BACK TO THE BOWL: Butler returns to the Butler Bowl for a BIG EAST contest with Seton Hall, hosting the Pirates Saturday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs are 3-2 in BIG EAST play (8-4-1 overall) and are ranked No. 19 nationally. Seton Hall is 1-4 in conference play and 3-9-1 overall.  The match will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network, part of the FOX Sports Go app.

ON THE NATIONAL SCENE: The Bulldogs are ranked No. 19 in this week's NSCAA national poll. Butler has climbed as high as No. 7 in that poll this season. This week, the Bulldogs also come in at No. 17 in the College Soccer News and are receiving votes in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings.

BUMP IN THE ROAD: All four of Butler's losses have come in the team's last five matches. That portion of the schedule included matches against teams ranked No. 6, No. 10 and No. 7 at the time of those matches. Indiana, Denver and Creighton continue to be ranked in the Top 10 nationally this week.  

ALL LEAGUE, ALL THE TIME: The Bulldogs have four regular season match-ups remaining with all coming against conference foes. Butler, at 3-2 (nine points), is currently third in the BIG EAST standings, trailing Creighton (4-0-1, 13 points) and Xavier (3-1-1, 10 points). The top six finishers advance to the BIG EAST Tournament. Of the teams currently positioned in spots 1-6, the Bulldogs have faced all of them with the exception of Xavier. Remaining opponents Seton Hall, DePaul and Marquette are currently outside the top six spots. Butler finished its non-conference schedule with an impressive 5-2-1 mark.

BY THE NUMBERS: Butler is ranked No. 16 in this week's NCAA RPI metrics. Butler and Louisville (No. 3) tied in the season opener. The Bulldogs have wins over four Top 100 teams: Villanova (40), Providence (59), Georgetown (79), and UC Santa Barbara (80). Eight of the 10 BIG EAST schools are ranked in the Top 79 of the RPI.

THE MATCH-UP: The BIG EAST rivals will meet for just the fourth time in series history with Butler holding a 2-0-1 record and not allowing a goal to the Pirates. The Bulldogs won 3-0 on the road in 2015 and 2-0 at Seton Hall in 2013, while the teams played to a scoreless draw in Indianapolis in 2014.

ONE SEASON AGO: Butler had a commanding 3-0 win at Seton Hall in 2015 (Oct. 24). Vincent Mitchell was credited with the game-winner in the second minute and two second-half goals by Eric Leonard and David Goldsmith put the match out of reach. The Bulldogs out-shot, SHU, 18-7.

LAST TIME OUT: Butler was knocked off, 2-1, Saturday night at St. John's in a BIG EAST contest in Queens, N.Y. The Bulldogs were undone by a Red Storm goal in the 85^th minute. St. John's Harry Cooksley broke a 1-1 tie in the 85^th minute as he was able to navigate through the Butler defense and find the net. It proved to be the game-winner.

Butler's goal in the match came from Lewis Suddick, who earned a spot on the BIG EAST five-player Weekly Honor Roll for his performance.

THESE GUYS ARE TOP DRAWER: Top Drawer Soccer released its Midseason Top 100 Player Rankings this week. Senior David Goldsmith comes in at No. 10 on the list. Freshman Lewis Suddick was ranked No. 13 on the Freshman Top 100 List.

CLASS ACT: David Goldsmith has been selected as a Senior Class Award candidate for the 2016 season. A total of 60 NCAA men's and women's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

GOLD MEDAL PERFORMANCE: Senior David Goldsmith has 10 goals on the season. His 10 goals and 0.77 goals per game are both seventh in the NCAA. His 23 points and 1.77 points per game are sixth in the country. He leads the BIG EAST in all categories.

THESE KIDS CAN PLAY: Freshman Lewis Suddick scored his eighth goal of the season in Saturday's loss at St. John's. He is third in the BIG EAST and 25^th nationally in goals per game. Classmate Isaac Galliford has added three goals and four assists this season.

ON THE OFFENSIVE: Butler is averaging 2.15 goals per game, ranking ninth in the NCAA (Florida Gulf Coast leads at 3.38). The Bulldogs are also seventh in the country at 6.38 points per game. Seven different Bulldogs have scored goals so far this season, while 13 players have registered at least one point.

FIRE WHEN READY: David Goldsmith is among the national leaders in both shots and shots on goal, averaging 4.31 (eighth) and 2.08 (sixth) respectively in those two categories. He leads the BIG EAST in both.

HELPING FEET: Midfielder Jared Timmer has six assists on the season, which leads the BIG EAST and is 19th nationally. He had only one assist in 2015. Senior Mitch Ostrowski has four assists so far this season after having only two in his first 48 matches as a Bulldog. His assists total is seventh in the BIG EAST.

LAST LINE OF DEFENSE: Goalkeeper Eric Dick has orchestrated shutouts in four of Butler's matches thus far this season, posting a 1.20 goals against average. He has 45 saves on the season, highlighted by nine saves at Indiana, which was just off the 10 saves he registered in the regular season opener at Louisville. Dick also turned away a penalty kick at IU.