virginia Tech). Bahr also made a goal-line save in the first half to keep GU off the board.
Xavier was only the second team this season to hold Georgetown scoreless. Duke also played GU to a 0-0 draw on Aug. 23.
Xavier held a 13-9 advantage on shots, including a 11-4 advantage after halftime. The Musketeers join DePaul as the only BIG EAST squads to out-shoot the Hoyas this season.
Samantha Dewey led the Musketeers with four shots. Sydney Schembri added a pair, including a good look in the second half that hit the crossbar. Brooke Sroka also finished with two looks.
Both teams had three looks on frame. GU led 9-6 on corner kicks.
The draw against Georgetown was the first for a BIG EAST team this season, and the first result in 15 matches against the unbeaten Hoyas.
The result against the Hoyas first result against a top-five ranked program in program history.
The draw was the second of the season for the Musketeers, also playing Butler, the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Championship, to a scoreless draw.

LAST TIME OUT - DEPAUL

In Xavier's first round match-up, Xavier played DePaul to a 1-1 draw through double-overtime. In a shootout to determine who advanced, the Musketeers went 4-for-4 on penalty kicks, with a pair of stops on PKs for Olivia Jenkins in-goal, to advance to the BIG EAST Semifinals for the first time in program history.
Xavier took the lead in the 63rd minute on Samantha Dewey's ninth goal of the season. DePaul responded with an equalizer 10 minutes later and the draw held through double overtime, forcing penalty kicks to determine which team would advance.
Dewey's goal came when Allison Klimkowski served the ball toward the box from around midfield to Grace Brauer, just outside the penalty box. Brauer brought the ball down and passed to Dewey, who worked the ball past several defenders, shooting to the left corner to give Xavier the 1-0 lead.
The Blue Demons responded in the 74th minute when, from the right side of the box, Jade Erikson-Russo served the ball to Avery Hay on the left side of the net. Hay slid into a shot, sneaking the ball just inside the right post.
For the penalty kick shootout, DePaul goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson remained in frame for the Blue Demons while freshman Olivia Jenkins came off the bench to relieve Toni Bizzarro for the Musketeers.
DePaul went first, with Franny Cerny shooting to the lower right. Jenkins made the stop. Xavier followed with Grace Bahr, who shot to the lower left while Eriksson went right, putting Xavier up 1-0 after the first round.
In the second round, Madeline Frick found the back of the net for DePaul while Molly McLaughlin shot straight past Eriksson into the right corner to keep Xavier ahead, 2-1.
Mikaela Hoard went next for the Blue Demons, shooting to the left, Jenkins punched it out. Rachel Butler shot to the left corner for the Musketeers, putting Xavier ahead 3-1.
In the fourth round, DU's Jade Eriksen-Russo's shot was successful, but Claire Fisher's look to the right of the goalkeeper went in, securing Xavier's advantage at 4-2 without needing a fifth round.
Dewey led Xavier with five shots, including four on-frame, as Xavier held a 15-14 advantage on shots overall. Each team had six attempts on-goal. Molly McLaughlin had four attempts on the day.
Toni Bizzarro played 110 minutes in frame for the Musketeers, collecting five saves.
Hayley Jakovich, Grace Bahr and Allison Klimkowski also played the full 110 minutes on the Xavier backline. Rachel Dewey played 105 minutes in the Xavier midfield.
Xavier went 4-of-4 on PKs, with makes for Grace Bahr, Molly McLaughlin, Rachel Butler and Claire Fisher.
Olivia Jenkins went in-frame for the penalty kicks, marking the first time in her career she's done so. Jenkins stopped two of four looks to secure Xavier's advancement.
The draw was the third of the season for the Musketeers, also playing Butler and Georgetown to draws at home.
The match was Xavier's seventh overtime match of the season, the Musketeers stand at 3-1-3 in extra time in 2018.

XAVIER STATS

The match against DePaul marked the first time the Musketeers have advanced in the postseason since 2003, when Xavier topped St. Joseph's, 2-0, in the Atlantic 10 tournament.
It also marks the first time Xavier has advanced on PKs since the 1998 Atlantic 10 Championship match against Dayton, earning the program's first berth to the NCAA Tournament.
At 10-7-3, the Musketeers are guaranteed to finish above .500 for the first time since 2013.
The win against Seton Hall was Xavier's 10th of the season, the first time hitting the 10-win mark since 2003's 12-8-1 season.
Xavier finished the regular season in fourth place in the BIG EAST, the best finish for the program since joining the conference.
The draw against Georgetown in the regular season finale brought Xavier's point total in the BIG EAST standings to 14, tying last year's program best mark.
Xavier's defense forced its ninth shutout of the season against Georgetown, the most since 2000's school-record 11 shutouts. The Musketeers rank third in the BIG EAST for shutouts on the season.
Nine shutouts stand as the second most in a single season in program history, matching 1985 and 1991's season totals.
Freshmen Allison Klimkowski and Hayley Jakovich have started every game in the backfield this season. Grace Bahr joined Klimkowski and Jakovich in the starting backfield in each of Xavier's past 15 matches and the trio has totaled over 1680 minutes each.
Carrie Lewis and Rachel Dewey have both played over 1380 minutes in midfield for the Musketeers.
Goalkeeper Toni Bizzarro has played 18 matches in-frame, making 79 saves with 16 goals against for a GAA of 0.83 which ranks fourth in the BIG EAST. Her save percentage of .832 ranks third in the conference.
Bizzarro has a record of 9-6-3 with eight shutouts to her credit. Her eight shutouts rank third most in the conference and 27th in the country.
Prior to her appearance for PKs against DePaul, Olivia Jenkins appeared in-frame twice this season, collecting six saves with three goals against for a GAA of 1.50. She picked up the first win and shutout of her college career against Southern Indiana.
Jenkins stopped 2-of-4 PK attempts by the Blue Demons in the BIG EAST Championship First Round, her first post-season appearance as a Musketeers.
Samantha Dewey's goal against DePaul was her ninth of the season, bringing her team-high point total to 24, a new career-best mark which tops her previous career-high point total of 22. Dewey's 24 point marks the most for a Musketeer since Lauren Giesting's 25 points in 2003. She ranks second in the conference on points scored.
Dewey is third in the BIG EAST on assists and shots taken and fourth in goals scored.
Dewey also has four game-winning goals on the season, tied for the second most in the conference.
Grace Bahr has three goals, combined with an assist, for seven points, second most on the team.
Sydney Schembri has a pair of goals and a pair of assists for six points.
Carrie Lewis' goal against Seton hall was her second of the season and first of BIG EAST play. Her point total stands at four for the season, matching Molly McLaughlin and Brooke Sroka, who added a point on an assist on Emily Burton's goal, for fourth most on the team.
Allison Klimkowski added an assist on Samantha Dewey's goal against DePaul, to match Brooke Sroka and Andie Kennard with three points on a goal and an assist for the esaon.
Emily Burton's tally was the first of her Xavier career. She's the 15th Musketeer to score a goal, joining Claire Fisher, Allison Klimkowski, Sabrina Kunimoto, Rachel Butler, Kenadie Carlson, Isabella Langush, Rachel Dewey and Carrie Lewis who each have two points on a goal.
Grace Brauer picked up a second assist on the season, on Samantha Dewey's goal against the Blue Demons.
Courtney Lankford, Jenna Leslie and Olivia Popovich each have a point on an assist.
Through 19 games, Xavier has 15 goal scorers. The Musketeers needed just seven games to surpass last year's total of six goal scorers. Xavier also has 19 players who have recorded points, surpassing last year's total of 11.
Kunimoto's goal against Villanova was the 20th tally of the season for the Musketeers, surpassing last year's total of 19. Xavier has 30 goals on the season, the most since scoring 28 in the 2015 campaign.
Xavier's offense leads the BIG EAST in shots, is second goals and corner kicks earned and third in points.

DEWEY NAMED MID OF THE YEAR

Samantha Dewey, a red-shirt junior, has appeared in all 19 matches for the Musketeers on her way to earning BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and First Team honors. In 2018, Dewey has team-high 22 points, the most for a Musketeer player since Dewey's own 22-point freshman season in 2015.
Her total points rank third in the BIG EAST. Dewey's 22 points came on team-leading totals in goals (8) and assists (6). Her assist total ranks third in the conference and her goals rank fourth in the BIG EAST.
Of Dewey's eight goals, four are game-winners this season, a mark that's tied for the second most in the conference and for 36th in NCAA DI.
Dewey, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., came into the season on the BIG EAST Preseason all conference team, after leading Xavier on offense in her first two full seasons as a Musketeers. Dewey has totaled 70 points so far in her Xavier career, earning post-season conference honors in each of her two complete seasons prior to 2018. In 2016, she became the first Musketeer to be named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team as a sophomore, and was unanimously selected to the All-BIG EAST Freshman team in 2015.

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

Junior defender Grace Bahr earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors. Bahr totaled a team-high 1,634 minutes for the Musketeers in the regular season season, including starting on the backline in each of Xavier's past 14 matches. As part of Xavier's defense, Bahr, a transfer from Wisconsin, has helped forced nine shutouts on the season, the most since 2000's school-record 11 shutouts.
The Musketeers rank second in the BIG EAST for shutouts on the season. Nine shutouts stand as the second most in a single season in program history, matching 1985 and 1991's season totals.
Bahr, a native of Broadview Heights, Ohio, has also played a major role in Xavier's offense from the backline, with the second-high point total on the team at seven. Bahr has tallied three times this season, including a critical second goal in the 3-2 overtime win against DePaul. She also has an assist on the season, on the equalizer in the come-from behind win at Providence.
This is the first postseason honor of Bahr's career. Early this season, she earned BIG EAST Defender of the Week for the week of Sept. 17. She is the fourth Musketeer to earn All-BIG EAST Second Team Honors, joining Dewey and last season's honorees Tori Doss and Carly Alfano.
Hayley Jakovich, a freshman defender, was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. Jakovich has started every game on the Xavier backline this season. Her season for minutes stands at 1,633, just behind Bahr's team-leading total. As part of Xavier's defense, Jakovich, has played a major role in Xavier's nine shutouts on the season, the most since 2000's school-record 11 shutouts, the second most in a single season in program history.
Jakovich has played full-time in 11 of Xavier's matches this season, including eight of the Musketeers' nine BIG EAST matches. From the backline, Jakovich has five shots on the season, making the most of her opportunities with .400 of her looks on-frame.
Jakovich, a native of Eureka, Mo., was honored as the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the week of Oct. 22. She is the third Musketeer to earn BIG EAST All-Freshman Honors, joining Dewey and Sydney Schembri, who was named BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year last season.

USC REGIONAL RANKINGS

Xavier remained at No. 10 in the East, this week after earning draws with Georgetown and DePaul.
The East rankings features four BIG EAST schools, including undefeated Georgetown at No.1. The Hoyas are also ranked No. 4 nationally, as well as No. 4 Butler and No. 8 Providence.

WEEKLY AWARDS

After helping limit No. 4 Georgetown to a season-low on shots on-frame, and making a goal line save to keep the Hoyas scoreless, Grace Bahr was named the BIG EAST Defender of the Week for the final week of the 2018 regular season.
In the only game in the final week, Bahr played the full 110 minutes against top-five Georgetown, helping limit the Hoyas to just three shots on-goal. The mark was a season low for the Hoyas, whose previous season low was five shots on-frame. Bahr also made a save in front of the net in the first half to help hold GU scoreless to force the 0-0 draw through double overtime. Xavier's draw against Georgetown was the only result by a BIG EAST team this season, and it marked only the second time this season unbeaten Georgetown had been held scoreless, the other time coming against Duke in August.
This is the second time this season Bahr has been honored as Defender of the Week by the Conference, also earning the honor for the week of Sept. 17. It is the sixth weekly award for the Musketeers this season, joining Hayley Jakovich, who was Freshman of the Week last week, Toni Bizzarro, who was twice named the Goalkeeper of the Week and Allison Klimkowski, who was named Freshman of the Week on Oct. 8. Samantha Dewey and Sydney Schembri have also been recognized by the conference, earning BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll honors.

USC TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD

Xavier women's soccer earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for the fourth straight year, and eighth year overall.
The Musketeers posted a department-best grade point average of 3.67 for the 2017-18 academic year, with 22 team members earning BIG EAST All-Academic for posting a grade point average of 3.0 or above.
The USC Team Academic Award distinction is awarded to programs with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher for the academic year. In total, 773 soccer teams, including 484 women's squads and 289 men's, earned the award for the 2017-18 academic year.
Xavier was one of the 192 schools with both their men's and women's programs recognized.
Xavier women's soccer, which has earned Public Recognition from the NCAA for posting a perfect 1000 in the Academic Progress Rate score three years in a row, also earned the USC Team Academic Award in 2001, 2011-13 and 2015-17.

XU LINEUP

Xavier returns 75 percent of its scoring from last season, including the scorers of 14 of the team's 19 goals.
Leading scorer Sydney Schembri is back after finishing with 12 points on six goals as a rookie, earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and All-Freshman Team honors.
Emma Westwater returns as a senior after a nine-point junior season, scored on four goals and an assist.
The Musketeers' attack is bolstered by the return of two of the program's most prolific scorers in recent years, redshirt junior Samantha Dewey and redshirt senior Kenadie Carlson.
Xavier also adds a pair of transfers up front, Sabrina Kunimoto, a sophomore from Delaware, and Raechel Eck, a grad transfer from Akron with two years of eligibility remaining.
Four freshmen also join Xavier's offensive attack, Grace Brauer, Makenna Jordahl, Reagan Norvell and Brooke Sroka
Xavier returns the core of its midfield with Carrie Lewis and Courtney Lankford who, combined, accounted for six of Xavier's 14 assists on the season.
Lewis led the Musketeers with four in a season where she started every match, while Lankford added a pair.
Jessica Miller, who started two of the first three games last season before sitting out due to injury, also returns. Emily Burton and Abby O'Keefe combined to make 16 starts last season after Miller's injury. O'Keefe assisted on a pair of goals and Burton added an assist as well. Makayla Kolberg, who made multiple starts in 2017, and Megan Sullivan, who appeared in 15 matches, also return.
The Musketeers brought in a pair of experienced transfers in the midfield for the 2018 spring season, Claire Fisher, a sophomore transfer from Tennessee, and Grace Bahr, a junior transfer from Wisconsin.
Rachel Dewey, younger sister of Samantha Dewey, makes up part of a quartet of freshmen midfielders, which also includes Jordan Reddington, Molly McLaughlin and Rachel Butler.
Xavier returns defender Andie Kennard for her senior season after a junior campaign where she was second on the team in minutes played. Kennard also recorded her first career goal in 2017, the game-winner against Ohio.
Redshirt-freshman Abi Janszen also returns for the Musketeers after being limited to three appearance due to injury.
Five newcomers join the backfield, freshmen Hayley Jakovich, Isabella Langusch, Jenna Leslie, Allison Klimkowski and Olivia Popovich.
Goalkeeper Toni Bizzarro, who started all 19 games she appeared in last season, returns for her junior season. Bizzarro collected eight wins, including four shutouts last season, making 106 saves for a .828 save percentage with a GAA of 1.09.
Xavier added a pair of freshmen goalkeepers, Olivia Jenkins and Caroline Welsh, to join Bizzarro.

DEWEY NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST

For a second-straight season, Xavier women's soccer's Samantha Dewey was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
The red-shirt junior forward is the first Musketeer to earn preseason conference honor in back-to-back years since joining the conference. Last season, her nomination was the first preseason nod for a Musketeer since Xavier joined the BIG EAST in 2013.
Dewey, a native of Fairland, Ind., appeared in the first five matches in 2017 before sitting out the remainder due to injury. In her shortened season, Dewey still tallied three goals, fourth most on the team. Dewey led the Musketeers in scoring during the first five games of the season, tallying a pair in a win against Cleveland State and scoring the game winner against Ball State. She was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll twice in the first two weeks of the season.
Prior to the 2017 season, Dewey led the Musketeers in points in each of her two previous seasons at Xavier. After posting 20 points on eight goals and four assists in 2016, Dewey was named Second Team All-BIG EAST, making her the first Musketeer to earn first or second team honors since joining the conference. Dewey was also named to the All-Ohio Second Team after the 2016 season.
As a freshman, Dewey was a unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team after a 22-point rookie campaign. She was twice conference rookie of the week and has earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll honors fives times in her career.

2017 IN REVIEW

The Musketeers, picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST, are coming off a fifth-place finish in the 2017 season, which earned the program's first berth to the BIG EAST Championship since joining the conference and the program's first conference championship appearance since 2003.
In Nate Lie's first season as head coach, Xavier finished the season 8-8-4 overall, marking the first season at .500 or above since 2013, when Xavier finished 9-8-1. The Musketeers' record of 4-3-2 in BIG EAST play, posting a winning conference record for the first time since 2005. Xavier finished the regular season with a program-best 14 points in the BIG EAST standings.
The Musketeers limited 16 of 20 opponents to a single goal or less, including every BIG EAST regular season match-up.
In addition to Sydney Schembri's Freshman of the Year and All-Freshman Team honors, seniors Tori Doss and Carly Alfano both earned Second Team All-BIG EAST and CoSIDA Academic All-American after last season.