Full Notes (PDF)

POSTSEASON PLAY: Butler hosts Villanova in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament Thursday night in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs are the No. 2 seed in the tournament and received a bye to the semifinals. Villanova is the third seed and advanced via penalty kicks in a quarterfinal match-up with DePaul. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network, part of the FOX Sports Go app. The Bulldogs are 11-5-1 overall and are ranked No. 15 nationally this week. Villanova is 10-6-3.
 
TOURNAMENT UPDATE: Providence is the No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and hosts fourth-seeded Creighton in Thursday's other semifinal. Creighton defeated Xavier in a quarterfinal match-up over the weekend. If the top-seeded Friars advance Thursday night, they will host Sunday's championship match against the winner of Butler-Villanova. If Creighton defeats Providence, the winner of the Butler-Villanova semifinal would also host the championship match as the home field is awarded to the highest remaining seed. Sunday's championship match is scheduled for a noon start on FS2.
 
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 Thursday (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.
 
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 was 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.
 
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: The Bulldogs have their eye on the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that comes with capturing the BIG EAST title. However, Butler has put together an impressive season resume to be considered for an at-large selection to the postseason. Butler is currently No. 16 in the NCAA RPI rankings. Butler and Louisville (No. 7) tied in the season opener. The Bulldogs have wins over eight Top 100 teams: Providence (24), Villanova (38), Georgetown (60), Xavier (63), UC Santa Barbara (78), SIUE (81), Oregon State (85), and Evansville (92). 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 (12), Indiana (17), Creighton (31) and DePaul (65).
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING: The Bulldogs are No. 15 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. 16 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings and No. 24 in the College Soccer News poll.
 
FIRST TIME AROUND: Butler and Villanova opened BIG EAST play this season in dramatic fashion. The Bulldogs knocked off Villanova, 3-2, in overtime Sept. 17 in Philadelphia. David Goldsmith scored the game-winner in overtime. Tanner Witsken had the assist on the goal in the 96^th minute. It was Goldsmith's second goal of the match as he opened the scoring in the 18^th minute. Less than three minutes into the second half, Eric Dick and a Villanova player collided just inside the box. Zach Zandi converted the resulting penalty box. The tied game was short-lived as Goldsmith assisted Marco Charalambous on a goal in the 55^th minute. Once again, Villanova would answer with a goal in the 72^nd minute. The teams took that 2-2 score to overtime, setting up Goldsmith's heroics.
 
THE SERIES: The rivalry against Villanova dates back to Butler joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season. Butler holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series, including this season's 3-2 overtime win in Pennsylvania. Butler is 2-0 in matches in Indianapolis. Butler's 2-1 win in 2013 was the program's first match in BIG EAST play.