No. 20 Women's Soccer Heads to Providence for Saturday Evening Match-Up

Saturday, October 18

Providence, R.I.

6:00 PM

Xavier University

Providence

No. 20 Women's Soccer Heads to Providence for Saturday Evening Match-Up

10.17.25 | Women's Soccer

Live Stream Live Stats

Musketeers and Friars get underway at 6:00 p.m. on Friars Live

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - No. 20 Xavier women's soccer heads to Providence for the final road trip of the regular season, set to take on the Friars on Saturday, Oct. 18. The Musketeers and the Friars get underway at 6:00 p.m. on Providence' Friars Live streaming platform.

GAME DETAILS

at Providence
Saturday, Oct. 18 - 6:00 p.m.
Providence, R.I. • Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium

BIG EAST STANDINGS

SCHOOL	CONF	PTS.	OVERALL	PCT.	STREAK
Georgetown	7-0	21	11-2-2	.800	W7
Xavier	6-0-1	19	11-2-2	.800	W5
UConn	4-1-2	14	8-3-3	.679	W1
Villanova	4-2	12	9-5	.643	W3
Marquette	2-1-3	9	6-4-4	.571	L1
Butler	1-3-2	5	4-4-5	.500	L3
Providence	1-3-2	5	4-5-3	.458	L1
Creighton	1-3-2	5	4-7-3	.393	T1
DePaul	1-4-1	4	4-9-1	.321	W1
St. John's	0-5-2	2	2-8-4	.286	L4
Seton Hall	0-5-1	1	3-6-5	.393	L3

BROADCAST INFO

Saturday's match will be streamed through Providence's Friars Live platform, available on Friars.com.
A 24-hour pass is available for a one-time fee of $6.95 and will allow access to all Friars Live video content and archived materials for 24 hours from the time of purchase. Monthly and annual plans are available as well.
All purchases are subject to the customer's state sales tax.

OPPONENT INFO

Providence is 4-5-3 on the season and sits in a tie for sixth place in the league standings with a 1-3-2 record in BIG EAST play. The Friars picked up a win over Seton Hall and played St. John's and Creighton to draws. PC has suffered conference set-backs against Butler, UConn and Georgetown.
The Friars, who were picked sixth in the league's Preseason Poll, finished 2024 at 6-9-3 overall and 3-5-2 in BIG EAST play, finishing eighth in the league's standings.
The Musketeers fell, 2-1, to the Friars in last season's match in Cincinnati. Xavier is 6-5-2 all-time against Providence.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

The Musketeers return home to close out the regular season with two home matches, starting with Marquette on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at Corcoran Field.
Xavier wraps up the regular season by hosting Georgetown on Saturday, Nov. 1, set for a 6:30 p.m. start.

WEEKLY AWARDS

Forward Samantha Erbach was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the week after collecting five points on two goals and an assist in Xavier's 5-2 win at Seton Hall on Saturday.
Erbach, a sophomore from Lebanon, Ohio, put the Musketeers in front early, scoring in the eighth minute of the match, helping the Musketeers take a 2-0 lead into the break.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Erbach assisted on Emma Flick's eventual game-winner, her NCAA DI-leading 11th assist of the season, which put Xavier up 3-0. In the 51st minute, Erbach scored her second of the game to push Xavier's lead back to 4-2.
The two-goal match marked her fourth multi-goal game of the season. She has a BIG EAST-leading 31 points, tied for second most in NCAA DI, on 10 goals and 11 assists for the season.

BAIN CALLED UP to U-23 USA National Team Training Camp

Defender Natalie Bain has been named to the Provisional U-23 Women's National Team Roster for the upcoming Domestic Training Camp. Bain is the only collegiate student-athlete among the 24 players who have been called up to the U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team training camp outside of Philadelphia, Pa. that will run from Oct. 20-28.
From Oct. 20-23, the camp will run concurrently with the U.S. Women's National Team's time in Philadelphia so U.S. head coach Emma Hayes and her staff can observe trainings. The U-23s will also attend the USA vs. Portugal match on Oct. 23 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. The U-23s will stay in Philadelphia area to train after the USWNT leaves for Connecticut and then Kansas City to finish its October slate of matches.
Bain, a senior from Alexandria, Ky., has started in all 15 matches this season, playing over 1,110 minutes to help Xavier to 11 wins, including eight shutout victories. Bain has helped the Xavier defense limit opponents to just eight goals over the last 13 matches, with the Musketeers going unbeaten through that stretch. Offensively, she has a career-high nine points on three goals and three assists so far in 2025.
For her career, Bain has played in 79 matches for the Musketeers, starting in all 79. She has totaled over 6800 minutes for the Xavier backline, helping the Musketeer defense to 42 shutouts during her time at Xavier.
This is Bain's first call up to the U.S. Women's National Team. The reigning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Bain was selected as the league's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and was ranked No. 8 on TopDrawerSoccer's National Top 100 players list ahead of the 2025 season. Bain, who was a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist in 2024, was also named to the Preseason Watch List for the 2025 season.
Bain became the first Musketeer in program history to earn USC All-American honors twice in her career after being named to the USC All-America Second Team following the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Bain has also earned All-BIG EAST honors following each of her three seasons at Xavier, picking up All-Freshman Team and Second Team accolades in 2022, and First Team honors in 2023 and 2024.

ERBACH named to TDS Player of the Year Leaderboard

Sophomore Samantha Erbach earned recognition among the nation's elite as one of 10 players listed on TopDrawerSoccer's Player of the Year Leaderboard, released on Oct. 16.
Erbach leads the BIG EAST and ranks among the top players in the NCAA DI in offensive output, with 34 points so far this season, the second most in the country, while her 2.27 points per game rank third in NCAA DI.
The native of Lebanon, Ohio, is the NCAA leader with 12 assists for the season, and leads the NCAA at 0.80 assists per game.
Erbach's 11 goals match teammate Elin Hansson for most in the BIG EAST and 11th most in the NCAA, while her goals per game (0.73) rank 17th in the country.
The forward leads the league and ranks eighth in the country with 4.47 shots per game, with 2.07 shots per game going on-goal, 12th most in NCAA DI.

XAVIER NOTABLES

The Musketeers won their fifth straight and extended their unbeaten streak to 13 matches with the win over St. John's, matching the second-longest unbeaten streak in program history (9-0-4 in 2022).
With the win over Seton Hall, Xavier hit the 10-win threshold for the seventh time in the last eight seasons, only missing the 10-win mark in the abbreviated 2020 season (played in spring 2021 due to COVID-19).
Seven matches into the 10-match BIG EAST schedule, Xavier is 6-0-1 in conference play, currently standing in second place with 19 points, trailing only first place Georgetown (7-0-0) with 21 points. The two teams will face each other in the regular season finale on Saturday. Nov. 1, at Corcoran Field.
The Musketeers remained at No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 this week and moved up to No. 20 in the TopDrawerSoccer poll after picking up a fourth-straight win last week.
Xavier has eight shutouts on the season, with the Musketeers' shutout percentage of 0.533 ranking third in the BIG EAST and 34th in NCAA DI.
The Musketeers are 11-0-2 over the past 13 matches, outscoring opponents 50-8 during that period.
The Xavier offense leads the BIG EAST and ranks in the top three in the country in total goals (50 – 2nd in DI), goal differential (37 – 2nd in DI), total points (148 – 2nd in DI), points per game (9.87 – 3rd in DI) and scoring offense (3.33 – 3rd in DI)
Xavier also ranks in the top six in the country and leads the conference in total assists (48 – 4th in DI) and assists per game (3.20 – 6th in DI)
Samantha Erbach leads the Musketeers and the BIG EAST with 34 points on a team-high matching 11 goals and NCAA-leading 12 assists, the second-most points among NCAA DI players. She ranks third in NCAA DI at 2.27 points per game.
Erbach's total goals trail only Elin Hansson among BIG EAST players and ranks 12th in NCAA DI, while her goals per game (0.71) rank 18th in NCAA DI. Erbach, who was ranked No. 12 on TopDrawerSoccer's Midseason Top 100 Players list, leads the nation with 12 assists and 0.80 assists per game.
After posting her second hat trick of the season against Villanova, Elin Hansson now matches Erbach for the BIG EAST lead with 11 goals for the year, tied for 11th most in NCAA DI. Hansson, who was ranked No. 37 in TopDrawerSoccer's Midseason Top 100 Players list, also tied for the conference lead in in goals per game (0.73), 17th-most in the country, and ranks 10th in the nation in shot accuracy (0.649).
Combined with four assists, Hansson has 26 points on the season, trailing only Samantha Erbach among BIG EAST players and ranking 11th among all DI players. She also ranks second in the league and 17th in NCAA DI with 1.73 points per game.
Xavier has 11 different goal scorers so far this season, with nine, Hansson, Erbach, Emma Flick, Peyton Kohls, Chelsea Loeser, Reese Sochacki, Natalie Bain, Regan Dancer and Reese Slater, knocking in multiple goals.
Eleven Musketeers have also dished out assists. In addition to Erbach, Regan Dancer also ranks in the Top 40 in the country in total assists (7 – 27th in DI) and assists per game (0.47 – 37th).

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier extended its win streak to five games and its unbeaten streak to 13 matches with a 3-0 win over St. John's at Corcoran Field on Wednesday evening. The Musketeers moved to 11-2-2 overall and 6-0-1 in BIG EAST play with the win.
The match was scoreless for the first half, with Xavier leading 13-0 on shots in the first 45 minutes. Regan Dancer led the Musketeers with five first-half shots, including a pair on-frame.
Shortly after halftime, Xavier took the lead after Dancer crossed to Samantha Erbach in the box, where reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week scored to put the Musketeers in front, 1-0, in the 49th minute. Erbach added to her NCAA-leading assist total when she found Peyton Kohls less than three minutes later, with Kohls finishing with a header to make it a 2-0 advantage.
Less than 10 minutes later, Reese Slater served the ball from around midfield to Dancer in the box. Dancer passed to Emma Flick, who scored to make it a 3-0 Xavier advantage.
The Musketeers held a 14-2 advantage on shots in the second half, limiting the Red Storm to just one shot on-goal on the way to the shutout win.
Samantha Erbach finished with three points after scoring her team-high matching 11th goal, her first game-winner of the season, and adding to her NCAA DI leading assist total, now standing at 12 for the season. She leads the BIG EAST with 34 points.
Peyton Kohls picked up her sixth goal of the season, combining with six assists to give her 18 points.
Emma Flick scored her sixth goal of the season, going with four assists for 16 points for the year.
Regan Dancer picked up a pair of assists, giving her seven for the season. Combined with three goals, she has 13 points.
Reese Slater had an assist on Flick's goal, her fifth of the season. With a pair of goals, she has nine points.
Xavier's defense held St. John's to a season-low matching two shots, with just one look on goal, on the way to its eighth shutout of the season.
Maria Galley played the full time in goal, collecting a save on the way to her fifth complete clean sheet of the year.

RETURNING MUSKETEERS

Xavier returns 14 letterwinners, including seven starters, from 2024's 15-win team. The Musketeer returnees accounted for over 60 percent of Xavier's 51 goals scored last season, the most goals scored by the program since 1984.
Among the returnees are 2025 All-BIG EAST Preseason selections Natalie Bain, Samantha Erbach and Regan Dancer.
Erbach, the 2024 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and All-BIG EAST First Team selection, was named to the USC Forwards to Watch list and came in at No. 51 on the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Players to Watch list. Erbach started in all 21 matches for the Musketeers during her rookie season. She wrapped up last season with a team-high 11 goals and dished out five assists to finish with 27 points, second most on the team. Among her goals were a team-best four game-winning goals, including the game-winners in the Musketeers' win at Butler and in the win over DePaul in the BIG EAST Semifinals.
Dancer, a 2024 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection, started in all 21 matches for the Musketeers in 2024, finishing the season with a career-high 14 points on a career-high six goals and two assists, matching for third most goals on the team and fourth most points. Among her goals were three game-winners, including at BIG EAST opponents Villanova and Marquette, tying for third in the BIG EAST for game-winning goals.
2024 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Emma Flick, who was named to USC's Midfielders to Watch list, started all 21 matches for the Musketeers. She collected a career-high 20 points on six goals and a team high-matching eight assists, setting new career-highs for goals and assists. Among her six goals were three game-winners, tying her for third in the BIG EAST for game-winning goals last season. Flick's eight assists were tied for first in the BIG EAST and tied for 64th in NCAA DI following the 2024 season.
Senior goalkeeper Maria Galley was also a 2024 All-BIG EAST Second Team Selection after starting in all 21 matches in-goal for the Musketeers, finishing the campaign with 15 wins, the second most in a single season in school history. Galley's 15 wins in 2024 give her a school-record 43 wins for her Xavier career. Galley collected 51 saves and finished with nine complete shutouts, giving her a school-record 32 shutouts as a Musketeer. She ranked No.1 in the BIG EAST and 26^th in NCAA DI for shutouts following the 2024 season.

2024 SEASON

The 2024 Musketeers posted a 15-4-2 overall record, the third most wins in program history, in Dean Ward's first season as head coach.
In conference action, Xavier posted a 7-2-1 record in BIG EAST play, earning the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Championship.
The 2024 Musketeers also earned the highest-ranked road result in program history, at 2-2 draw at No. 4 Michigan State.
On offense, the Musketeers finished the season with 51 goals, the second most in program history and the most by a Xavier team since the 1984 season, and collected 139 points, the most by the Musketeers in over three decades.
The Musketeer defense collected 10 shutouts, only allowing 18 goals on the season.
Following the season, three Musketeers earned BIG EAST awards, with Natalie Bain being named Defender of the Year, Samantha Wiehe earning Midfielder of the Year, and Samantha Erbach picking up Freshman of the Year honors.
Bain and Wiehe were both named USC Second Team All-American, marking the first time in program history that two Musketeers earned All-America honors.

BIG EAST COACHES POLL

BIG EAST Preseason Women's Soccer Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown - 100 (10)
2. Xavier - 87 (1)
3. UConn - 86
4. Butler - 72
5. Creighton - 64
6. Providence - 53
7. DePaul - 39
8. Villanova - 33
9. Marquette - 28
10. St. John's - 25
11. Seton Hall - 18

Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Chioma Okafor, UConn, Sr., F

Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Natalie Bain, Xavier, Sr., D

Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Cara Martin, Georgetown, Sr., GK

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Amelie Darey, Butler, Sr., D
Talia Sommer, Butler, Sr., F/M
Maja Lardner, Georgetown, Gr., F
Cara Martin, Georgetown, Sr., GK
Natalie Means, Georgetown, Sr., F
Ella McBride, Providence, Sr., D
Anaya Johnson, UConn, Jr., M
Chioma Okafor, UConn, Sr., F
Natalie Bain, Xavier, Sr., D
Regan Dancer, Xavier, Sr., M
Samantha Erbach, Xavier, Sr., F