No. 21 Women's Soccer Hosts No. 22 Pitt on Thursday Evening

CINCINNATI - No. 21 Xavier women's soccer (4-1-0) returns home this week for another top-25 match-up, hosting No. 22 Pitt on Thursday evening at Corcoran Field. The Musketeers and the Panthers get underway at 7:00 p.m. on FloSports.

The Musketeers moved up in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 this week, coming in at No. 21 after taking a 1-0 win at No. 23 Saint Louis last week. Xavier is ranked in the top 25 in the Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News polls as well.

GAME DETAILS

vs. No. 22 Pittsburgh
Thursday, Sept 7 - 7:00 p.m.
Corcoran Field - Cincinnati, Ohio

OPPONENT INFO

The Panthers are ranked No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll after starting the season at 6-0. Pitt has wins over Buffalo, Drexel, Kent State, Bucknell, Duquesne and Bowling Green to open the season.
Pitt went 14-5-3 overall lin 2022, with a 5-3-2 mark in ACC play. The Panthers, who were ranked in the top-25 at the end of the season, played No. 4 Notre Dame to a draw but fell in PKs in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
The Panthers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, with a No. 4 national seed, and advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over Buffalo and Georgetown, before falling to No. 5 Florida State.
Xavier is 0-3-1 all-time against the Panthers, with the last match-up happening in 2017, a 1-1 draw.

WEEKLY AWARDS

After setting a new career-best for saves in Xavier's top-25 road win, goalkeeper Maria Galley was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time this season.
Galley, a sophomore from South Windsor, Conn., collected eight saves in-goal in Xavier's 1-0 win at No. 23 Saint Louis, on the way to her fourth win and third shutout of the season. Her previous career-high was six, set twice in 2022, at Northwestern and in Xavier's NCAA Tournament win at Tennessee.
Midfielder Samantha Wiehe also earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Wiehe, a junior from Northfield, Ohio, scored the game-winning goal on a PK in Xavier's 1-0 road win at No. 23 Saint Louis. The goal was her third of the season, and second game-winner. She added to her team-high point total, now with seven on a team-high three goals and an assist.

LAST TIME OUT

No. 25 Xavier women's soccer picked up a top-25 road win on Thursday evening, topping No. 23 Saint Louis, 1-0, to move to 4-1 on the season.
In the first half, Xavier had a 6-3 advantage on shots and a 4-0 advantage on corners, with neither team finding the back of the net to go into the break in a 0-0 draw.
The scoreless tie held into the final 20 minutes, when Sonia Vargas was fouled in front of the goal, setting Xavier up for a penalty kick. Samantha Wiehe connected on the PK to put the Musketeers in front, 1-0.
Xavier held a 15-9 advantage on shots, with an 8-4 advantage on-goal in the first 70 minutes of the match, but the Billikens turned up the offensive pressure in the final minutes, taking seven shots, four on-frame, looking for the equalizer. Goalkeeper Maria Galley set a new career-high for saves to keep the shutout win intact.
Samantha Wiehe's goal on a PK was her third of the season, and second game-winner. She added to her team-high point total, now with seven on three goals and an assist.
Xavier finished with an 18-16 advantage on shots and 9-8 advantage on shots on-goal, led by three shots each for Wiehe and Shelby Sallee.
The Musketeers also held a 6-3 advantage on corner kicks.
Maria Galley collected eight saves in-goal on the way to her fourth win and third shutout of the season. Her previous career-high was six, set twice in 2022, at Northwestern and in Xavier's NCAA Tournament win at Tennessee.
Maddie Reed and Natalie Bain played the full 90 minutes on defense to help keep the Billikens off the board.
Xavier became the first road team to pick up two wins at SLU's Hermann Stadium since 2015, also taking a 1-0 win in 2021.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Xavier wraps up a two-game home with Bellarmine on Sunday, Sept. 10, set for a 1:00 p.m. start.
The Knights are 3-1-1 on the season, picking up wins over UIndy, Evansville and Chicago State and also played NKU to a 3-3 draw. The lone setback came against IUPUI.
Bellarmine went 1-7-9 overall and 1-4-5 in ASun play last season.
Xavier is 1-0 against the Knights, taking a 1-0 win in the Spring of 2021.

2022 SEASON

Xavier, which is currently ranked No. 21 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

Fans can sign up now to watch Xavier Athletics on FloSports! Men's and women's soccer and volleyball air on the streaming platform this fall, while women's basketball and baseball will be available later this academic year.
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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