CINCINNATI - Xavier women's soccer travels to face No. 20 Georgetown in the regular season finale on Thursday, Oct. 31, with the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship on the line. The match is set to get underway at 2:00 p.m. at Shaw Field in Washington, D.C., streamed live on FloSports.
Xavier has already clinched a top-two finish in the BIG EAST standings for a fourth-straight year, and the fifth time in sixth years, earning a bye to the BIG EAST Semifinals in Boyds, Md. A win or a draw at Georgetown in the regular season finale would give the Musketeers a share of BIG EAST Regular Season Championship for the fourth time in six seasons.
The Musketeers are 14-2-2 overall with a 7-1-1 record in BIG EAST play, and came in at No. 17 in the most recent Top Drawer Soccer Top 25, and were receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. Xavier currently sits at No 26 in the RPI rankings.
BIG EAST STANDINGS
GAME DETAILS
at Georgetown
Thursday, Oct. 31 - 2:00 p.m.
Washington, D.C. - Shaw Field
OPPONENT INFO
- The Hoyas, who were picked to win the league in the coaches preseason poll, are 11-2-4 with a 7-1-1 record in BIG EAST play to match the Musketeers for first place in the standings with 22 points.
- The Hoyas went 13-2-7 overall last season, sharing the league's regular season title with Xavier with a 6-0-4 record in BIG EAST play.
- Georgetown, the No. 2 seed in the league tournament, took wins over UConn in the Semis and the Musketeers in the Championship to take the tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
- The Hoyas advanced in the NCAA Championship with first round win over Old Dominion before falling to Saint Louis.
- Xavier is 1-10-3 all-time against the Hoyas after playing to a 0-0 draw in the regular season and falling 2-0 in the BIG EAST Championship match in 2023.
OFFENSE Notables
- In 18 matches this season, 13 Musketeers have recorded points, including 10 who have scored goals. Among Xavier's 10 goal scorers, eight have notched multiple tallies this season, led by 10 for Samantha Erbach, nine for Samantha Wiehe and six each from Emma Flick and Regan Dancer.
- Wiehe, who has seven assists to go with her nine goals, leads Xavier and is second in the BIG EAST with 25 points, 35th most in NCAA DI. She remained perfect on penalty kicks at 6-for-6 with the make against St. John's, and is the only player in the country with six made PKs so far this season. Her seven assists trail only Emma Flick among BIG EAST players.
- Erbach has 24 points on 10 goals and four assists for the season, with seven of those goals coming in BIG EAST action to lead all conference players in league play. Erbach leads the BIG EAST in conference play with 16 points.
- Flick has 20 points on the season, with her six goals combining with her BIG EAST-leading eight assists, the 20th most total assists in NCAA DI. Flick's assists per game (0.44 - 38th in DI) also leads the conference.
- Regan Dancer leads the BIG EAST and ranks 19th in NCAA DI with a 0.622 shot accuracy, with 23 of her 37 shots going on-frame. She has six goals on the season, including three game-winners.
- As a squad, Xavier leads the BIG EAST and are No. 7 in NCAA DI with 48 total goals on the season.
- The Musketeers lead the BIG EAST and are No. 8 in the country in goal differential (34), rank 7th in the country in scoring offense (2.67 goals per game) and are 10th in the country in total points (130).
- The Musketeers are also in the top 50 in NCAA DI and lead the BIG EAST in points per game, ranking 13th with 7.22 ppg, total assists, ranking 38th with 34 assists on the season, and assists per game, coming in at 44th with 1.89 assists per match.
WEEKLY AWARDS
- After scoring the game-winning goal at Marquette, Xavier women's soccer junior Regan Dancer earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, the league announced on Monday.
- Dancer, a forward from South Lyon, Mich., scored her sixth goal of the season in the 56th minute, putting the Musketeers in front for good in Xavier's 2-1 win at Marquette. The win secured a top-two seed and bye to the Semifinals in the BIG EAST Tournament for the Musketeers.
- The goal was her team-high matching third game-winner, and combined with an assist, puts her at 13 points for Dancer's junior season.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
- Xavier has secured a top-two seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, earning a bye to the Semifinals at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md.
- The Musketeers will open BIG EAST Tournament play on Thursday, Nov. 7, with the opponent to be determined.
LAST TIME OUT
- Xavier moved back into a tie for first place in the BIG EAST standings after picking up a 2-1 win over Marquette on Sunday afternoon at Valley Fields.
- Xavier struck early, with Maddie Reed setting Samantha Erbach up for her 10th goal of the season in the 10th minute, giving the Musketeers the 1-0 lead. Marquette tied the match up less than three minutes later, with the 1-1 tie holding into the half. Xavier had a 9-4 advantage on shots in the first half, with six of those shots coming from Samantha Erbach, who had five looks on-goal in the first 45 minutes.
- Less than 15 minutes into the second half, Regan Dancer put the Musketeers back in front, scoring in the 56th minute to give Xavier the 2-1 advantage. Xavier's defense held the Golden Eagles without a shot for the first 25 minutes of the second half, and only allowed three Marquette shots total after halftime. Just one Marquette look went on frame, collected for a save by Maria Galley, to keep the Musketeers' 2-1 lead in tact.
- Samantha Erbach scored in a fifth-straight match, now with a team-high 10 goals for the season. Combined with four assists, she has 24 points, second most on the team. Erbach played the full 90 minutes for the first time in her collegiate career and finished with a career-high six shots on-goal.
- Regan Dancer scored her sixth goal of the season, and her team-high matching third game-winner, combining with an assist to give her 13 points.
- Maddie Reed picked up an assist on Erbach's first half goal, marking the defender's first point as a Musketeer.
- Reed, as well as Natalie Bain, Brooklynn Miltenberger, McKinley Berry and Samantha Wiehe all played the full 90 minutes for the Xavier defense, limiting the Golden Eagles to just three shots on frame. Zoé Van de Cloot also played 85 minutes.
- Maria Galley collected a pair of saves on the way to her 14th win of the season, which matches her career high for a single season.
GALLEY IN THE RECORD BOOK
- Goalkeeper Maria Galley matched her career high for single-season wins against Marquette, now with 14 wins in each of her three seasons at Xavier. The current single-season school record is 16 wins, set in 2021 by Olivia Jenkins.
- Galley broke the school record for career wins earlier this season when she picked up her 30th career win against Michigan on August 18. Her current school-record total is 42 wins.
- Galley also broke a 30-year-old school record for career shutouts earlier this season, picking up her 27th clean sheet as a Musketeer against DePaul. She currently has 31 shutouts as a Musketeer.
- Galley also holds the Xavier single season record for shutouts at 12, set in 2023. She has eight this sesaon, which leads the BIG EAST and ranks 25th in NCAA DI.
TOP DRAWER SOCCER TOP 100
- Four Musketeers earned spots on Top Drawer Soccer's Midseason Top 100 lists, released in early October. Two Musketeers were ranked in the top 50 of TDS' Midseason Top 100 players list, with defender Natalie Bain coming in at No. 21, the highest ranked player among BIG EAST squads. Midfielder Samantha Wiehe came in at No. 44. Xavier was the only BIG EAST school to have two players on the list.
- Forward Samantha Erbach came in at No. 40 on TDS's Midseason Top 100 Freshman list. Defender McKinley Berry also earned a spot in the Top 50 of the Top 100 Freshman list, coming in at No. 44. Xavier was also the only team in the conference with two players in the Top 100 Freshmen.
BAIN NAMED TO HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
- Defender Natalie Bain was named one of the 44 NCAA Division Women's Division I college soccer players named to the 2024 Hermann Trophy Watch List, announced by the United Soccer Coaches on Thursday, August 15.
- Bain, a junior from Alexandria, Ky., was a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American and First Team All-BIG EAST selection in 2023 and was selected as the BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year ahead of the 2024 season.
- The defender made 20 starts for the Musketeers in 2023, playing 1,770 minutes for a Xavier defense that allowed only 11 goals for the season, winning a share of the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
- Bain played the full time in 17 matches on the Xavier backline in 2023, helping the Xavier defense finished the season with 13 shutouts, matching the school record set in 2019. Offensively, Bain finished with two points on a goal, scored in Xavier's 3-0 win at DePaul. She had 14 shots on the season, with eight on-frame.
- The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year as determined by voting of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches.
2023 season
- Xavier is coming off a 2023 season where the Musketeers went 14-4-4 overall and went 6-0-4 in conference play to win a share of the BIG EAST Regular Season title and the No. 1 seed in the league tournament, where XU finished runners-up.
- The 2023 Musketeers picked up an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, marking the third at-large bid in program history and the sixth trip overall to the national tournament.
- Xavier earned a No. 4 seed, the best seeding in program history, and hosted the opening round of the of the tournament, the second NCAA home match in program history.
THE 2024 MUSKETEERS
- The Musketeers returned 15 letterwinners in all from last season, and added six transfers in addition to an eight-person freshman class for Dean Ward's first year leading Xavier.
- Ward took over the program in December 2023, coming to Xavier from Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., where he led the Bears to 29 wins, two league titles, one conference tournament title and a pair of NCAA DII Women's Soccer Championship appearances in two seasons as head coach.
- Xavier returns four of all-conference honorees from last season, led by USC Second Team All-American Natalie Bain, who was selected as the league's Preseason Defender of the Year after earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team last season.
- Goalkeeper Maria Galley, an All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree in 2023, was also selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
- Xavier also returns Maddie Reed and Samantha Wiehe were selected to the All-BIG EAST Second Team in 2023.
- Wiehe led the Musketeers in points last season, finishing with 20 after matching for team high in goals (7) and assists (6).
- Reed anchored Xavier's backline last year, starting all 22 matches and playing 1,950 minutes for a Xavier defense that limited opponents to just 11 goals for the season.
BIG EAST COACHES POLL
BIG EAST Preseason Women's Soccer Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown – 100 (10)
2. UConn – 91 (1)
3. Xavier – 72
4. Butler – 70
5. Providence – 66
6. St. John's – 57
7. Creighton – 44
8. Seton Hall – 43
T9. Marquette – 22
T9. Villanova – 22
11. DePaul – 19
Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Natalie Tavana, Seton Hall, Sr., F
Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Natalie Bain, Xavier, Jr., D
Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Kaitlyn Mahoney, UConn, Gr., GK
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Abigail Isger, Butler, Gr., F
Caitlin O'Malley, Butler, Gr., D
Talia Sommer, Butler, Jr., M/F
Azumi Manriki, Creighton, Sr., M
Natalie Means, Georgetown, Jr., F
Eliza Turner, Georgetown, Sr., MF
Kayla Briggs, Providence, So., F
Natalie Tavana, Seton Hall, Sr., F
Lucy Cappadona, UConn, Gr., D
Kaitlyn Mahoney, UConn, Gr., GK
Chioma Okafor, UConn, Jr., F
Natalie Bain, Xavier, Jr., D
Maria Galley, Xavier, Jr., GK
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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