Match Notes

Ohio Bobcats
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Eastern Michigan
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INDIANAPOLIS -- The Butler Bulldog women's soccer team will open up the 2016 season on Friday night by hosting the Ohio Bobcats. Action at the Butler Bowl will get underway at 7 PM. The weekend will continue with BU traveling to Ypsilanti, Michigan to face the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Sunday afternoon. Sunday's match at Scicluna Field will start at 1 PM.

Bulldog Bits                                                                                                                       
- Butler was tabbed fourth in the 2016 BIG EAST Preseason Poll
- Serina Kashimoto and Halle Stelbasky were each named Preseason All-BIG EAST
- The Bulldogs finished the 2015 season with a 16-7-1 overall record
- BU ended 2015 in fourth place in the BIG EAST standings with a 6-3 record
- Butler won seven of eight games heading into the NCAA Tournament
- The Bulldogs return four of their top five scorers from last year
- Only one loss during the 2015 campaign was by more than one goal
- Goalkeeper Madison Card set the school single-season record with nine shutouts
- The Bulldogs have posted four-straight winning seasons
- BU tied Kansas 2-2 at Rock Chalk Park in their lone exhibition match
 
MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
Serina Kashimoto has been named to the 2016 Women's MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List (NSCAA), a prestigious individual award in college soccer presented annually to the outstanding male and female players of the year. As a junior, Kashimoto was named First Team All-BIG EAST, First Team All-Northeast Region, and Second Team All-America.
 
Welcome Back
Butler only lost two players from last year's starting unit that won a school record 16 games. Sophia Maccagnone and Randi DeLong were two very important pieces to the 2015 roster, but the 'Dawgs will gladly welcome back four of their top five scorers from a year ago. Halle Stelbasky shared the team lead with Maccagnone in overall points (21) while holding the outright edge in goals scored with nine. Serina Kashimoto ranked third on the team with 18 points, with Paige Monaghan (11) in fourth and Jamison Midgley (7) tied for fifth.
 
Last Year's First Four
After a 1-1 tie at Cleveland State in the 2015 season opener, Butler moved forward to dominate the competition early in the year by going on a three-game winning streak. The defense paved the way for success with Butler out-shooting the opposition 77-12 over the first four games of the 2015 campaign. BU won the shot total 13-6 in the home opener vs. Eastern Michigan and then completely shutout Milwaukee on the shot chart the following week 15-0. Only one shot was allowed at IUPUI just two days later as Butler held a 24-1 lead on the shot chart in the box score in the win over the Jaguars.
 
Hoosier Challenge Cup
Butler will face SMU and LSU this year in the Hoosier Challenge Cup (Bloomington, Ind.). The Mustangs posted a losing record in 2015, but the Tigers enjoyed a 13-6-4 mark which allowed them to receive some votes in the NSCAA Preseason Poll.
 
In-State Non-Conference Battles
The Bulldogs will play half of their non-conference games against in-state competition. The Hoosiers will be the first test on Aug. 26 while the rundown follows in September by facing Indiana State, IPFW, IUPUI and Evansville in consecutive order (Sept. 8-18).
 
2-2 Draw at Kansas
Kansas hosted Butler at Rock Chalk Park last Tuesday in exhibition action to signal the start of the 2016 season. The game ended in a 2-2 draw with Butler scoring the first two goals of the day only to see the Jayhawks respond with two of their own. Maeve Burger took a pass from McKenzie Muchow to score the first goal of the game (14:22). Burger's goal came from 20 yards out near the top of the box. BU would go up 2-0 in the second half (61:00) after a score from Muchow. Paige Monaghan initiated the offense this time around and crossed a ball over to Muchow who tapped the ball into the net from two yards out.

Kicking Off 2016
BIG EAST women's soccer teams hit the ground running on Friday as all 10 squads open their 2016 seasons tomorrow evening. Eight of 10 schools will play twice over the weekend, with Seton Hall holding off until Monday to play its second tilt and DePaul pausing until next Thursday for their second match. BIG EAST squads will combine for matches against 12 different conferences, including three against teams from the Big Ten and the Colonial, and two against both the Atlantic-10 and Mid-American. Teams will be tested against five squads coming off NCAA Championship berths, with Providence facing semifinalist Rutgers and Georgetown hosting a Stanford squad which advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Both Rutgers (No. 10) and Stanford (No. 5) also enter the season ranked in the NSCAA Top 25. Xavier and St. John's will also face NCAA Tournament-tested teams in Evansville and Albany while the Friars open the season on Friday against Boston College which is also coming off an NCAA berth and received votes in the national preseason poll.
 
A Brief Look Back At 2015
The 2015 season was a memorable one as the BIG EAST saw three teams earn bids into the NCAA Tournament, including Butler which not only claimed its first BIG EAST title but made its first NCAA appearance in program history. Four players garnered All-America honors, including two who will return to the pitch in 2016 – Georgetown's Rachel Corboz and Butler's Serina Kashimoto. St. John's had its finest season in program history, going 15-4-1 and earning an NCAA bid, while Providence set a school record for wins with 13 and advanced to its first BIG EAST title game since 1993. Six BIG EAST teams finished in the top 100 of the RPI (Georgetown, 38; St. John's, 42; DePaul, 63; Providence, 70; Butler, 79; Marquette, 83), the most since conference realignment, and for the third time in three years, the league crowned a different champion (Marquette, 2013; DePaul, 2014; Butler, 2015).  

Twitter Updates
Follow the Butler Women's Soccer Team on Twitter @ButlerWSoccer.
 
Up Next
Butler will host a pair of games next week with Indiana and Akron visiting the Butler Bowl. The first match will be held on Friday night at 7 PM against the Hoosiers. Sunday's match against the Zips is slated to start at 1 PM.