Women's Soccer Opens Up BIG EAST Play at Georgetown on Saturday

Saturday, September 26

Washington, D.C.

7:00 PM

Xavier University

Georgetown

Women's Soccer Opens Up BIG EAST Play at Georgetown on Saturday

09.23.26 | Women's Soccer

Live Stream Live Stats

Musketeers and Hoyas get underway at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's soccer travels to Washington, D.C., to open up BIG EAST play against Georgetown on Saturday, September 26. The Musketeers and the Hoyas are set for a 7:00 p.m. start on ESPN+.

Xavier is 6-2 on the year after going 2-0 last week, picking up a pair of shutout wins over Eastern Kentucky and Southern Indiana, now winning the last four matches. Xavier came in at No. 26 in the initial release of the NCAA RPI, the top mark among BIG EAST squads.

GAME DETAILS

at Georgetown
Saturday, Sept. 26 - 7:00 PM
Shaw Field - Washington, D.C.

OPPONENT INFO

Georgetown is 3-2-2 on the season, picking up wins over Fordham, Delaware and George Washington, as well as draws with Saint Mary's (Calif.) and No. 12/4 Virginia. GU's setbacks came against then-No. 1 Stanford and Virginia Tech.
GU, which was ranked No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, is currently No. 32 in the RPI and enters the weekend on a two-match win streak.
The Hoyas were picked to win the BIG EAST in the Preseason Coaches Poll after going 16-4-3 overall last season and winning the league's regular season championship with a 10-0 mark in conference play. Lizzie Heller was selected the Preseason BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and Kaya Hanson was the league's pick as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Georgetown earned the No. 1 seed in the league tournament, topping No. 4 seed Creighton, 2-0, in the BIG EAST Semifinals before falling to Xavier, 2-0, in the Championship match.
The Hoyas earned an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Championship. GU, a No. 2 national seed, took a 3-0 win over Sacred Heart in the first round and advanced to the Sweet 16 on PKs (4-3) after playing West Virginia to a 1-1 draw. The Hoyas fell to Florida State, 3-1, in the third round of the tournament.
Xavier is 2-12-3 against the Hoyas after going 1-1 against GU last season. The Musketeers fell in the regular season match in Cincinnati before taking a 2-0 win over the then-No. 10 Hoyas in the BIG EAST Championship match.

MUSKETEER NOTABLES

Brooklyn O'Brien's first half goal against Southern Indiana was her team-leading fifth goal of the season, tied for second most in the BIG EAST, and her second game-winner, tied for most in the BIG EAST. She now leads the Musketeers with 10 points.
Frances Reuland added to her team-high, and BIG EAST-leading, assist total against Southern Indiana, picking up her fifth of the year on O'Brien's game-winner. Her total assists rank No. 22 in NCAAA DI, while her assists per game, 0.71, are ranked No. 10 in the country. Combined with two goals, Reuland has nine points on the year.
Peyton Kohls knocked in her third goal of the season in the second half of Xavier's 2-0 win at EKU. Kohls also picked up a pair of assists in Xavier's 4-0 win over Dayton to give her three for the season, giving her nine points.
Kieran Bradley's goal in the first half against WMU was her third of the season, and first collegiate game-winner. She has six points on the year.
Maria Tapia's PK against USI marked her second goal of the season. Combined with an assist, she has five points on the year.
McKinley Berry's second-half goal against the Flyers was her first of 2026, she now has three points on a goal and an assist.
Regan Dancer notched her first goal of the season and 18th as a Musketeer against Western Michigan. Combined with an assist, she has three points on the year.
Sara Parker knocked in the game-winner in the second half of Xavier's 3-2 win over Indiana, her first of the season and her first game-winner as a Musketeer.
Alexis Morrison picked up her second assist of the season against Dayton on Reuland's first half goal.
Breanna Dardano picked up an assist on Kohls' first-half goal against IU, her first point as a Musketeer, and added another on Kohls' goal against EKU to give her two points on the year.
Reese Sochacki picked up an assist on Berry's goal against Dayton, her first of the season.
Abby Unkraut picked up an assist on Bradley's goal against WMU, marking her first point as a Musketeer.
Twelve Musketeers have recorded a point so far in 2026, with eight goal scorers and nine Musketeers recording an assist through eight matches.
Nastassja Garrett leads the Musketeers in minutes played with 698, starting in every match this season and playing over 80 minutes in every outing so far, including the full time in four matches. Elizabeth Powell has 627 minutes of action on the Xavier backline, also making the start in Xavier's eight matches on record.
Sami Lipcon has played in six matches, making five starts in-goal. She's collected 15 saves with four goals against for the season and has three complete shutouts as well as a partial shutout.
Taylor Thomas has made three starts in-goal, collecting 11 saves with five goals against in 219 minutes of action.
Head coach Katy Etelman picked up her first career win on Sunday, August 16, topping her alma mater Miami (Ohio), 2-0, at Corcoran Field.

WEEKLY AWARDS

Frances Reuland earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Week for a second-straight week after leading the Musketeers with four points on a goal and two assists in a 2-0 week for the Musketeers. Additionally, Nastassja Garrett was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after helping Xavier defense to back-to-back shut outs.
Reuland finished with three points on a goal and an assist in Xavier's 2-0 win at Eastern Kentucky, scoring her second goal of the season in the 10th minute, marking her first collegiate game-winner. She also picked up an assist on Peyton Kohls' second-half goal at EKU.
In Xavier's 2-0 win at Southern Indiana, Reuland added to her team-high assist total, picking up her fifth of the year on Brooklyn O'Brien's game-winner. Combined with two goals, she has nine points on the year, matching Kohls for second most on the team.
Garrett played 171 minutes for the Musketeer defense that posted back-to-back shutouts in a 2-0 week on the road for the Musketeers. She played 81 minutes in Xavier's 2-0 win over Eastern Kentucky, helping limit the Colonels to just four shots, with just one look on-frame, a season-low for EKU.
In Xavier's 2-0 win over Southern Indiana, Garrett played the full 90 minute for the Musketeer defense that picked up its fourth clean sheet of the season, helping hold USI to just six shots and two on-goal.

2026 SCHEDULE

Xavier returns home on Wednesday, September 30, to host DePaul, set for a 6:30 p.m. start on ESPN+.
The Musketeers remain at home on Saturday, October 3, hosting Seton Hall for Senior Day, set for a noon start.
In non-conference play, Xavier faced teams six different conferences before starting the 10-game BIG EAST schedule. The 2026 schedule features five teams that took part in the 2025 NCAA Championship, including a pair of Quarterfinalists in No. 2 Michigan State and No. 3 Vanderbilt.

HEAD COACH KATY ETELMAN

The 2026 season marks the first season at the helm for head coach Katy Etelman, who joined the Xavier staff in 2021. Etelman became the program's 10th head coach in February, following Dean Ward's departure to Iowa, after serving as associate head coach since 2023.
During her time with the program, Etelman has helped lead the Musketeers to 75 wins, two BIG EAST Regular Season Championships, a BIG EAST Tournament title, and four bids to the NCAA Championships in the last five seasons. Xavier's 75 wins are the seventh most in Division I over that span.
In the last two seasons, as part of Ward's staff, Etelman helped lead the Musketeers to 31 wins, the most wins in a two-year period in program history. During that time, Xavier earned four All-American honors, five BIG EAST postseason awards, and 15 total All-BIG EAST selections
Etelman added Cory Herchenroeder to her staff as associate head coach. Herchenroeder came to Xavier from Missouri State where he joined the staff as an assistant coach in 2022 and was promoted to associate head coach in August of 2023.
Mikayla Krzeczowski also joined Etelman's staff as assistant coach with goalkeeper oversight. Krzeczowski, one of the top goalkeepers in NCAA DI history, came to Xavier from Appalachian State where she had served as part of the women's soccer staff since January 2022.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST HONORS

Forward Peyton Kohls was named the Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, as voted on by the league coaches. Kohls was also a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, and was joined on the preseason all-conference squad by defender Brooklynn Miltenberger.
Kohls, a redshirt junior from Loveland, Ohio, started in all 22 matches for the Musketeers in 2025, collecting a career-best 20 points on six goals on and eight assists for the season. Her assist total ranked fourth in the BIG EAST and 35th in NCAA DI at the conclusion of the regular season. She started in all 10 matches in BIG EAST play last season finishing conference action with 10 points on three goals, including the game winner at DePaul, and four assists.
Kohls recorded her first collegiate goal and had a pair of assists in Xavier's 5-2 win over No. 17 Michigan State. She also posted her first career multi-goal game in Xavier's 6-0 win over Southeast Missouri State, also picking up an assist against SEMO for a career-high five points.
Kohls earned a spot on the 2025 All-BIG EAST Third Team and was named CSC Academic All-District following the season.
Miltenberger, a senior from Middletown, Ohio, played in 17 matches in 2025, making 15 starts for a Musketeer defense that only allowed 22 goals and had 12 shutouts on the season. She played in nine matches in BIG EAST play, starting in eight, with the Musketeers going 8-0-1, collecting five shutouts, and only allowing five goals in the conference matches in which she played.
For the season, Miltenberger played 964 minutes for the Xavier backline, playing the full 90 minutes in three matches before her season ended due to injury.
Miltenberger earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Third Team following the season.

The 2026 Roster

Xavier returns 18 letterwinners from the 2025 squad that finished 16-4-2, winning the BIG EAST Tournament Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
The returning Musketeers include a trio of all-conference performers from 2025, preseason all-conference selections Peyton Kohls and Brooklynn Miltenberger, as well as Regan Dancer, who recently re-joined the roster for a fifth year.
The Musketeers returning account for 75 points on 24 goals and 27 assists in last season's record-setting offense.
Xavier brings in four transfers, Sami Lipcon (UCF), Fiona Skwierawski (Kansas), Alivia Stott (Tennessee) and Abby Unkraut (Georgia) and added seven freshmen to the roster.
The Musketeers come from 14 different states as well as New Zealand: Ohio (8), Michigan (4), California (2), Kansas (2), Kentucky (2), North Carolina (2), Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin.
Five Musketeers are originally from the Greater Cincinnati area, Peyton Kohls (Loveland, Ohio), Brooklynn Miltenberger (Middletown, Ohio), Gianna Mlynek (Anderson Township, Ohio), Presley Pennekamp (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Abby Unkraut (Burlington, Ky.).

2025 SEASON NOTES

Xavier is coming off a 2025 season where the Musketeers won the program's second BIG EAST Championship title, earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
The Musketeers earned a home match in the NCAA Tournament, hosting Dayton in the first round. Xavier's 2-0 win over the Flyers was the first home NCAA Tournament win in program history, and marked the third time Xavier advanced in the tournament.
The 2025 Musketeers also set a new program record with a 15-match unbeaten streak, going 13-0-2 during that stretch, and the Musketeer offense set a new single season program records with 71 goals, 210 points and 68 assists.
Xavier set new program records for goals (71), assists (68) and points (210) during the 2025 campaign.The previous records for goals (67) and points (165) had stood since the first year of the program in 1984. The prior assists record (47) was from 1997.
The Musketeers finished with 16 wins, tied for second most in program history.
Following the season, two players, Natalie Bain and Samantha Erbach, were named All-Americans, the second time in program history multiple Musketeers earned All-American honors.
Nine Musketeers earned All-BIG EAST honorees, the most in program history.

BIG EAST COACHES POLL

BIG EAST Preseason Women's Soccer Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown, 98 (8)
2. UConn, 89 (2)
3. Xavier, 78 (1)
4. Creighton, 73
5. Villanova, 66
6. Providence, 60
7. Marquette, 40
8. Butler, 39
9. St. John's, 28
10. DePaul, 19
11. Seton Hall, 15

Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Peyton Kohls, Xavier, Sr., F

Preseason BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year
Lizzie Heller, Georgetown, Jr., M

Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Kaya Hanson, Georgetown, Sr., D

Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Hannah Dickinson, Villanova, Sr., GK

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team *
Jocelyn Leigh, Marquette, Jr., F
Courtnee Pickles, Providence, So., F
Se-Hanna Mars, UConn, R-So., F
Avrie Nelsen, Villanova, So., F
Peyton Kohls, Xavier, Sr., F ^
Chloe Brecht, Butler, Jr., M
Lizzie Heller, Georgetown, Jr., M
Thaea Mouratidis, Providence, Gr., M
Anaya Johnson, UConn, Sr., M ^
Gabby Koluch, Villanova, Sr., M
Kaya Hanson, Georgetown, Sr., D
Brooklynn Miltenberger, Xavier, Sr., D
Hannah Dickinson, Villanova, Sr., GK

^ unanimous selection
* Due to a tie in voting, there are 13 members on the preseason team

XAVIER HOME BROADCAST INFO

Xavier Athletics announced that 21 fall home sporting events will be broadcast live via Xavier+. The men's and women's soccer and volleyball broadcasts will be available through a subscription on GoXavier.com.
All 32 home fall sporting events for men's and women's soccer and volleyball will be broadcast on either ESPN+ or Xavier+.
The subscription cost of Xavier+ will be $10 per event or $145 for a fall season pass to watch all 21 home events. All purchases are subject to the customer's state sales tax.
A subscription to ESPN+ is required to view the 11 home men's and women's soccer and volleyball broadcasts. An ESPN+ subscription will also include a number of road men's and women's soccer and volleyball contests (determined by the host institution).
A detailed broadcasting list of each home and away men's and women's soccer and volleyball contest is available on the sport specific schedule pages at GoXavier.com.
Four women's soccer matches will be available on XAVIER+ with the remaining games being streamed on ESPN+.