Women's Soccer Hosts Creighton in First of Two Home Matches

Thursday, October 3

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 PM

Xavier University

Creighton

Women's Soccer Hosts Creighton in First of Two Home Matches

10.02.19 | Women's Soccer

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By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's soccer (7-2-2, 0-1 BIG EAST) returns home to host a pair of BIG EAST opponents this weekend, starting with Creighton on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7:00 p.m. The match with the Bluejays will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network.

GAME DETAILS

vs. Creighton
Thursday, Oct. 3 | 7:00 PM
XU Soccer Complex | Cincinnati, Ohio

PROMOTIONS

BIG EAST HOME OPENER
XAVIER FACULTY/STAFF APPRECIATION NIGHT: Xavier faculty and staff who present their ALL Card at the ticket tent receive 4 free tickets to the game.
DADS & DAUGHTERS: Dads & Daughters can purchase a special ticket package for the match, which includes a game ticket, t-shirt and voucher for a free popcorn for just $9 per person. To learn more, click here.

ALUMNI WEEKEND

Xavier women's soccer is excited to host its annual Alumni Weekend from Saturday, Oct. 5 through Sunday, Oct. 6.
The weekend will feature an alumni match, happy hour and a family tailgate leading up to Sunday's match with Seton Hall.
If you plan to join us, please visit GoXavier.com/WSOCAlumni to register!

OPPONENT INFO

The Bluejays enter the game at 7-3 overall and 1-0 in BIG EAST play.
Creighton opened the season at 2-0 with wins over Kansas State and South Dakota State before falling to Clemson. The Bluejays ripped off four-straight wins, over Iowa State, Eastern Michigan, Oklahoma and Kansas City, before falling to FGCU and FAU to close out non-conference play.
The Bluejays opened BIG EAST play with a 2-0 win over DePaul.
Skylar Heinrich leads CU with 18 points on eight goals and two assists. Taryn Jakubowski has seven points on three goals and an assist.
Kylin Grubb and Jaylin Bosak each have two goals.
Ansley Atkinson leads the Bluejays with four assists.
Katie Sullivan has played the bulk of the time in-goal, with eight goals against and 40 saves. She has a record of 6-2-0 with three shutouts.
Creighton finished 2018 at 6-10-1 overall and 3-5-1 in BIG EAST play.
The Bluejays return All-BIG EAST First Team section Taryn Jakubowski and All-Freshman selection Ansley Atkinson in midfield.
Xavier is 5-4-0 all-time against Creighton, including last season's 1-0 loss on the road to open BIG EAST play.

LAST TIME OUT

Despite holding a 10-shot advantage for the match, Xavier women's soccer opened up BIG EAST play with a 1-0 loss at Villanova on Sunday afternoon to move to 7-2-2 on the season.
In the first half, Xavier held a 5-1 advantage on shots, controlling much of the possession, but where unable to find the back of the net, going into halftime in a scoreless draw.
The Musketeers had a number opportunities for the go-ahead goal in the second half, including a good look in the box by Brooke Sroka after a misplay by the VU goalkeeper. Despite the advantage on the offensive attack, the Wildcats struck first, on a breakaway to get behind the Xavier defense and goalkeeper, and got a clean look at the goal for the 1-0 lead.
Following the Villanova goal, Xavier created several dangerous chances for the equalizer, outshooting the Wildcats 11-4 in the second half. Among those chances was a three-shot flurry following a Samantha Dewey free kick that bounced off the cross bar, but the Musketeers were unable to pull even with Villanova, falling, 1-0.

XU STATS

Samantha Dewey, the team leader in goals (9) and points (21) added another two points to her total with her ninth goal of the season at Lipscomb.
Dewey's nine total goals lead the BIG EAST and are 10th in NCAA DI. Dewey also leads the BIG EAST in goals per game (0.82 - 18th in NCAA DI), total points (21 - 19th in NCAA DI) and points per game (1.91 - 24th in NCAA DI).
Among Dewey's nine goals are three game-winners, which is tied for league high and 20th in NCAA DI.
Jackie Richards added another two points to her point total with her goal against NKU to bring her season total to six, second on the team.
Gabrielle LoPresti added an assist against Kent State to bring her point total to five, third most on the team. LoPresti has a goal to go with a team-high matching three assists.
Grace Brauer became the sixth Musketeer to score a goal, picking up the game-winner against Akron, then added a point on an assist against NKU. Brauer, along with Grace Bahr and Emily Burton, has three points on a goal and an assist.
Carrie Lewis matched the team-high with a third assist, helping on Grace Bahr's goal against NKU.
In just her second appearance of the season, Jenna Prathapa became the eighth Musketeer to score a goal, the game-winner against Lipscomb.
Sydney Schembri has two points on her game-winning goal against Kent State.
Courtney Lankford assisted on Prathapa's game-winner against Lipscomb, her first point of the season. Lankford joins Hayley Jakovich, Rachel Dewey, Molly McLaughlin, Brooke Sroka and Halle Rogers who each have a point on an assist.
Toni Bizzarro has made six starts in frame, with a record of 4-1-1 after the Villanova match. Bizzarro has collected 18 saves with four goals against for a GAA of 0.63.
Olivia Jenkins has made five starts at goalkeeper, earning a record of 3-1-1 and two shutouts to her credit, with 10 saves and five goals against on the season for a GAA of 0.93.
Grace Bahr, Hayley Jakovich and Halle Rogers have started each match in the Xavier backfield. Maddie Thiss has also made 10 starts on defense.
Rachel Dewey and Samantha Dewey have both started all 11 matches for the Musketeers as well.

NON-CONFERENCE WRAP-UP

Xavier finished non-conference play at 7-1-2, the best mark since going 7-1-1 in non-conference play in 2013. Xavier's .800 winning percentage was the top mark in th BIG EAST during non-conference and to 30 in the NCAA.
During the 10-game non-conference slate, Xavier forced six shutouts, including a stretch of five straight.
The Lipscomb goal in the 57th minute ended a streak of 522 minutes without allowing a goal, going back to the Kent State game on Sept. 6.
Samantha Dewey led the team with 21 points on nine-goals and three assists. Through the end of Xavier's non-conference schedule, Dewey's goals ranked No. 4 in the NCAA DI and her total points (21) were also in the top five in the nation.
Toni Bizzarro and Olivia Jenkins shared time in-frame, each making five starts.
Bizzaro finished the non-conference slate with a record of 4-0-1, collecting 17 saves with three goals against. She clocked 437 straight minutes in non-conference action without allowing a goal, going back to the season opener at Murray State through the Miami match, for three complete shutouts to her credit, as well as a partial shutout against NKU.
In Olivia Jenkins' five starts at goalkeeper, she earned record of 3-1-1 and two shutouts to her credit, with 10 saves and five goals against in non-conference play.

DEWEY SENIOR CLASS FINALIST

Xavier women's soccer red-shirt senior Samantha Dewey was named one of 30 candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award® for collegiate women's soccer on Monday.
Sixty NCAA® men's and women's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate soccer. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
Dewey, who earned the honor of 2018 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, has been a consistent force on offense during her Xavier career, leading the Musketeers in points in each of her three full seasons leading into 2019.
Through 10 matches in 2019, Dewey has lived up to her billing as the Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, leading the conference with 21 points to help the Musketeers to a 7-1-2 record.
Dewey's nomination, along with Xavier men's soccer's Samson Sergi's nod, makes Xavier one of three schools that has both a male and a female candidate in 2019 (Bowling Green, Memphis, Xavier). She is one of four female nominees from the BIG EAST.

THE MUSKETEERS

Xavier finished the 2018 season at 10-8-3, a .548 winning percentage, marking the first winning record for the Musketeers since 2013. Xavier's 10 wins in 2018 are the most for the program since 2003's 12-win season.
The Musketeers finished a program-best fourth in the BIG EAST standings, hosting a BIG EAST Championship match for the first time since joining the conference and advancing in the postseason for the first time since 2003.
Xavier's 0-0 draw against No. 4 Georgetown to close out the regular season on Oct. 25, 2018 was the first result against a top-five team in program history.
Xavier's defense forced its ninth shutout of the season in the regular season match against Georgetown, the most since 2000's school-record 11 shutouts. The Musketeers ranked third in the BIG EAST for shutouts. Nine shutouts stand as the second most in a single season in program history, matching 1985 and 1991's season totals.
Xavier 2018 finished the season with 31 goals, the most since 2006's 31-goal season. The Musketeers return 87 percent of their scoring, including BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year Samantha Dewey, who finished with 25 points on nine goals and seven assists.

DEWEY NAMED OFFENSIVE POY

Redshirt senior Samantha Dewey was named Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and earned a unanimous nod to the Preseason All-BIG EAST squad for the 2019 season, as voted on by league coaches. The Musketeers are picked fourth in the BIG EAST Preseason poll, the highest preseason selection for the team since joining the conference.
Dewey appeared in all 21 matches for the Musketeers in 2018, collecting a team-high 25 points, a new career-best mark which topped her previous career-high point total of 22. Dewey's 25 points also marks the most for a Musketeer since Lauren Giesting's 25 points in 2003.
Dewey's 25 points came on team-leading totals in goals (9) and assists (7), the most goals by a Musketeer in over 10 years. Of Dewey's nine goals, four were game-winners.
Among BIG EAST returnees, Dewey ranked first in points from the 2018 season, third in total goals and second in total assists.
Following the 2018 season, Dewey was named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and First Team All-Conference, the first Musketeer to earn either honor, following Xavier's 10-8-3 season.
Dewey also earned All-East Region Third Team honors from United Soccer Coaches as well as BIG EAST All-Tournament Team honors after Xavier advanced to the BIG EAST Semifinals.
Dewey, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., has earned preseason All-BIG EAST honors for the past three seasons after leading Xavier on offense in her first two full seasons as a Musketeers. Her Preseason Player of the Year nomination is the first for a Musketeer since joining the conference in 2013.
Dewey has totaled 73 points so far in her Xavier career, earning post-season conference honors in each of her three complete seasons. 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.

MUSKETEERS PICKED FOURTH

The Musketeers are picked to finish fourth in the BIG EAST, returning 23 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last season's squad that went 10-8-3 overall an 4-3-2 in BIG EAST play.
The 2018 season marked the first winning record for the Musketeers since 2013 and the most wins for the program since 2003's 12-win season. The Musketeers finished a program-best fourth in the BIG EAST standings, hosting a BIG EAST Championship match for the first time since joining the conference.
Xavier's 2018 team advanced to the BIG EAST Semifinals for the first time since joining the conference in 2013, 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.
The Musketeers return 87 percent of their scoring from 2018's 31 goal season, the goals most for the program since 2006. The 2018 Musketeers also posted nine shutouts, tied for second most in program history and the most since 2000. Xavier finished ranked in the top 75 of the RPI for the first time in nearly 20 season.
The Musketeers were picked behind reigning BIG EAST Champion and 2018 College Cup Semifinalist Georgetown, which received nine first place votes, as well as Butler and Providence.

BIG EAST COACHES POLL

1.   Georgetown              81 (9)
2.   Butler 67 (1)
3.   Providence 62
4.   Xavier 55
5.   DePaul 46
6.   Villanova 38
       St. John's 38
8.   Marquette                 34
9.   Creighton 20
10. Seton Hall 9

BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Samantha Dewey, Xavier, R-Sr., M

BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Meaghan Nally, Georgetown, Sr., D

BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Shelby Hogan, Providence, R-Jr., GK

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Anja Savich, Butler, So., F
Annika Schmidt, Butler, R-Sr., D*
Taryn Jakubowski, Creighton, Sr., M*
Paula Germino-Watnick, Georgetown, Sr., F*
Kelly Ann Livingstone, Georgetown, Jr., D
Meaghan Nally, Georgetown, Sr., D*
Katrina Wetherell, Marquette, So., M
Shelby Hogan, Providence, R-Jr., GK
Hannah McNulty, Providence, Jr., F
Zsani Kajan, St. John's, R-Jr., F*
Samantha Dewey, Xavier, R-Sr., M*
*unanimous selection

CREIGHTON HOSTS BE TOURNEY

Creighton University will serve as host of the 2019 BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship Presented by Jeep. The league tournament's semifinals and final will be played Nov. 7 and 10 at the Bluejays' Morrison Stadium, with first round matches being held at higher-seeded campus sites on Nov. 3. This marks the second time Creighton is serving as the host for the BIG EAST Championship, last doing so in 2015.
The top two teams in the standings at season's end earn an automatic bye into the semifinals, with the first round matches pitting the No. 6 seed at the No. 3 seed and the No. 5 seed at the No. 4 seed to determine who will also earn a trip to Omaha. Georgetown has won three consecutive BIG EAST Championships, all at Shaw Field in Washington, D.C. Butler won its first conference crown at Morrison Stadium in 2015, after DePaul won in Queens, N.Y., in 2014, and Marquette won in 2013 in Milwaukee, Wis. The Hoyas advanced to the NCAA College Cup in two of their last three championship seasons.
Morrison Stadium's seating capacity is 7,500. Construction on the stadium was completed in 2004 and included a video scoreboard, champions room, nearly 2,000 covered chairback seating, five luxury suites, an enclosed press box, concession stands and a banquet area. An athletic training room and locker rooms were built in the adjacent Ryan Athletic Center, which opened in 2009. The $13 million facility hosted its first match on Aug. 29, 2003 and was officially dedicated on Oct. 15, 2004.
Morrison Stadium received an upgrade just this summer with the installation of FieldTurf CORE. The FieldTurf CORE sports turf is a FIFA Quality Pro certified surface and is currently featured at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the home facility of the MLS Atlanta United FC and NFL Atlanta Falcons and at Providence Park in Portland, the home facility of the MLS Portland Timbers and NWSL Portland Thorns. CORE is "the first multi-layer dual-polymer fiber ever," and "rewrites the playbook for sports turf, reinvents the playing field, and redefines the player experience," according to FieldTurf.

2019 BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship Presented by Jeep
First Round – Nov. 3 – higher seeds
No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed, TBD
No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed, TBD
Semifinals – Nov. 7 – Omaha, Neb.
No. 1 seed vs. No. 4/5 winner, 6 p.m. ET
No. 2 seed vs. No. 3/6 winner, 8:30 p.m. ET
Final – Nov. 10 – Omaha, Neb.
Semifinal winners, TBD