No. 24 Women's Soccer Takes on Virginia Tech in NCAA Tournament Action

Friday, November 15

Blacksburg, Va.

5:00 PM

Xavier University

Virginia Tech

No. 24 Women's Soccer Takes on Virginia Tech in NCAA Tournament Action

11.14.19 | Women's Soccer

Watch Live Live Stats NCAA Bracket

Xavier makes third apperance in NCAA DI Women's Soccer Championship after Winning BIG EAST Regular Season and Conference Titles

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - No. 24 Xavier women's soccer (16-3-2, 7-2 BIG EAST) will travel to Blacksburg, Va. to face Virginia Tech (12-4-2; 4-4-2 ACC) on Friday, Nov. 15 at 5:00 p.m. The match will be available online via ACC Network Extra, available through ESPN.com.

GAME DETAILS

vs. Virginia Tech
Friday, Nov. 15 | 5 PM ET
Thompson Field | Blacksburg, Va.

OPPONENT INFO

Virginia Tech is 12-4-2 overall, going 4-4-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play to finish tied for eighth in the conference standings. The Hokies did not advance to the ACC Tournament.
VT went undefeated in the non-conference portion of the season, with the four set-back coming to Top-10 ACC opponents, No. 1 Virginia (2-0), No. 3 UNC (2-0), No. 5 Florida State (3-2 2OT), and No. 9 Clemson (3-1). The Hokies also earned a result against No. 10 Duke, a 0-0 draw.
Nicole Kozlova leads the Hokie offense with 12 points on five goals and two assists. Emily Gray has 10 points on four goals and two assists.
Four other Hokies have three goals on the season.
Mandy McGlynn has played every match for Virginia Tech in-frame, collecting 73 saves with 14 goals against for a GAA of 0.76. McGlynn has 10 shutouts to her credit for the season.
Xavier is 5-0-1 all time against the Hokies, including five straight wins. The last match-up occurred in 2000, with Xavier taking the 3-1 win in Cincinnati.

SEASON NOTES

Xavier won the program's first regular season conference championship in the BIG EAST regular season, the first conference title overall since winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2000.
The Musketeers also claimed the first BIG EAST Women's Soccer Tournament Championship, making it a clean sweep of the BIG EAST titles for 2019.
The Musketeers picked up a 16th win overall against Georgetown in the BIG EAST Championship match, adding to an already program record total for the season.
Xavier's 12 shutouts are the most in program history while the team's 42 goals scored are the second most in program history. Xavier is on a three-match shutout streak, having clocked over 290 straight minutes without allowing a goal, going back to the match against DePaul.
The Musketeers enter the NCAA Championship on a seven-match win streak, the longest since winning six straight in 2003. It's two shy of the program-best nine-match win streak, set three times, last time being during the 2000 season.

XAVIER IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Xavier earned the program's third NCAA Tournament berth, and first since 2000. The Musketeers also made an appearance in 1998.
In Xavier's prior appearances, the Musketeers have played in two tournament matches, against Michigan in 1998 (L, 4-2) and against Illinois in 2000 (L, 2-0).
For the 2019 NCAA Tournament, second and third round action takes place on Friday Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 24 and is located at eight non-predetermined campus locations.
At each site, four teams will compete in a single-elimination second round. Each winning team will advance to the third round, where they will again play a single-elimination match. Winners of third-round games will advance to the national quarterfinals. Should Xavier advance they would play the winner of No. 3 seed Kansas vs. Iowa. The match would be in Columbia, S.C. should seeding hold.
The quarterfinals will begin Friday, Nov. 29 and run through the 30th. They will be held at four non-predetermined school sites and winners will advance to the 2019 Division I women's soccer College Cup.

MUSKETEERS IN THE RANKINGS

Xavier made the program's first appearance in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 this week at No. 24 following it's BIG EAST Title clinching win over No. 25 Georgetown.
The Musketeers had been receiving votes in the two prior weeks, after earning votes for the first time in program history earlier this season.
Xavier also comes in at No. 2 in the East Regional rankings, matching a program-best ranking. Xavier stands behind Brown.
With the win over Georgetown, Xavier moved up to 42 in the women's soccer RPI, a program-best mark.

BIG EAST ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

XU senior midfielder Grace Bahr was named the BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Defensive Player, playing the full time in both of Xavier's matches to help force the shutouts.
Bahr also set up both of Xavier's goals against Georgetown with long services, earning two points on assists for the tournament.
Brooke Sroka, a sophomore forward, was tabbed Most Outstanding Offensive Player after scoring the game-winner against Georgetown. Sroka led the Musketeers in BIG EAST play with five goals in the regular season. Her goal against Georgetown in the Championship match was her sixth of the season.
Molly McLaughlin and Macy Harper both earned BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament Team honors as well.

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP WRAP-UP

No. 1 seed Xavier women's soccer clinched the BIG EAST Championship, and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with a 2-0 win over the No. 2 seed Georgetown Hoyas at Morrison Stadium on the campus of Creighton University.
Xavier took the lead against Georgetown in the 11th minute, on a score from Brooke Sroka set up by a long kick from Grace Bahr. The Musketeers added another tally before the break, again off the foot of Grace Bahr, finished by Gabrielle LoPresti to take a 2-0 lead into halftime.
The Musketeers held the Hoyas scoreless in the second half, despite being out-shot 7-1, to pick up the 12th shutout of the season and secure the win.
Xavier secured its place in the BIG EAST Championship match with a 2-0 win over the No. 4 seed Villanova son Thursday evening. Xavier took a 1-0 lead early in the first half on a Carrie Lewis goal, set up by Rachel Dewey. The one-goal lead held through the half, and the Musketeers added a second tally early in the second half after Hayley Jakovich found the ball off a save in the box, putting it back in for the insurance goal.

XAVIER NAMED STAFF OF THE YEAR

Following a breakthrough year for the Musketeers, the Xavier women's soccer coaching staff, led by head coach Nate Lie, were unanimously selected as the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. Lie, along with assistant coaches Kelsey Hunyadi, Renee Horton and Taylor Spradling, were the unanimous choices by league coaches following the regular season.
Lie was hired prior to the 2017 season, taking over a Xavier program that went 1-8 in BIG EAST play in 2016. The staff's impact was immediate, posting a winning record in conference play and earning a BIG EAST Championship berth in his first season.
In each of Lie's three seasons, the Musketeers have improved upon their win total, final conference standing and RPI, earning a BIG EAST Championship berth in each year. The staff's efforts so far culminated with the 2019 BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, the program's first regular season conference championship and the first conference title since winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2000.
Xavier also stands at 15 wins on the season, a program-best mark. Of Xavier's 15 wins, 14 were won in the regular season, matching the 1991 team for the most wins in the regular season.
The 2019 Musketeers led the league with 62 points and 20 goals over nine BIG EAST regular season contests. Over 20 total contests in 2019, Xavier has a BIG EAST-best 11 shutouts, allowing a conference-low 14 goals.

BIG EAST HONORS

Five Musketeers were named to the 2019 BIG EAST All-Conference Team, as voted on by the league coaches. Red-shirt senior Samantha Dewey and senior Grace Bahr were both First Team selections, Molly McLaughlin and Brooke Sroka earned Second Team honors and Maddie Thiss earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team. The five selections to All-BIG EAST Teams are the most for the program since joining the conference in 2013.
Samantha Dewey was a unanimous First Team choice, marking the second-straight year she's earned First Team honors. Dewey, a midfielder/forward has started in all 19 matches for the Musketeers, leads the conference with 29 points on 13 goals and three assists, including four goals in conference play. Among Dewey's 13 goals are a team-high four game-winners.
Dewey, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., has totaled 102 points so far in her Xavier career, earning post-season conference honors in each of her four 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.
Grace Bahr also earned First Team honors, starting in all 19 matches and playing a team-high 1768 minutes on Xavier's backline, helping Xavier to force 10 shutouts on defense, the second most in a single season in program history.
Bahr, a native of Broadview Heights, Ohio, has also played a major role in Xavier's offense from the backline, with the third highest point total on the team at 11. Bahr has scored twice this season, including a critical goal in Xavier's 2-1 win over Marquette. This is the second post-season honor of Bahr's Xavier career, earning All-BIG EAST Second Team honors following the 2018 season. She also earned BIG EAST Defender of the Week three times this season.
Brooke Sroka earned All-BIG EAST Second Team Honors after leading the Musketeers in scoring in BIG EAST action. Sroka made eight starts in BIG EAST play, leading the Musketeers with 11 points on five goals and an assist.
Sroka, a native of Raleigh, N.C., has 12 points total on the season, the second most of the team behind Samantha Dewey. She's made 13 starts on the season, with eight coming in BIG EAST play. This is the first post-season honor of the sophomore's Xavier career.
Molly McLaughlin also earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team, with three goals all coming in BIG EAST play, including one game-winner. McLaughlin has started in all eight matches she appeared in BIG EAST play.
McLaughlin, a native of Granger, Ind., has seven points on the season with an addition of an assist from non-conference play. She's started in 14 of the 15 matches she's appeared in, in midfield. This is the first post-season honor of the sophomore's Xavier career.
Maddie Thiss earned a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. Thiss has appeared in 18 matches during her freshman season, starting in 17 on the Xavier backline. She has played 1100 minutes for the Xavier defense, helping the Musketeers force 10 shutouts, which is the second most in a single season in school history.
Thiss, a native of Cincinnati, has also collected two points, on a goal, after scoring the insurance goal in the 2-0 win over St. John's. In addition to her first post-season honor, Thiss capped off the regular season of her rookie campaign by earning the final BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors.

XU OFFENSE

Samantha Dewey, the team leader in goals (13) and points (30) added another point to her league-high tally with an assist on Hayley Jakovich's goal in the second half against Villanova.
Brooke Sroka's game-winning goal against Georgetown brings her season-total to six, all coming since the beginning of BIG EAST play, leading the Musketeers in goals during the conference regular season. Sroka also has a pair of assists for 14 points.
Grace Bahr added two more points to her total with assists on both goals against Georgetown, bringing her total for the season to a team-high nine. Combined with a pair of goals, Bahr has 13 points on the season.
Carrie Lewis added another two points to her total by scoring a second-straight game-winner against Villanova. Lewis also has a team-high eight assists, which are tied for second most in the conference, to go with two goals on the season for 12 total points.
Gabrielle LoPresti score the insurance goal against the Hoyas, her second of the season. Combined with three assists, LoPresti has seven points on the season.
Molly McLaughlin scored her third goal of the season against DePaul. She now has seven points on three goals and an assist for the season.
Hayley Jakovich scored her second goal of the season shortly after halftime against Villanova. Combined with three assists, the sophomore defender now has seven points on the season.
Jackie Richards added point to her point total an assist against Seton Hall to bring her season total to seven points (3G, 1A).
Jenna Prathapa scored her third goal, and third game-winner, of 2019 against DePaul. Combined with an assist, she has seven points on the year.
Sydney Schembri collected a pair of helpers against St. John's which, combined with two goals, brings her to six points on the season.
Emily Burton picked up an assist on Jenna Prathapa's game-winner against Providence, her second of the season to go with a goal, for four points.
Grace Brauer has three points on a goal and an assist.
Maddie Thiss scored her first career goal against St. John's. She, and Rachel Butler, each have two points on a goal.
Allie Anderson picked up her first point as a Musketeer, assisting on Jenna Prathapa's game winner against DePaul. She joins Jessia Miller, Halle Rogers, Rachel Dewey, Courtney Lankford and Macy Harper who each also have a point on an assist for the season.

XU DEFENSE

Toni Bizzarro has made 11 starts in frame, with a record of 9-1-1 following the Butler match. Bizzarro has collected 35 saves with five goals against for a GAA of 0.44, which is the top mark in the BIG EAST. She has seven complete shutouts to her credit and is partially credited with an eighth. She leads the league in shutouts per game (0.64) and save percentage (.875).
Olivia Jenkins has made 10 starts at goalkeeper, earning a record of 7-2-1 and four shutouts to her credit following the 2-0 win over Villanova. Jenkins made a career-high matching saves against the Wildcats to preserve the shutout, totaling 18 saves and nine goals against on the season for a GAA of 0.87, which ranks third in the BIG EAST behind Bizzarro and Butler's Stephanie Rodriguez.
Xavier's goalkeepers have a combined GAA of 0.64, tops in the BIG EAST, and have allowed the fewest goals on the season at 14, or 0.67 per match.
Grace Bahr and Hayley Jakovich have started each match in the Xavier backfield. Maddie Thiss has made 19 starts and Grace Brauer has started the last 10 matches in the Xavier backfield as well.
With 12 shutouts, the 2019 Musketeers lead the BIG EAST and hold the program record for most shutouts in a season.

DEWEY EARNS COSDIA ALL-DISTRICT

Redshirt senior Samantha Dewey picked another accolade, this time for her work in the classroom as well as on the field, earning a spot on the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team. The honor recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Dewey was named to the First Team for District 5, which includes Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, and she now advances to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot. First, second and third-team All-America honorees for Division I will be announced on December 5, 2019.
Dewey graduated with a degree in Exercise Science from Xavier in May 2019, posting a cumulative grade-point average of 3.34 for her undergraduate degree. She is currently working on a M. Ed in Sport Administration, with a GPA of 3.67 through her work in the program so far.
Dewey has been a major offensive threat throughout her Xavier career, leading the Musketeers on offensive in each of her four full seasons and earning All-BIG EAST honors following each of those seasons. She was a unanimous selection to the 2019 All-BIG EAST First Team after leading the league in points and goals through out the regular season. Headed into the conference tournament, Dewey leads the conference in total goals (13 - 19th in NCAA DI), goals per game (0.68 - 30th in NCAA DI), total points (29 - 29th in NCAA DI) and points per game (1.53 - 46th in NCAA DI).
Dewey is also named one of 10 finalists for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award® for collegiate women's soccer..
20 NCAA® men's and women's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as finalists 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 14 matches in 2019, Dewey has lived up to her billing as the Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, leading the conference with 12 goals and 27 points to help the Musketeers to a 9-3-2 record.
Dewey is one of two female finalists from the BIG EAST, along with Meaghan Nally of Georgetown.

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.

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.

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