Women's Soccer Travels to No. 10 Georgetown on Thursday

Thursday, October 10

Washington, D.C.

3 PM

Xavier University

Georgetown

Women's Soccer Travels to No. 10 Georgetown on Thursday

10.09.19 | Women's Soccer

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By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's soccer (9-2-2, 2-1 BIG EAST) travels to Washington D.C. to face the No. 10 Georgetown Hoyas on Thursday afternoon. First touch with GU is set for 3:00 p.m.

GAME DETAILS

at Georgetown
Thursday, Oct. 10 | 3 PM
Shaw Field | Washington, D.C.

OPPONENT INFO

The Hoyas enter the game at 9-2-1 overall and 3-0 in BIG EAST play, ranked No. 10 in the nation.
Georgetown entered the season ranked No. 7, picked up non-conference wins over James Madison, Bucknell, Princeton and West Virginia, among others. The Hoyas also earned a result against then No. 10 Duke in a 0-0 double overtime draw.
GU's two setbacks came to ranked squads, then No. 21 NC State and then No. 5 Virginia.
Amanda Carolan leads the Hoyas with 22 points, on nine goals and four assists. Her total goals and total points are second in the BIG EAST, trailing Samantha Dewey.
Returning All-BIG EAST first team selection Paula Germino-Watnick has added 19 points on six goals and seven assists.
Julia Leas, Jenna Royson, Jenna Menta and Kelly Livingstone have each tallied multiple times and six other Hoyas have scored.
Boo Jackson's eight assists lead the Hoyas and the BIG EAST.
Anna Leat has played the bulk of the time in frame to replace 2018 Goalkeeper of the Year Arielle Schechtman. In 10 matches, Leat has 25 saves and nine goals against, for a record of 7-2-1 with six shutouts to her credit.
Georgetown finished 2018 at 21-1-3 overall and 8-0-1 in BIG EAST play, the lone result in league play coming against Xavier. GU won the regular season title and conference tournament, earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Georgetown topped CCSU, Washington State, Duke and Baylor to advance to the College Cup for the second time in three years. The Hoyas' season ended following a 1-0 loss in double overtime to fellow No. 1 seed North Carolina in the national semifinals.
GU returned three All-Conference selections from 2018, including First Team selection, BIG EAST Defender of the Year and All-American Meaghan Nally, as well as First Team forward/mid Paula Germino-Watnick and Second Team selection Gracy Nguyen in midfield.
The Hoyas lost a talented 2018 senior class, including All-Americans and MAC Herman Trophy Semifinalists Caitlin Farrell and Arielle Schechtman. Both players also earned BIG EAST Player of the Year honors, with Farrell earning Offensive Player of the Year and Schechtman earning Goalkeeper of the Year. GU also lost BIG EAST Second Team forward Katrina Wetherell.
Head coach Dave Nolan and his staff were name the National Staff of the Year following the season.
Xavier is 0-6-1 all-time against the Hoyas, picking up the program's first result against GU in the regular season finale, a 0-0 draw through double overtime. Xavier fell against the Hoyas, 3-1, in the BIG EAST Championship Semifinals.

WEEKLY AWARDS

Following a 2-0 weekend for Xavier women's soccer, senior Grace Bahr was named the BIG EAST Defender of the Week by the conference offices. Brooke Sroka, who collected five points in two matches, was also named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Bahr picks up her second honor of the season after leading the Musketeers to a pair of home wins last week. The senior led the XU defense which allowed just six shots on goal as Xavier outshot its foes 18-6 on target and 2-14 overall.
Bahr was impressive on the other side of the field as well, registering a BIG EAST-best four assists last week. She provided helpers on all three of Xavier's goals against Creighton on Thursday and was tabbed with one dish against Seton Hall on Sunday.
This marks Bahr's fourth time earning Defender of the Week, also earning it from the league twice in 2018. It's Xavier's fourth weekly award of the season.
Sroka picked up her first nomination to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after matching the BIG EAST weekly high with five points in a 2-0 week for Xavier. She tallied a goal and an assist in the Musketeers' 3-1 win over Creighton on Thursday before scoring the game winner in a 5-0 victory over visiting Seton Hall on Sunday. The two goals were the first of the season for the sophomore who entered the week with just one point over the first 11 matches.

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier women's soccer topped Seton Hall, 5-0, on Sunday at the XU Soccer Complex, marking the Musketeers' largest victory over a Division I opponent in over a decade. Xavier moved to 9-2-2 on the season and 2-1 in BIG EAST play with the win.
Brooke Sroka scored from Jackie Richards in the third minute, putting Xavier ahead, 1-0, before the match went into a weather delay due to lightning in the area less than 10 minutes into the match.
Following a 35 minute delay, Xavier picked up where it left off offensively, with Molly McLaughlin scoring on a header off a corner kick in the 22nd minute and Samantha Dewey scoring less than 10 minutes later to set the halftime score at 3-0 in favor of Xavier.
Right out of the break, the Musketeers got on the board again, with Hayley Jakovich scoring two minutes into the second half on a header. Xavier tallied again less than five minutes later, on a second for Samantha Dewey for the 5-0 lead, Xavier's largest margin of victory over a conference rival since joining the BIG EAST in 2013.
Toni Bizzarro made her seventh start of the season, marking the fifth shutout for the Musketeers in a match she started. Hayley Jakovich, Maddie Thiss, Grace Bahr and Grace Brauer all started in Xavier's backfield, helping the Musketeers limit Seton Hall to just two looks on frame.

XU STATS

Samantha Dewey, the team leader in goals (11) and points (25) added four points to her total on two goals against Seton Hall, her third multi-goal game of the season.
Dewey leads the BIG EAST in total goal (11 - 8th in NCAA DI), goals per game (0.85 - 13th in NCAA DI) and total points (25 - 12th in NCAA DI).
Among Dewey's nine goals are three game-winners, which is tied for league high and 36th in NCAA DI.
Grace Bahr collected two assist against Seton Hall, bringing her season total to six. Combined with a goal, Bahr has eight points on the year.
Jackie Richards added point to her point total an assist against Seton Hall to bring her season total to six points (3G, 1A).
Brooke Sroka had a five-point week last week, collecting two goals and an assist, to go with an earlier assist for six points on the seaosn.
Gabrielle LoPresti added an assist against Kent State to bring her point total to five, fourth most on the team. LoPresti has a goal to go with three assists.
Carrie Lewis added a pair of assists against Seton Hall to bring her season total to five.
Sydney Schembri scored her second of the season against Creighton to bring her season total to four points.
Molly McLaughlin and Hayley Jakovich each scored their first goal of the season against Seton Hall to make it 12 total Musketeers in the scoring column, and bringing both of their point totals to three, with prior assists.
Jenna Prathapa, Emily Burton and Grace Brauer all have three points on a goal and an assist. Rachel Butler has two points on a goal
Macy Harper picked up an assist on Samantha Dewey's second against Seton Hall, her first point of the season. Harper joins Courtney Lankford, Rachel Dewey and Halle Rogers who each have a point on an assist.
Toni Bizzarro has made seven starts in frame, with a record of 5-1-1 after the Villanova match. Bizzarro has collected 20 saves with four goals against for a GAA of 0.54. She has four complete shutouts to her credit and is partially credit with a fifth.
Olivia Jenkins has made six starts at goalkeeper, earning a record of 4-1-1 and two shutouts to her credit, with 13 saves and six goals against on the season for a GAA of 0.94.
Grace Bahr and Hayley Jakovich have started each match in the Xavier backfield. Maddie Thiss has each made 12 starts and Halle Rogers has made 11 on defense for the Musketeers. Grace Brauer has started the last two matches (Creighton, Seton Hall) in the Xavier backfield.
Xavier's defense has seven shutouts on the season.

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