No. 22 Women's Soccer Hosts Butler for Saturday Evening Match

Saturday, October 4

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 PM

Xavier University

Butler

No. 22 Women's Soccer Hosts Butler for Saturday Evening Match

10.03.25 | Women's Soccer

Live Stream Live Stats

Musketeers and Bulldogs set for 6:30 p.m. start on Xavier+

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - No. 22 Xavier women's soccer returns home to host Butler on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Corcoran Field. The Musketeers and the Bulldogs are set for a 6:30 p.m. start on Xavier+.

GAME DETAILS

vs. Butler
Saturday, Oct. 4 - 6:30 p.m.
Cincinnati, Ohio • Corcoran Field

BROADCAST INFO

Xavier will broadcast all nine home women's soccer matches on either Xavier+ or ESPN+.
The subscription cost of Xavier+ will be $10 per match or $49 for a fall season pass to watch all 19 home Xavier+ broadcasts (includes men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball). All purchases are subject to the customer's state sales tax.
A subscription to ESPN+ is required to view the four home women's soccer matches aired on ESPN+. An ESPN+ subscription will also include a number of road women's soccer contests (determined by the host institution).

BIG EAST STANDINGS


SCHOOL	CONF	PTS.	OVERALL	PCT.	STREAK
Georgetown	4-0	12	8-2-2	.750	W4
Xavier	3-0-1	10	8-2-2	.750	W2
UConn	2-1-1	7	6-3-2	.636	W1
Villanova	2-2	6	7-5	.583	W1
Marquette	1-0-2	5	5-3-3	.591	W1
Butler	1-1-2	5	4-2-5	.591	L1
Creighton	1-2-1	4	4-6-2	.417	L1
St. John's	0-2-2	2	2-5-4	.364	L1
Seton Hall	0-2-1	1	3-3-5	.500	T1
Providence	0-2-1	1	3-4-2	.444	L2
DePaul	0-2-1	1	3-7-1	.318	L

OPPONENT INFO

The Bulldogs are 4-2-5 overall and 1-1-2 in BIG EAST play, currently standing in sixth place, after taking a 3-1 win over Providence and playing DePaul and Marquette to draws. Butler's lone loss in conference action came against Georgetown.
Butler was picked to finish fourth in the league's preseason poll, and features a pair of Preseason All-BIG EAST selections, senior defender Amelie Darey and senior forward/midfielder Talia Sommer.
The Bulldogs went 10-4-5 overall with a 5-2-3 record in BIG EAST play in 2024, finishing third in the conference standings.
Butler hosted DePaul in the BIG EAST Championship First Round, playing the Blue Demons to a 3-3 draw but falling 8-7 on PKs.
The Musketeers took a 3-0 win over Butler in Indianapolis in 2024, giving Xavier a four-match unbeaten streak against the Bulldogs. Overall, Xavier is 11-12-5 against the Bulldogs all-time.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Xavier travels to South Orange, N.J., on Saturday, Oct. 11, to take on Seton Hall, set for a 1:00 p.m. start.
The Musketeers return home on Wednesday, Oct. 15, to host St. John's, set for a 6:30 p.m. start.

WEEKLY AWARDS

Elin Hansson picked up her second BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honor of the season after scoring three goals to help No. 24 Xavier women's soccer remain unbeaten in BIG EAST play.
Hansson, a senior forward from Halmstad, Sweden, had a team-high matching three shots, including two on frame, as Xavier played UConn to a 1-1 draw last Wednesday.
In Xavier's 9-0 win over Villanova on Saturday, Hansson matched her season high with six points on three goals after posting her second hat trick of the year. She now leads the BIG EAST and ranks second in NCAA DI with 11 goals on the season, and coupled with a pair of assists, has 24 points for the year. Hansson's first goal of the day also marked her second game-winner of the season.
Xavier's nine goals against the Wildcats were the most goals in a game since 1992, when Xavier took a 10-0 win over Loyola Chicago. The nine-goal margin of victory also matches that game as the largest for the Musketeers since 1992.

XAVIER NOTABLES

Xavier currently stands at 8-2-2 overall and 3-0-1 in BIG EAST play, extending its unbeaten streak to 10 matches with a 2-1 win at Creighton
The Musketeers moved up to No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 this week, after coming in at No. 24 last week, and entered the Top Drawer Soccer poll at No. 25 after going 1-0-1 last week.
Xavier has six shutouts on the season, with the Musketeers' shutout percentage of 0.500 ranking second in the BIG EAST and ranks 43rd in NCAA DI.
The Musketeers are 8-0-2 over the past 10 matches, outscoring opponents 41-6 over that stretch, with the Musketeer offense leading the BIG EAST and ranking in the top five in the country in total goals (41 – 2^nd in DI), goal differential (30 – 3^rd in DI), scoring offense (3.42 – 3^rd in DI), total points (118 – 3^rd in DI) and points per game (9.83 – 4^th in DI).
The Musketeers also lead the conference and rank in the top 10 in the country for total assists (36 – 6^th in DI) and assists per game (3.00 – 7^th in DI).
Samantha Erbach leads the Musketeers and the BIG EAST with 26 points, on eight goals and 10 assists, the third most points among NCAA DI players. She ranks fourth in NCAA DI at 2.17 points per game.
Erbach's total goals trail only Elin Hansson among BIG EAST players and ranks 20th in NCAA DI, while her goals per game (0.67) ranks 32nd in NCAA DI.
Erbach leads the nation with 10 assists on the season and ranks second in NCAA DI with 0.83 assists per game.
After posting her second hat trick of the season against Villanova, Elin Hansson now has a BIG EAST leading 11 goals for the year, third most in NCAA DI. She also leads the conference in goals per game (0.92), ranking fifth in the country, and ranks second in the nation in shot accuracy (0.733).
Combined with a pair of assists, Hansson has 24 points on the season, trailing only Samantha Erbach among BIG EAST players and the sixth-most among all DI players. She also ranks second in the league and sixth in NCAA DI with 2.00 points per game.
Xavier has 11 different goal scorers so far this season, with eight, Hansson, Erbach, Emma Flick, Peyton Kohls, Chelsea Loeser, Reese Sochacki, Natalie Bain and Regan Dancer, knocking in multiple goals.
Eleven Musketeers have also dished out assists.

LAST TIME OUT

Xavier extended its unbeaten streak to 10 matches after taking a 2-1 win at Creighton on Wednesday evening.
Natalie Bain gave Xavier the early lead, knocking the ball in off the CU goalkeeper's deflection following a Reese Slater free kick to put the Musketeers ahead 1-0 in the first 15 minutes of the match. The Musketeers led 11-1 on shots in the first half, with two each for Elin Hansson, Emma Flick and Samantha Erbach, with three looks on frame, before going into the half up one goal.
In the second half, Creighton scored less than five minutes into the period equalize at 1-1. The Musketeers responded less than three minutes later, with Regan Dancer scoring off a pass from Samantha Erbach to put Xavier back in front, 2-1, in the 51st minute.
After retaking the lead, Xavier, looking for the insurance goal, created the next five shots, with two looks each for Dancer and Flick. Creighton's offense created pressure in the final 10 minutes, getting three shots and a pair of corner kicks, but the Musketeers kept the Bluejays off the board to set the final score at 2-1.
Regan Dancer scored for a second-straight match, notching her first game-winner of the season and seventh as a Musketeer. She has eight points on two goals and two assists.
Natalie Bain's first half-goal was her second of the season, combining with three assists to give her seven points.
Samantha Erbach added to her NCAA DI leading assist total on Dancer's game-winner, giving her 10 on the season. Combined with eight goals, she has a team-high 26 points.
Reese Slater picked up her third assist of the season on Bain's goal, combining with a goal to give her five points.
Xavier finished with a 17-5 advantage on shots, and a 7-2 advantage on shots on goal. Dancer and Emma Flick each had four shots to lead the Musketeers.
Maria Galley played the full time in-goal, collecting a save on the way to earning her eighth win of the season.
Bain, Slater and Flick also played the full 90 minutes.
The Musketeers have now won five straight against the Bluejays.

BAIN NAMED PRESEASON BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Reigning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Natalie Bain, was selected as the 2025 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches, the conference announced on Tuesday, August 12. Bain also has been named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch list, the United Soccer Coaches Defenders to Watch list, and came in at No. 8 on Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Players to Watch list.
Bain earned 2024 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year after starting in all 21 matches last season, helping the Musketeer defense limit opposing teams to just 18 goals overall and just seven in BIG EAST play. Bain led the Musketeers' field players in minutes played at 1,845 and played the full time in 16 matches, including nine of 10 BIG EAST games. The native of Alexandria, Ky., helped Xavier's defense to 10 shutouts on the season.
On offense, Bain had a career-high three goals, and combined with an assist, finished the season with a career-best seven points in 2024. Among her goals were the game-winner in Xavier's 8-0 win at Valpo, one of two goals for the game, marking her first multi-goal game as a Musketeer.
In addition to earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Bain was a First Team All-BIG EAST selection for a second straight year, also earning Preseason Defensive Player of the Year ahead of the season.
Bain, a 2024 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, also earned a spot on the USC All-America Second Team, becoming the first Musketeer in program history to earn USC All-American honors twice in her career.

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 Top Drawer Soccer 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