INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler women's soccer team will host the Northwestern Wildcats on Tuesday, Aug. 8. The exhibition match will feature a 3 PM start time. Admission to the contest is free of charge.
Bulldog Season Preview
Butler returns eight starters from a 2016 team that posted an 11-7-2 overall record. Highlighting the group of returners is senior defender
Shannon McDevitt. The Bulldogs posted 10 shutouts last year with McDevitt contributing as a key member of the back line. BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selections
Hannah Luedtke and
Kyra Cooke also played active roles in helping BU accomplish that feat. 10 shutouts in a single-season was just one shy of the school record which was set during the 2012 season.
The offense will look slightly different this year with
Serina Kashimoto out of the picture. Kashimoto capped off a brilliant four-year career in 2016. She left the program with 18 goals and 18 assists for 54 total points. She started in 81 of her 82 career games played.
Top returning goal scorers for Butler include
Paige Monaghan,
Halle Stelbasky and
Breann Pempek. Monaghan was second on the team in goals scored a year ago with six. Stelbasky and Pempek each provided Butler with three goals.
About the Opponent: Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern ended the 2016 season with a 16-3-4 overall record that included two wins in the NCAA Tournament. Victories over Kent State (3-0) and SIUE (1-0) moved Northwestern to the Sweet 16, but the Wildcats would fall 1-0 to #3 Duke to end their season.
NU returns their top two goal scorers of the 2016 campaign in Kassidy Gorman and Brenna Lovera. Gorman and Lovera each scored six goals to end the year with 12 points. Assist leader Marisa Viggiano is also back in the mix for the 2017 season giving the Wildcats hope for another successful season.
The defense is highlighted by goalkeeper Lauren Clem, a 6-0 senior that started in all 23 games for NU last year. Clem only allowed seven goals a year ago allowing the Wildcats to post 17 shutouts. She made 89 saves and ended the season with a 0.29 goals-allowed average.
Butler Bowl Renamed in Honor of Bud and Jackie Sellick
Winstan R. "Bud" Sellick and his wife, Jacqueline (Blomberg), had a longstanding love for Butler University, and that affection will continue in perpetuity, thanks to a gift of $9.4 million from their estate. In recognition of their gift, the Butler Bowl, home of Butler football and soccer, will be renamed the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl.
Co-Head Coaches Prep for Year Six
Tari St. John and
Rob Alman have served as co-head coaches at Butler for five seasons. The duo is 59-34-11 during that time with one BIG EAST Tournament Championship. St. John originally joined Butler as head coach in 2006, giving her 11 years of experience. Alman joined the staff in 2012, helping BU go 12-5-4 in his debut.
Start of the 2017 Schedule
Butler will play their first three games of the 2017 regular season away from the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl. The year gets underway with road matches at Notre Dame, Ohio and Michigan State. Three-straight home games will follow with BU hosting Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Cleveland State.
Texas Tune-up
Butler will travel to College Station, Texas on Friday, Sept. 8 to face the Texas A&M Aggies. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs, but will not be the first time Butler has battled against a Texas team in women's soccer. During the 1998 season, Butler hosted Texas in the season opener (L, 5-2) and would later host Texas Tech in the Nike/Snickers Soccer Fest (W,2-0).
