No. 21 Women's Soccer Opens BIG EAST Schedule at Providence

Thursday, September 23

Providence, R.I.

6:00 PM

Xavier University

Providence

No. 21 Women's Soccer Opens BIG EAST Schedule at Providence

09.22.21 | Women's Soccer

Live Stream Live Stats

Musketeer face Friars on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 6:00 PM on FloSports

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - No. 21 Xavier women's soccer (7-0-1) opens up BIG EAST action this week, traveling to Providence, R.I., to face the Friars on Thursday, Sept, 23 at 6:00 p.m.

Following the match at Providence, Xavier returns home to host No. 25 Georgetown on Sunday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m. All BIG EAST matches this season will be available through FloSports.

GAME DETAILS

at Providence
Thursday, September 23 - 6:00 p.m.
Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium - Providence. R.I.

OPPONENT INFO

The Friars are 5-2-1 overall this season picking up wins over Sacred Heart (4-0), Stony Brook (4-0), Monmouth (3-1), Boston U (5-1), and Brown (2-1). Providence also picked up a result in a 1-1 draw against Rhode Island. Both of PC's losses came to Big Ten opponents, No. 22 Rutgers (5-1) and Wisconsin (3-2).
Last spring's BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Meg Hughes leads the Friars with six goals. Combined with a pair of assists, she has a team-high 14 points. Gillian Kenny, Kyla Gallagher, Amber Birchwell and Maria Pavejlio each have multiple goals for Providence this season.
Emma Bodmer has made all eight starts in-goal for the Friars, collecting 38 saves with 11 goals against. Bodmer has combined with Sam Murrary for two shutouts on the season.
The Friars went 7-2-3 last season, with a 5-2-3 mark in BIG EAST play, finishing third in the East Division.
Sophomore midfielder/defender Alexis Rothmann earned All-BIG EAST First Team Honors in Spring 2021.
Meg Hughes was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-Freshman Team after leading the team with 14 points on four goals and six assists.
Defender Avery Snead also earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
Senior Christian Rodgers was named the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
Xavier is 4-4 all time against the Friars after taking a 2-0 win in 2019 in Cincinnati.

WEEKLY AWARDS

Senior midfielder Molly McLaughlin earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor roll after scoring her first goal of the season to help keep the Musketeers unbeaten, the league office announced on Monday.
With the Musketeers trailing 1-0 in Xavier's lone match of the week at Bowling Green, McLaughlin scored an equalizer in the 41st minute against to help the Musketeers force double overtime. Xavier earned a 1-1 draw to remain unbeaten on the season, wrapping up non-conference play at 7-0-1.
McLaughlin played the full 110 minutes in the midfield, leading the Musketeers with eight shots, matching her career high.

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier wrapped up non-conference play with an unbeaten record, moving to 7-0-1 with a 1-1 double overtime draw at Bowling Green.
The Falcons took the lead midway through the first half, scoring off a corner kick to take a 1-0 lead. BGSU held the lead until the 41st minute, when Molly McLaughlin used a header to score off a Carrie Lewis corner kick to tie the match 1-1, which held into halftime.
In the second half, Xavier held a 6-2 advantage on shots and a 4-1 advantage on corners but neither team was able to find the game-winner in regulation. Through two overtimes, the Musketeers had five looks at the goal, while hold the Falcons without a shot, but remained scoreless through both extra periods, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.
Molly McLaughlin's first half goal was her first of the season, making her the eighth Musketeer to score this fall. It was McLaughlin's ninth goal as a Musketeer.
Carrie Lewis picked up the assist on McLaughlin's goal, giving her a team-high three for the season.
McLaughlin recorded a team-high eight shots as the Musketeers finished with a 21-8 advantage on shots overall and 9-2 advantage on shots on-frame.
McLaughlin and Ella Rogers played the full 110 minutes in Xavier's midfield, while Elise Le, Hayley Jakovich and Grace Brauer played the full time for the Musketeer defense.
Olivia Jenkins played the full time in-goal, finishing with one save and one goal against to move to 7-0-1 on the season.
This was the Musketeers' first overtime match of the season and first draw since playing UC to 0-0 tie on September 15, 2019.
Bowling Green's first half goal marked the first time the Musketeers had trailed in a game since the Northwestern match on August 22, when the Wildcats took a lead in the first half before the Musketeers won a pair of second-half goals.

XAVIER STATS

The eight-game unbeaten streak to start the season matches the 1990 team's 8-0 record for the longest streak with out a loss to start the season in program history.
Xavier's eight-straight matches without a loss is the longest unbeaten streak since the 2019 squad won eight straight on a run to the BIG EAST Championship and NCAA Second Round.
Chloe Netzel scored in the first 10 minutes of Xavier's 2-1 win over the Ramblers, giving her a team-high three goals for the season. Combined with an assist, she leads the Musketeers with seven points.
Emma Marcus knocked in the game-winner against Ball State, then followed that up with the game-winner against Loyola on Sunday. She has six points on two goal and two assists.
Mathilde Rasmussen also has four points on a pair of goals for the season.
Shelby Sallee's goal against Murray State brought her to three points for the season, matching Sonia Vargas who also has a goal and an assist on the season.
Molly McLaughlin's goal against Bowling Green was her first of the season, making her the eighth Musketeer to score this fall. It was McLaughlin's ninth goal as a Musketeer.
Ella Rogers scored her first collegiate goal against Illinois, making her the fourth newcomer to score this season. Sarah Owusu also has two points on a goal.
Elise Le picked up an assist on Chloe Netzel's goal against Loyola, joining Hayley Jakovich and Carrie Lewis who each have two points on a pair of assists. Grace Brauer has also recorded a helper this season as well.
Jakovich and Brauer have anchored Xavier's backline, playing the full time in all eight matches so far, helping limit opponents to just five goals through eight matches.
Olivia Jenkins has made all eight starts in frame, playing the full time in each match. She's collected 17 saves with five goals against for a GAA of 0.61 and has a record of 7-0-1 with three complete shutouts.

XAVIER IN THE RANKINGS

The Musketeers moved to No. 21 in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll for week five (9/21/21) after playing Bowling Green to a 1-1 draw in the lone match of the week, moving the Musketeers to 7-0-1.
Xavier moved up to a program-best ranking of 17 in week four (9/14/21) after going 2-0 against Ball State and Loyola Chicago the weekend before to move to 7-0 on the season.
The Musketeers made their first appearance of the season in the USC National Poll in week three (9/7/21), entering the rankings at No. 23, marking the first time the Musketeers have been ranked in the USC National Poll since finishing the 2019 season at No. 24. The Musketeers had been receiving votes in each of the two previous weeks.
Xavier also moved up to the No. 1 spot in the East region in week three, after being at No. 3 in the region for week two. The Musketeers remained at No. 1 in the region until week five, when Hofstra moved up to No. 1, moving Xavier to No. 2

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

The Musketeers return home on Sunday, September 26 to host No. 25 Georgetown at 1:00 p.m.
The Hoyas are 4-0-4 entering conference play with a match set against DePaul for Thursday, Sept. 23. Georgetown has wins over Texas, Loyola Marymount, Rutgers and William & Mary, and has played NC State, Dartmouth, Princeton and West Virginia to draws.
Gia Vicari has a team-high 11 points on a team-leading five goals and an assist.
Maya Fernadez-Powell has seven points on two goals and an assist
Cyanne Doyle also has two goals on the season.
Allie Augur has made all eight starts in-goal for the Hoyas, collecting 27 saves with four goals against for a record of 4-0-4. She has four complete shutouts and another shared shutout on the season.
Georgetown finished 12-0-2 overall and 7-0-1 in BIG EAST play last season, earning the top seed in the East Division. The Hoyas topped Creighton and Butler in the BIG EAST Tournament to win the title and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The No. 13 national seed, Georgetown beat South Carolina in the second round after receiving a first round bye, then played No. 4 TCU to a 1-1 draw in the Sweet 16, where TCU advanced on PKs.
Senior Jenna Menta was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, finishing with 18 points on five goals and eight assists.
Sophomore Gia Vicari led the Hoyas with 24 points on 10 goals and four assists to earn a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team.
The Hoyas also had the conference Midfielder of the Year, grad student Daisy Cleverly, and Defensive Player of the Year, senior Kelly Ann Livingstone.
Graduate student Lauren Gallagher and senior Alyssa Navarrete split time in-frame, allowing just four goals combined all season. Navarrete made the start in 13 matches, finishing with a 5-0-1 record, and Gallagher appeared in 13 matches, making one start, finishing with a 7-0-1 record and earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
Junior Jenna Royson and sophomore Julia Leas both earned Second Team All-BIG EAST as well, while Erin Martin earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
Xavier is 1-8-1 all-time against the Hoyas, with the Musketeers taking a 2-0 win in the 2019 BIG EAST Championship match in the last match-up.

SPRING 2021 SEASON

Xavier finished spring 2021 at 3-6 overall and 2-4 in BIG EAST play, picking up wins over Bellarmine in the non-conference portion of the schedule, and BIG EAST wins over Creighton and DePaul, all three coming on the road.
Following the spring season, two Musketeers earned all conference honors, All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree, senior midfielder Molly McLaughlin, and All-Freshman Team member, forward Sonia Vargas.
McLaughlin led the Musketeers with four points on two goals, while sophomore Grace Blumfeldt finished her rookie season with three point on a goal and an assist.
After finishing fourth in the Midwest Division, the Musketeers missed the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time in Nate Lie's tenure as head coach.

THE MUSKETEERS

The Musketeers return 26 letter-winners from the spring, including All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree, senior midfielder Molly McLaughlin, and All-Freshman Team member, forward Sonia Vargas.
Xavier's returners account for over 70 percent of the goals scored last season, led by McLaughlin's pair of tallies.
The Musketeers added and 11-person freshman class for the fall after losing 11 letterwinners from spring 2021.
Xavier was picked seventh in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, collecting 45 points. Georgetown was picked to win the conference.
Ahead of the start of the 2021 season, head coach Nate Lie announced additions to his staff. Katy Etelman joins Xavier as an assistant coach, while Tyler Smaha, who served as Xavier's Director of Player Development last season, also moves into the role of assistant coach. Jacob Morrison joins Xavier as the Director of Goalkeeping and Kaitlyn Jones joins Lie's staff as Director of Player Analysis/Operations.

BIG EAST COACHES POLL

1. Georgetown	100 (10)
2. Butler	88
3. UConn	74
4. Providence	65 (1)
5. Creighton	64
6. St. John's	47
7. Xavier	45
8. Marquette	43
9. DePaul	41
10. Villanova	27
11. Seton Hall	11

(first-place votes)

BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Zsani Kajan, St. John's, Grad., F

BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Kelly Ann Livingstone, Georgetown, Grad., D

BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Stephanie Rodriguez, Butler, Grad., GK

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Stephanie Rodriguez, Butler, Grad., GK
Anastasia Savich, Butler, Sr., F*
Katie Soderstrom, Butler, Sr., F*
Jessica Mazo, UConn, Jr., M
Aida Kardovic, Creighton, So., M
Kelly Ann Livingstone, Georgetown, Grad., D
Daisy Cleverley, Georgetown, Grad., M
Julia Leas, Georgetown, Jr., M
Meg Hughes, Providence, So., F
Jessica Garziano, St. John's, Jr., M
Zsani Kajan, St. John's, Grad., F
*unanimous selection