Women's Soccer Hosts Akron on Sunday Afternoon

Sunday, September 9

Cincinnati, Ohio

1 PM

Xavier University

Akron

Women's Soccer Hosts Akron on Sunday Afternoon

09.07.18 | Women's Soccer

Live Stats Live Stream

Musketeers and Zips set for 1 PM first touch

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – After a double overtime win at Bowling Green on Thursday, Xavier women's soccer (3-4-0) returns home to host another MAC squad, hosting the Akron Zips on Sunday afternoon at the XU Soccer Complex.

A live stream and live stats are available through GoXavier.com.

THE MATCHUP

Xavier Musketeers
vs. Akron Zips
Sunday, Sept. 9 | 1:05 PM
XU Soccer Complex
Watch Live | Live Stats

PREVIEWING AKRON

Akron is 2-3-1 after falling, 3-2, on Friday evening against Dayton. Akron held a 2-0 lead early, scoring twice in the first 15 minutes of the game. Dayton scored a pair before the break and then the game-winner came in the 69th minute.
Prior to the Dayton match, Akron earned three straight results, a 6-0 win over Youngstown State, a 2-2 draw with Indiana State and a 3-0 win at Wofford.
Akron's two early setbacks came in the first week of the season, a 2-1 loss to Morehead State in the season opener, and a 1-0 loss to Charlotte.
Ashley Amato and Sydney Worthy lead the Zips with six points on three goals.
Rachel Baughman has five points on two goals and an assist. Six other Zips have scored this season.
Carly Pcholinsky has a team-high three assists. Ryley Watt has a pair.
Erin McKinney has played the bulk of time in-frame this season, starting three games. Mckinney has faced 37 shots with 12 saves and four goals against.
Bella Henderson has appeared in three games, starting two, with six saves and one goal against.
Samara Yurchak has appeared in two matches, clocking nearly 30 minutes with four saves and no goals against.
The Zips finished 2-13-4 in 2017, including a 1-7-3 record in the MAC.
The Zips also return leading scorers Amato, Baughmann, Erica Schrader and Ally Brown from the 2017 season.
This is the first match-up between the Musketeers and Zips.

PROMOTIONS

JUNIOR MUSKETEERS DAY: During the game against Akron members of the Junior Musketeers can get a free popcorn at the concession stand with their membership credential. To learn more about the Junior Musketeers program, click here.
POST-GAME PENALTY KICKS: All kids in grades 8 & under are invited to the field after the game to participate in penalty kicks on the field following the match with Akron.
STUDENT PROMO: T-Shirts to first 150 students.

UP NEXT

Xavier returns to the road on Thursday, September 13 traveling to Dayton to face the Flyers at 7:00 p.m.
The Musketeers return home on Sunday, September 16 to host Miami at 7:00 p.m. to close out the non-conference schedule.

LAST TIME OUT - BGSU

After playing to a scoreless draw through 105 minutes at Bowling Green, a clean look for Andie Kennard set up by Samantha Dewey gave Xavier women's soccer its first road win of the season, topping the Falcons, 1-0, on Thursday.
In the 106th minute, a ball cleared out of the box by BGSU found Molly McLaughlin in the middle third of the field. McLaughlin served the ball ahead to Samantha Dewey at the top of the box. Dewey worked the ball to the left side, drawing multiple defenders, then touched the ball acroos to Andie Kennard, open on the right side, just outside the six-yard box. Kennard shot to the left corner of the net to win the game.
Andie Kennard's goal is her first of the season and the third of her Xavier career.
Kennard's tally makes her the seventh Musketeer in the scoring column this season, surpassing last season's total of six goal scorers in just seven games.
Samantha Dewey's assist is her second of the season, adding to her team-high point total which stands at six.
Xavier and BGSU each finished with 16 shots for the game. Xavier held a 5-0 advantage on shots in the second overtime period.
Carrie Lewis led the Musketeers with four shots. Kennard and Samantha Dewey each had three. Six other Musketeers recorded shots.
Xavier and Bowling Green each earned five corner kicks.
Toni Bizzarro played the full time made eight saves in 106 minutes. It's the second win of the season and the first shutout.
Hayley Jakovich, Grace Bahr and Allison Klimkowski each played over 100 minutes for the Xavier defense. Lewis also played over 100 minutes.
Molly McLaughlin and Raechel Eck made their first start as Musketeers.
This was Xavier's second match of the season that went to extra time and the first that went to a second overtime period. Xavier is 1-1 on the season in OT.
Xavier moved to 2-2 all time against the Falcons.

XAVIER STATS

With the assist on Kennard's game winner, Samantha Dewey adds to her team-high point totals. Dewey has six points on two goals and two assists. Dewey ranks eighth in the BIG EAST in goals scored and assists and ninth in the conference in points.
Andie Kennard's game-winner against BGSU brings her point total to three, matching Sydney Schembri for second most on the team.
Sydney Schembri has three points after collecting an assist against Toledo and goal against Louisville.
Brooke Sroka, Kenadie Carlson, Isabella Langush, Rachel Dewey and Carrie Lewis each have two points on a goal.
Grace Brauer, Jenna Leslie and Olivia Popovich each have a point on an assist.
Through six games, Xavier has seven goal scorers, surpassing last year's total of six in just seven games. Xavier also has 11 players who have recorded points, matching last season's total in both categories.
As a team, Xavier ranks second in the conference in corner kicks earned, behind No. 8 Georgetown. Xavier also third in the conference in shots, behind No. 22 Butler and Georgetown.
Xavier ranks in the top half of the conference in goals. goals per game, assists and assists per game.
Freshman Allison Klimkowski and Hayley Jakovich have started every game in the backfield this season.
Carrie Lewis, Grace Bahr and Rachel Dewey have all played over 400 minutes so far this season in the midfield for the Musketeers.
Goalkeeper Toni Bizzarro has played five matches in-frame, facing 75 shots, making 32 saves with four goals against for a GAA of 1.32. Against Bowling Green, Bizzarro picked up her second win of the season and first shutout. Bizzarro ranks first in the BIG EAST in saves per game (6.40), second in total saves (32) and fifth in save percentage (.821)
Olivia Jenkins has 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.
As a team, Xavier is tied with Marquette for the most saves made by a BIG EAST squad so far this season.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

After playing a role in two of Xavier's three opening weekend goals, Sydney Schembri was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the week of August 20.
Schembri picked up the assist on Friday, Aug. 17 in the season opener on Kenadie Carlson's game-winner. Samantha Dewey served the ball to the right side of the net and Schembri saved it from going over the endline, flicking the ball to Carlson on the left side of the net for the goal.
On Sunday at Louisville, Schembri helped give the Musketeers the lead with a look off a placed kick that ricocheted off a Louisville defender into the net, putting Xavier up 1-0 in the first half.
This marks the second time the sophomore forward has earned the honor during her time at Xavier. Last season, Schembri also earned conference Freshman of the Year honors and was a member of the All-Freshman Squad.

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.