No. 17 Women's Soccer Heads to Western Kentucky on Sunday

Sunday, August 27

Bowling Green, Ky.

2 PM ET

Xavier University

Western Kentucky

No. 17 Women's Soccer Heads to Western Kentucky on Sunday

08.25.23 | Women's Soccer

Live Stats Live Stream

Musketeers and Hilltoppers set to face off at 2:00 pm ET on ESPN+

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - No. 17 Xavier women's soccer (2-1-0) heads out for the first road trip of the season, traveling to Western Kentucky for a Sunday afternoon match. The Musketeers and the Hilltoppers will get underway at 2:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

The Musketeers moved into the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 after opening the season with a pair of 2-0 wins, coming in at No. 17 this week. Xavier suffered its first regular season loss since September 2022 on Thursday evening, falling 1-0 to Illinois.

GAME DETAILS

at Western Kentucky
Sunday, August 27 - 2:00 PM ET
WKU Soccer Complex - Bowling Green, Ky.

GAME DETAILS

The Hilltoppers are 1-0-2, coming off a 2-2 draw against Siena on Thursday. WKU also played Tennessee Tech to a 1-1 draw in the season opener, and picked up a 5-0 win over Union University (Tenn.) last Sunday.
Western Kentucky went 7-9-3 overall and 4-5-1 in Conference USA play in 2022, falling to North Texas in the first round of the CUSA Championship.
The Musketeers are 1-1 all-time against the Hilltoppers.
Xavier topped Western Kentucky 1-0 in Cincinnati last season, with Simone Rivard-Roberts scoring the game winner in the 45^th minute.

WEEKLY AWARDS

After Xavier women's soccer opened the 2023 season with a pair of shutout wins, sophomore Maria Galley was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week.
Galley, originally from South Windsor, Conn., played the full time in goal in both of Xavier's 2-0 wins over the weekend. Through 180 minutes of action, Galley collected five saves to help Xavier to a pair of shutouts, bringing her career totals to 16 wins and 13 shutouts.
Additionally, junior Ella Rogers was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Rogers, a midfielder from Granville, Ohio, collected three points in Xavier's win over Louisville on Sunday, scoring the game-winner on a PK in the first half, then assisting on Sonia Vargas' insurance goal in the second half. Rogers played 158 minutes in the midfield for the Musketeers through their 2-0 weekend, helping Xavier to two shutouts. Her three points so far match Kennedy Clark for team-high.

LAST TIME OUT

No. 17 Xavier women's soccer moved to 2-1 on the season after falling 1-0 to Illinois at Corcoran Field on Thursday evening.
The game was scoreless for the first 40 minutes, with Xavier holding an 8-2 advantage on shots and a 3-0 advantage on shots on-goal. In the 42nd minute, Illinois' Lia Howard found the back of the net for the 1-0 lead to give the Illini the advantage at halftime.
After the break, Xavier created seven shots, finishing with a 15-9 advantage on shots overall for the game, but were unable to find the back of the net, falling 1-0.
Regan Dancer led the Musketeers with four shots, while Ella Rogers, Samantha Wiehe and Emma Flick each added a pair as Xavier finished with a 15-9 advantage on shots.
Natalie Bain and Maddie Reed played the full 90 minutes in the Xavier backfield, helping limit the Illini to just four shots on-goal.
Maria Galley played the full time in-goal, finishing with three saves and one-goal against.
The loss breaks a 14-match unbeaten streak in regular season games, dating back to last season's SLU game on September 8, 2022.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Xavier remains on the road, taking on Saint Louis on Thursday, August 31, at 8:00 PM ET in St. Louis, Mo.
SLU is 2-1, picking up wins at Utah State and against Creighton after falling to No. 13 BYU in the season opener. The Bilikens will face Kansas City on Sunday.
The Bilikens, who were ranked No. 21 in the preseason USC Poll, are receiving votes in the most recent poll.
SLU went 20-2 last season, with a 10-0 record in A10 play to win the league's regular season title.
The Billikens, who were ranked No. 10 in the postseason, won the A10 Tournament and earned a bid to the NCAA Championship, falling to Memphis in the first round.
The Musketeers are 4-5 all-time against the Billikens.
Xavier fell 3-2 at Corcoran Field in the last match between the two programs, in 2022, with Ella Rogers and Emma Flick each scoring for the Musketeers.

2022 SEASON

Xavier, which is currently ranked No. 17 after receiving votes in the USC Preseason Poll, is coming off a 14-4-5 season in 2022.
The Musketeers went 6-0-4 in BIG EAST play to finish second in the league standings, marking the first unbeaten conference slate in program history.
Xavier earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship for a second-straight season, the program's fifth NCAA bid overall.
In the NCAA Tournament, Xavier advanced for the second time in program history with a 4-1 double overtime win at Tennessee in the first round.

THE MUSKETEERS

The Musketeers return 19 letterwinners in all from last season, and added a pair of transfers in addition to a 10-person freshman class for the 2023 season.
Xavier returns a trio of all-conference honorees from last season, with goalkeeper Maria Galley and defender Natalie Bain earning All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors, and forward Regan Dancer picking up a nod to the All-Freshman squad.
Bain and junior midfielder Ella Rogers were selected to the 2023 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.

BIG EAST COACHES POLL

BIG EAST Preseason Women's Soccer Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown 100 (10)
2. Xavier             89 (1)
3. St. John's       73
4. Butler             69
5. Creighton       67
6. UConn            63
7. Providence    47
8. Marquette     34
9. Villanova        33
10. DePaul         16
11. Seton Hall    14

Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Abby Isger, Butler, R-Sr., F

Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Julia Leas, Georgetown, Grad., D*

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

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Abby Isger, Butler, R-Sr., F
Talia Sommer, Butler, So., F/M
Chioma Okafor, UConn, So., F
Lara Kazandjan, Creighton, Sr., M
Allie Augur, Georgetown, Grad., GK*
Julia Leas, Georgetown, Grad., D*
Eliza Turner, Georgetown, Jr., M
Meg Hughes, Providence, Sr., F
Jessica Garziano, St. John's, Grad., F
Natalie Bain, Xavier, So., D
Ella Rogers, Xavier, Jr., M
*unanimous selection

XAVIER SOCCER ON FLOSPORTS

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Xavier will broadcast every home soccer and volleyball match that isn't produced by the BIG EAST Digital Network. Both broadcasts will be available for fans to watch on FloSports.

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