Women's Soccer Heads to Villanova to Face the Wildcats on Thursday Afternoon

Thursday, September 29

Villanova, Pa.

2 PM

Xavier University

Villanova

Women's Soccer Heads to Villanova to Face the Wildcats on Thursday Afternoon

09.28.22 | Women's Soccer

Live Stream Live Stats

Game against VU set for 2:00 p.m. start

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's soccer (8-2-1; 2-0-0 BIG EAST) heads to Pennsylvania for its midweek match-up, facing the Villanova Wildcats on Thursday, September 29. The match with VU is set for a 2:00 p.m. start on the BEDN on FloSports.

GAME DETAILS

at Villanova
Thursday, September 29 - 1:00 PM
Higgins Soccer Complex (Villanova, Pa.)

OPPONENT INFO

The Wildcats enter the match at 2-3-2 after opening up BIG EAST play with a 2-0 win over Seton Hall.
Lauren Ashman, Makayla Stradler, CiCi Fox and Izzy Newton each have three points on a goal and an assist. Maddie Fried and Alexa Wojnovich have each scored as well.
Megan McClay and Payton Woodward have split time in-goal for the Wildcats.
Xavier is 5-4 all time against the Wildcats, and have won the last two match-ups.
Xavier took a 3-0 win over VU in Cincinnati last season, getting the game-winner from Emma Marcus in the first five minutes of the game, and adding insurance goals in the final 15 minutes on a PK from Molly McLaughlin and a goal from Chloe Netzel.

XAVIER NOTES

Emma Marcus became the 10th Musketeer to score, notching the game-winner in Xavier's 2-1 win over DePaul shortly after halftime, her first of the season.
Natalie Bain picked up five points last weekend, scoring the eventual game-winner in the 23rd minute at Butler, scoring the first goal in the 2-1 win over DePaul and then assisting on Emma Marcus' game-winner.
Chloe Netzel's goal against Bowling Green was her third of the season and her second game-winner. She now matches Emma Flick for team high in goals (3) and points (7).
Molly McLaughlin collected three points in the match against Lipscomb on a goal, her first game-winner of the season, and an assist to bring her season total to six points. She's now 2-2 on PKs for the season and 5-5 for her collegiate career.
Brooke Sroka scored Xavier's first goal, an equalizer, in the first half of the Musketeers' 4-1 win over Lipscomb, her second of the season to bring her total to four points. She also scored in Xavier's 4-2 win over Ball State, knocking in an insurance goal in the final minute of the game.
Simone Rivard-Roberts also has two goals on the season, both game-winners. Rivard-Roberts scored her first goal as a Musketeer in the season opener against Western Kentucky, in her first appearance after dealing with injuries in her first two seasons at Xavier. Her four points match for team-high.
Avery Lockwood picked up her second assist of the season on Chloe Netzel's game-winner against Loyola, bringing her season total to four points. Lockwood, a transfer from Indiana, scored the equalizer in the eventual 2-1 win over Louisville, and picked up an assist on Regan Dancer's game-winner at Ball State.
Regan Dancer picked up an assist on Emma Flick's first half goal against Saint Louis, and she also tallied the game-winner in Xavier's 4-2 win over Ball State to bring her season total to three points.
Ella Rogers picked up an assist on Chloe Netzel's goal against Lipscomb to bring her season total to three points. She also scored in the first 10 minutes of the Saint Louis match, her first goal of the season.
Rachel Dewey picked up a third point on an assist for the season on Natalie Bain's goal against DePaul. Elise Le and Grace Blumfeldt each have a point on an assist.
Freshman Maria Galley has made all 11 starts in-goal, collecting 28 saves, with a .737 save percentage, with 10 goals against for a GAA of 0.91. Her record stands at 8-2-1 with five shutouts.
Natalie Bain has played over 970 minutes on the Xavier backline in 11 starts so far in her freshman season. Maddie Reed has made 10 starts at center back while Grace Haggerty started the BSU game. Olivia Lawson and Elise Le have started all 11 matches at outside back, while Molly McLaughlin and Ella Rogers have started each match in the midfield.
Nationally, Xavier moved back into the "Receiving Votes" category of the USC national poll.

LAST TIME OUT

Goals from Natalie Bain and Emma Marcus help Xavier women's soccer move to 2-0 in BIG EAST play after picking up the 2-1 win over DePaul at Corcoran Field on Sunday afternoon.
Xavier took the lead early, with Natalie Bain scoring for a second-straight game, off a Rachel Dewey corner kick, to give the Musketeers a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. DePaul responded quickly, tying the match at 1-1 less than three minutes later, with the draw holding until the half.
Out of the break, the Musketeers struck quickly with Bain serving the ball to Emma Marcus for the go-ahead goal less than a minute into the second half. The 2-1 Musketeer lead held through the final 44 minutes for a fourth-straight Xavier win. The Musketeers finished the second half with a 10-2 advantage on shots and a 7-0 advantage on corners kicks.
Natalie Bain collected three points after scoring her second goal of the weekend and picking up an assist on Emma Marcus' game-winner. She now has five points on the season, all coming in BIG EAST action.
Emma Marcus' game-winner was her first goal of the season.
Rachel Dewey picked up an assist on Natalie Bain's first-half goal, her third of the season.
Xavier finished with a 15-5 advantage on shots and a 7-3 advantage on shots-on goal.
Ella Rogers led the Musketeers with four shots, while Chloe Netzel had three, with two on-frame.
Bain played the full 90 minutes for the Xavier defense. Dewey, Reed, Molly McLaughlin and Rogers all played over 75 minutes.
Maria Galley collected two saves in-goal with one goal against to pick up her eighth win of the season.

WEEKLY AWARDS

After leading the conference with five points last week while helping the Musketeers to a pair of wins, Xavier women's soccer's Natalie Bain picked up both Freshman of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week honors from the BIG EAST.
Bain played a big part on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball last week, helping Xavier open league play at 2-0-0. The freshman defender scored two goals and had one assist, including the game-winning goal at Butler. She also helped the Musketeers outshoot both of their opponents last week 30-16.
Bain, originally from Alexandria, Ky., scored her first collegiate goal in the 23rd minute at Butler, using a header off a free kick for game-winner in the 1-0 win. Against DePaul, Bain scored off a corner kick in the 12th minute to put the Musketeers in front 1-0. Bain also set Emma Marcus up for the game-winning goal in the second half of the eventual 2-1 win over DePaul, serving the ball into Xavier's attacking third for Marcus to finish.
Defensively, Bain played the full 90 minutes of both matches at center back, helping Xavier's defense limit Butler to four shots on goal and DePaul to just three.

MCLAUGHLIN ON HERMANN LIST

Women's soccer graduate student Molly McLaughlin was among the 61 NCAA Women's Division I college soccer players named to the 2022 Hermann Trophy Watch List by United Soccer Coaches.
McLaughlin, a midfielder from Granger, Ind., is coming off her third all-conference season as a Musketeer, earning a spot on the 2021 All-BIG EAST First Team and the USC All-East Region First Team, as well BIG EAST All-Tournament Team honors. She was voted to the 2022 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team by the league's coaches.
Last season, McLaughlin totaled 1,664 minutes in the midfield for the Musketeers, helping Xavier to a school-record 16 regular season wins and 10 shutouts. McLaughlin finished with three goals on the season, a pair coming in BIG EAST play, with one game-winner, against Marquette.
The Hermann Trophy, presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club, is the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year as determined by the voting of Division I coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches.

2021 SEASON

The Musketeers finished the 2021 season at 16-3-1 overall, setting a new school record for regular season wins (16). The Musketeers went undefeated in the non-conference portion of the home schedule, winning seven straight matches to open the season and playing Bowling Green to a draw to move into conference play at 7-0-1.
Xavier went 9-1 in conference play, winning program's second BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and earning the opportunity to host the league Semifinals and Finals at Corcoran Field.
The Musketeers earned a program-best ranking in both the United Soccer Coaches Poll (No. 11) and the RPI (No. 7) last season.
Last season, Xavier earned the program's first at-large bid and home match in the NCAA Tournament.

THE MUSKETEERS

The Musketeers return 23 letter-winners from last fall, including All-BIG EAST First Team honoree Molly McLaughlin, BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ella Rogers, and All-Freshmen Team members Chloe Netzel and Shelby Sallee.
Xavier's returners account for over 80 percent of Xavier's goals last season, including Xavier's top six goal scorers in Netzel (6), Emma Marcus (4), Sallee (4), Rogers (4), McLaughlin (3) and Mathilde Rasmussen (3).
Netzel led the Musketeers last season with 14 points total, Marcus and Salle each added 11 for the Musketeers.
The Musketeers adds 13 newcomers, including four transfers and a nine-person freshman class.
Xavier enters the season ranked No. 24 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason poll after finishing last season at No. 19, and also open up the 2022 season ranked No. 21 by Top Drawer Soccer.
Xavier was selected to finish second in the BIG EAST Coaches poll, collecting a pair of first place votes.
All-conference honorees Molly McLaughlin and Ella Rogers were named Preseason All-BIG EAST by the league coaches.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Xavier returns home to host Seton Hall on Sunday, October 2, at 2:00 p.m.
The Pirates are 4-4-2 and opened up BIG EAST action at 0-2, falling the Providence and Villanova. The Pirates take on St. John's on Thursday.
Natalie Tavana leads the Pirates with seven points on two goals and three assists. Abbie Roberts and Emma Sheehan each have two goals as well.
Grace Gordon has starter eight matches in-goal for the Pirates, collecting 35 saves with five goals against for a GAA of 0.58. She has a record of 3-3-1.
Xavier is 6-1-1 all time against the Pirates, winning the last four match-ups.
In last season's meeting, Xavier took the 4-0 win in South Orange, N.J. Chloe Netzel score the game winner in the 12th minute. Shelby Sallee, Grace Menser and Emma Marcus each added an insurance goal.

BIG EAST COACHES POLL

BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First-place votes)
1.       Georgetown          98 (8)
2.       Xavier 91 (2)
3.       Butler                     83 (1)
4.       Providence            69
5.       St. John's               59
6.       Connecticut           57
7.       Creighton               43
8.       Marquette             42
9.       DePaul                    31
10.     Villanova                22
11.     Seton Hall              10

BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Katie Soderstrom, Butler, R-Sr., F

BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Julia Leas, Georgetown, Sr., M

BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Allie Augur, Georgetown, Sr., GK

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Aliyah Diagne, Butler, R-Jr., D
Katie Soderstrom, Butler, R-Sr., F*
Jaydah Bedoya, Connecticut, Jr., F
Aida Kardovic, Creighton, Sr., M*
Allie Augur, Georgetown, Sr., GK
Julia Leas, Georgetown, Sr., M*
Gia Vicari, Georgetown, Jr., F
Meg Hughes, Providence, Jr., F
Jessica Garziano, St. John's, Sr., M
Molly McLaughlin, Xavier, Grad., M
Ella Rogers, Xavier, So., M
*unanimous selection

XAVIER SOCCER ON FLOSPORTS

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