Women's Soccer Travels to NKU for Thursday Night Match

Thursday, August 23

Highland Heights, Ky.

7 PM

Xavier University

Northern Kentucky

Women's Soccer Travels to NKU for Thursday Night Match

08.22.18 | Women's Soccer

Live Stats Live Stream

First touch between Musketeers and Norse set for 7 PM

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier women's soccer remains on the road for the second of four-straight road matches, playing Northern Kentucky on Thursday evening at NKU Soccer Stadium. Students, faculty and staff from both schools will receive free admission to the match and live stats as well as a live stream are available from NKU.

THE MATCHUP

Xavier Musketeers at
Northern Kentucky Norse
Thursday, August 23 | 7:00 PM
NKU Soccer Stadium
Watch Live | Live Stats

PREVIEWING NKU

NKU enters the game at 1-1 after picking upt a 3-0 win over Indiana State in the season opener, and falling 2-1 to Murray State in overtime on Sunday.
The Norse's four goal were scored by four different players, Emily Soltes, Shawna Zaken, Chole Mills and Samantha Duwel.
Rachel Conaway and Payton Naylor have both collected an assist for the Norse.
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 89th 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.

LAST TIME OUT - LOUISVILLE

A first half goal from Sydney Schembri helped Xavier women's soccer force extra time at Louisville, but a goal for the Cardinals in the closing seconds of the overtime period gave the Musketeers their first setback of the season, falling 2-1 on Sunday evening.
The Musketeers took the 1-0 lead with just under 15 minutes remaining before a break after a free kick into the box found Sydney Schembri on the right side of the net. The sophomore forward shot from inside the six yard box, bouncing the ball in off a Louisville defender to take the lead.
After the Musketeers took the lead, Louisville scored the equalizer less than five minutes later on a goal off a throw in for Delaney Synder, sending the game into the break tied, 1-1. The draw held through the second half, sending the game to extra time
In the final seconds of the 10 minute overtime period, Louisville played the ball ahead to the left side of the box. A header from Maisie Whitsett in the opposite corner of the net ended the game in sudden victory in favor of the Cardinals.
Xavier finished with four shots, including a pair for Claire Fisher.
Toni Bizzarro played the full time in-frame, collecting seven saves to help the Musketeers force overtime.
Allison Klimkowski played the full 100 minutes for the Musketeers on defense. Hayley Jakovich played 81 on the backline for Xavier as well.
Xavier moves to 13-3 all time against Louisville.

XAVIER STATS

Sydney Schembri's assist against Toledo and goal against Louisville brought her point total to three for the season.
Brooke Sroka and Kenadie Carlson each have two points after scoring goals against Toledo.
Samantha Dewey collected a point on an assist to Brooke Sroka against Toledo. Dewey leads the team with six shots, including three on-frame.
Freshman Allison Klimkowski and Hayley Jakovich join senior Andie Kennard and junior Abby O'Keefe in the starting backfield in both games so far this season. Abi Janszen has played significant minutes coming off the bench for the Musketeers.
Goalkeeper Toni Bizzarro has played both matches in-frame, facing 24 shots, making 11 saves with three goals against for a GAA of 1.42.

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.
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.