Full Notes (PDF)

APPOINTMENT VIEWING: Butler and Creighton meet Friday night in Omaha in one of the most-anticipated BIG EAST match-ups since the conference reconfigured in 2013. Both programs are ranked in the Top 10 nationally and both enter the contest with just one loss overall. The 8 p.m. (Eastern, 7 p.m. Central/Omaha) start 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. 9 in this week's NSCAA national poll. Butler had climbed to No. 7 the week prior. This week, the Bulldogs also come in at No. 8 in the College Soccer News Poll and No. 10 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings.
 
BIG EAST LEADERBOARD: The Bulldogs are a perfect 3-0 in BIG EAST play so far this season. Creighton is second at 2-0-1, making Friday's match-up a key contest in the first half of the league slate. The Bulldogs' conference wins have come against Villanova, Georgetown and Providence. Each of those programs is currently ranked in the Top 70 nationally in the NCAA RPI metrics, as well as were selected among the top six spots in the BIG EAST preseason poll by the league's coaches.
 
THE MATCH-UP: Butler and Creighton meet for the seventh time in the series Friday night. The Bluejays hold a 6-0-1 advantage including a 3-0 record since the teams became BIG EAST foes in 2013. The series dates back to a 2-1 Creighton win during the 1996 season. In Indianapolis a season ago, Creighton was ranked No. 1 in the country and held off Butler, 1-0.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Butler's offensive firepower was on full display Saturday night as the Bulldogs dispatched Georgetown, 4-2, in a battle of BIG EAST powers. Senior David Goldsmith netted two of the goals for Butler. The win was Butler's first against Georgetown in the four match-ups in the series. The Hoyas won the 2015 BIG EAST title and were ranked in the preseason Top 10 nationally.
 
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM: Senior David Goldsmith had three goals in two matches last week, earning BIG EAST Player of the Week honors for the third time in four weeks. Goldsmith had a goal at Indiana followed by two goals in the win over Georgetown Saturday night.
 
JUST ONE BLEMISH: In a battle of unbeatens last week, Indiana got by Butler, 3-2, in overtime. Entering that contest, Butler was one of just five programs remaining in the country without a loss. Now that list is down to two (upcoming opponent Denver, as well as Maryland).
 
90 IS NEVER ENOUGH: For the fourth consecutive year, Butler and Indiana required extra time as the Top 10 unbeaten programs met Sept. 28 at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. In the 97th minute, IU's Austin Panchot scored to give the Hoosiers a 3-2 win in dramatic fashion. Butler went up 2-0 in the 62^nd minute before IU scored goals in the 75^th and 80^th minutes to tie the match.
 
NO NIGHTS OFF: This week's NSCAA poll showcases the challenge that the Bulldogs have taken head-on this season. Butler comes in at No. 9 in the poll, surrounded by teams on the 2016 schedule. No. 6 Indiana (3-2 overtime loss in Bloomington) and No. 8 Louisville (scoreless tie in the season opener) are sandwiched around Monday's night's opponent, No. 7 Denver. Friday's opponent Creighton is No. 10. Three of those four opponents come in the two-week current stretch where the only unranked opponent was the defending BIG EAST champion Georgetown Hoyas, who were ranked in the Top 10 preseason.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: The NCAA released its second RPI rankings of the season Monday, and Butler climbed one spot to No. 6. Nine of the 10 BIG EAST programs are ranked in the Top 100. The Bulldogs have tied with No. 3 Louisville already this season, and all but one of their wins have been over Top 100 programs: Villanova (14), Georgetown (45), Providence (70), UC Santa Barbara (74), Evansville (94), Oregon State (96), and SIUE (99). Butler's only loss came to No. 27 Indiana. Upcoming opponents include Creighton (10), Denver (16), Xavier (42), and St. John's (57).
 
SCORING AT WILL: With two goals Saturday night against Georgetown, senior David Goldsmith now has 10 on the season. His 10 goals are third in the NCAA and his average of 1.0 goals per game is second nationally. His 23 points and 2.3 points per game are third in the country. He leads the BIG EAST in all categories.
 
THESE KIDS CAN PLAY: Freshmen Lewis Suddick and Isaac Galliford each had a goal in Saturday's win over Georgetown. Galliford added an assist. Suddick is third in the BIG EAST with seven goals on the season. That mark is also 15^th nationally. His 1.6 points per game are third in the BIG EAST and 25^th nationally. Galliford and Suddick each have two game-winning goals on the season, tied for third in the conference along with David Goldsmith.
 
EVERYONE'S IN ON THE ACT: Butler has 27 goals through 10 matches this season, with that average of 2.7 goals ranking second in the NCAA (Florida Gulf Coast leads at 3.10). The Bulldogs are also third in the country at 8.0 points per game. Seven different Bulldogs have scored goals so far this season, while 13 players have registered at least one point.
 
HELPING FEET: Midfielder Jared Timmer has five assists on the season, which is third in the conference and 19^th 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 sixth in the BIG EAST.
 
LAST LINE OF DEFENSE: Goalkeeper Eric Dick has orchestrated shutouts in four of Butler's 10 matches thus far this season, posting a 1.16 goals against average. His four shutouts are tied for second in the BIG EAST. He has 36 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.
 
ONE WEEK AGO: Senior defender Mitch Ostrowski guided the defense in an impressive 2-0 week, earning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 26. Butler allowed only one goal in 180 minutes of play, including posting a shutout against Providence. Ostrowski also had two assists in the team's 3-1 win over Evansville. In the two matches, Butler combined to out-shoot its opponents 36-15. Lewis Suddick had a pair of goals, earning BIG EAST Honor Roll accolades.
 
THIS GUY IS ON FIRE: Senior forward David Goldsmith did not have a point in the team's first three matches of the season, but has scored 23 points in the team's last seven matches. Goldsmith was selected as the National Player of the Week by three outlets on Sept. 12 after an impressive weekend of play. The NSCAA, College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer each named Goldsmith as their recipient of the national weekly honor. The Bristol, England product had two goals and an assist in the team's 4-2 win over (then) #7 Santa Barbara. He added two goals in the 3-0 win over Oregon State, which was receiving votes in the national polls.
 
FIRE WHEN READY: David Goldsmith leads the nation in both shots and shots on goal, averaging 5.20 and 2.70 respectively in those two categories.
 
FIRSTS: Sophomore Jared Timmer converted a penalty kick against Providence, his first goal in a Butler uniform. He added another goal at Indiana…redshirt junior Tanner Witsken assisted on David Goldsmith's game-winner at Villanova in the BIG EAST opener; it was the first point of Witsken's Butler career…Derek Sutton got the first start of his Butler career against Georgetown. He became just the 14^th Bulldog to start a match this season.
 
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: With 39 career goals entering this week's action, senior David Goldsmith is tied for second among active players in career goals. Despite missing four matches due to injury last season, Goldsmith finished third nationally in goals per game.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR: Butler's 2016 roster includes seven players from overseas. Six of the seven have started all 10 matches. David Goldsmith (England), Marco Charalambous (Cyprus), Kieran Geldenhuys (Dubai, UAE), and Joe Moulden (England) started a majority of the contests a season ago. They were joined in the Starting XI by a trio of freshmen in Alex Lehtinen (Finland), Lewis Suddick (England) and Isaac Galliford (England). Lehtinen has started seven of his eight matches.