Full Notes (PDF)

SECOND SEASON: Butler, the No. 15 overall seed, begins NCAA Tournament play Sunday, hosting SIUE at the Butler Bowl in a second round match. The Bulldogs were one of 16 teams to receive a bye in the first round, while SIUE advanced on penalty kicks over Michigan State. The 2 p.m. match in Indianapolis will be streamed live on ButlerSports.com. Butler enters the match with a record of 13-5-1, while the Cougars are 10-4-6.
 
GOING DANCING: Butler has advanced to the NCAA Tournament on seven occasions (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2009, and 2010 in addition to 2016). Five of the previous six came by earning the automatic berth that came from winning the Midwestern Collegiate Conference/Horizon League Tournament. The 2009 team earned an at-large bid after UW-Green Bay won the Horizon League title on penalty kicks over Butler.
 
BIG EAST CHAMPS: Butler captured the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship with a thrilling 2-1 win over Creighton Sunday afternoon at the Butler Bowl. The Bulldogs got goals from freshman Isaac Galliford and junior Eric Leonard, and six saves from Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player Eric Dick.
 
KNOCKING OFF THE JAYS: That was Butler's first win over Creighton, which entered the match ranked No. 24 nationally and as the BIG EAST's fourth seed. Creighton was 7-0-1 in the first eight matches between the two programs, including a 1-0 win in Omaha last month.
 
YOU GET A TROPHY, YOU GET A TROPHY, YOU GET A TROPHY: David Goldsmith was named BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player and Eric Dick receiving the Defensive recognition for their play in the team's two matches that resulted in Butler's first BIG EAST title in a men's sport. Goldsmith scored the game-winner in the 107^th minute of the semifinal contest against Villanova, while Dick made 11 saves combined in the two matches.
 
Goldsmith also earned a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for his BIG EAST Tournament performance that included a game-winning goal in the semifinals and an assist in Sunday's championship match win.
 
BREATHING ROOM: Eric Leonard's goal in the 64^th minute gave Butler a 2-0 advantage. That 2-0 lead was just the fifth time in coach Elmar Bolowich's six seasons at Creighton that the Bluejays had trailed by two goals. It lasted only three minutes before Myles Englis scored from just in front of the goal on a pass that eluded several Bulldogs through the box.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING: The Bulldogs are No. 11 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. 11 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings and No. 11 in the College Soccer News poll.
 
FIRST TIME AROUND: Butler's second round foe is not unfamiliar to the Bulldogs as the teams played in the third match of the regular season. Butler continued a strong start to 2016 by blanking SIUE, 2-0, Sept. 3 at the Butler Bowl. The Bulldogs dominated possession in the contest, out-shooting the visiting Cougars, 18-7. In the 26^th minute, Marco Charalambous fired two consecutive shots that were blocked by Cougar defenders. The second shot was collected by freshman Isaac Galliford on the left side of the goal. He scored into the right corner of the net for the first Butler goal of his career. The Bulldogs found an insurance goal in the 89^th minute as Charalambous took a short pass from Jared Timmer, took a touch to the top of the 18-yard box and curved a shot around the SIUE keeper and into the right corner.

SINCE THEN: Following Butler's win Sept. 3, the Bulldogs were 2-0-1 on the young season, while SIUE was 0-1-2. Butler then proceeded to win its next five matches. SIUE lost three of its next four, but hasn't lost since that point in the season. The Cougars are currently on a 13-match unbeaten streak that includes advancing by Michigan State Thursday in 11 rounds of penalty kicks.

The Sept. 3 win was a meaningful match for the Bulldogs, who were looking to avenge a loss to SIUE from midway through the 2015 campaign.
 
SETTING UP THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: As the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, the Bulldogs received a bye into the semifinals. Butler's David Goldsmith scored the game-winner in the 107^th minute to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 win over No. 3 seed Villanova. Creighton defeated top-seeded Providence, 2-1, on the East Coast, and traveled to Indianapolis for the championship match as Butler had the hosting rights as the top remaining seed.
 
SEMIFINAL HEROICS: Goldsmith's 12^th goal of the season came off a beautiful ball from freshman Lewis Suddick, who lofted a pass from 20 yards out. Goldsmith fought for position in the box and was able to head the ball inside the right post. It was the fourth game-winning goal for the BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Goldsmith's goal gave Butler a 14-13 advantage in shots. Villanova had 12 corner kicks to just five for Butler. The incredibly physical match included 18 fouls for Villanova and eight for Butler, while the teams combined for three cards.
 
CLEAN SHEET: Butler's Eric Dick made five saves in the 1-0 BIG EAST semifinals win over Villanova in posting his sixth shutout of the season. Dick boats a 1.01 goals against average on the season, minding the net for all 1,778 minutes of action for the Bulldogs this season. He has allowed more than one goal in only six of Butler's 19 matches. Dick has 67 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.
 
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: Butler is No. 11 in the final NCAA RPI rankings (released Monday). Butler and Louisville (No. 6) tied in the season opener. The Bulldogs have wins over nine Top 100 teams: Creighton (24), Providence (32), Villanova (42), Georgetown (56), Oregon State (59), Xavier (63), SIUE (73), UC Santa Barbara (83), and Evansville (88). Seven of the 10 BIG EAST schools are ranked in the Top 65 of the RPI.
 
Four of Butler's five losses have come at the feet of teams ranked in the Top 65 of the RPI: Denver (7), Indiana (15), Creighton (24) and DePaul (65).
 
THERE'S THAT MAN AGAIN: Senior David Goldsmith's goal Oct. 29 against Marquette ended a five-match scoreless streak for Goldsmith, who also had two goals against Georgetown on Oct. 1. In addition to leading the BIG EAST in goals, he is also tenth in the nation (teammate Lewis Suddick is 18th). His 28 points are second in the conference and 15^th in the NCAA.
 
LET ME HELP YOU WITH THAT: With another assist in Butler's win at Xavier, sophomore Jared Timmer is up to nine on the season. The total leads the BIG EAST and is tenth nationally.
 
FIRE WHEN READY: The Bulldogs average 15.1 shots per match this season, which is third in the BIG EAST and 20^th nationally. David Goldsmith's 4.1 shots per game are fourth in the conference and 13^th nationally. A good number of the team's shots have been on net this season with the team putting 6.6 per match on goal. That mark is second in the BIG EAST and is 19th in the NCAA. Goldsmith is eighth in the nation (and second in the BIG EAST) with an average of 2.0 shots on goal per match.
 
WHERE HE STACKS UP: Senior David Goldsmith enters Sunday's play with 41 career goals. That is good for fourth in Butler history, trailing only Scott Lawler (50), Nick Pantazi (44), and Stephen Armstrong (43). Among active players in NCAA Division I, Goldsmith's 41 goals trail only Guillermo Delgado of Delaware (48) and Buffalo's Russell Cicerone (42).
 
TWO IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: Butler has scored multiple goals in 12 of its 19 matches. They are 11-1 in those contests. Butler has scored a total of three goals in its other seven matches, posting a 2-4-1 record that includes 1-0 wins over Villanova (BIG EAST semifinals) and Seton Hall, and a 0-0 tie at Louisville in the season opener.
 
Butler averages an impressive 1.89 goals per game. That mark is 14th nationally and leads the BIG EAST. Factoring in goals and assists, Butler averages 5.89 points per game, which is eighth in the NCAA while also leading the BIG EAST.
 
FIVE BULLDOGS EARN ALL-BIG EAST HONORS: Five Bulldogs – David Goldsmith, Jared Timmer, Mitch Ostrowski, Lewis Suddick, and Isaac Galliford – were honored with All-BIG EAST accolades for their performances this season. The BIG EAST announced the honorees Saturday, Nov. 5.
 
Goldsmith shared BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors with Providence's Julian Gressel. The senior from Bristol, England was also a unanimous first-team All-BIG EAST selection. Goldsmith tied for the BIG EAST lead with 11 goals during the regular season. His 70 shots were second in the league. Goldsmith has been among the national leaders in goals and shots throughout the season. Earlier this season, he was named the National Player of the Week by the NCAA, NSCAA, College Soccer News, and Top Drawer Soccer for his performance in two matches during the Akron Invitational. He earned weekly honors from the BIG EAST Conference three times this season. Previously, Goldsmith won the BIG EAST Newcomer of the Year Award in 2013, and has been a second-team All-BIG EAST selection for the past three seasons.
 
Timmer joins Goldsmith on the All-BIG EAST First Team as his nine assists on the season lead the conference. Five of those helpers came in the team's BIG EAST matches. Timmer, a sophomore, is one of the best two-way players in the conference. He added two goals during the regular season while helping the Bulldogs out-score opponents, 33-19, in 17 matches. The Michigan native was on the All-Newcomer Team a season ago.
 
Senior captain Ostrowski earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team. He had a goal and four assists in starting 15 matches along Butler's back line. A solid defender, he earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors earlier in the season. His four assists are a career-high for the fifth-year player from Houston, Texas.
 
Freshmen Suddick and Galliford were voted on to the BIG EAST All-Newcomer Team. Six of Suddick's league-leading 11 goals this season came in BIG EAST play. His three game-winning goals during the regular season tied Goldsmith for the team lead. Galliford's 51 shots on the season were second on the team. His 12 points during the regular season came on three goals and six assists. Both Suddick and Galliford were unanimous selections to the rookie team.
 
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Lewis Suddick earned BIG EAST honors for both Offensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week for his performance in the Bulldogs' regular season finale at Xavier Nov. 3. Monday's announcement by the league office is the final weekly award of the 2016 season. Suddick scored both goals in Butler's 2-1 win at Xavier on the final night of the BIG EAST men's soccer regular season. The win clinched the No. 2 spot seed for the Bulldogs in the league's final standings. Suddick's goal came in the third and 77th minutes, with the game-winner serving as his 11th goal of the season.
 
Suddick was also named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for his work last week.
 
SENIOR SEND-OFF: Butler sent its six seniors out in style Oct. 29 with a 2-1 win over Marquette. The six departing players were recognized in pre-match ceremony. The group includes seniors A. R. Smith, Charlie Constantino, David Goldsmith, and Mitch Ostrowski, in addition to redshirt juniors Robert Flott and Tanner Witsken. Both Flott and Witsken will graduate and not return to Butler for the 2017 season. Over the past four years, the Bulldogs have won 38 matches and will make their third appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament, while being nationally ranked in each of the past two seasons.
 
THESE GUYS ARE TOP DRAWER: Top Drawer Soccer released its Midseason Top 100 Player Rankings last 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.
 
QUICK STRIKES: Senior Mitch Ostrowski has four assists so far this season after having only two in his first 48 matches as a Bulldog…A.R. Smith got the start against Seton Hall. It was his first start of the season. Bennett Kim started Oct. 29 against Marquette. He became the 16th Bulldog to start a match this season…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.
 
CAPTAINS OF THE SHIP: Goldsmith joins classmates Mitch Ostrowski and Charlie Constantino as seniors for the 2016 season. Ostrowski received a medical redshirt in 2015 and returns for a fifth season. The fourth senior on the roster is A.R. Smith.