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INDIANAPOLIS – Butler's first BIG EAST battle will take place this weekend at the Higgins Soccer Complex when the Villanova Wildcats host the Bulldogs at 1 PM. Action can be streamed live for this contest on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
 
Bulldog Bits                                                                                                                       
- Butler and Villanova will face off in the conference opener for the fourth-straight year
- Maria Collica was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 19)
- Butler has not allowed a goal since Sept. 4 when they hosted LSU
- Serina Kashimoto ranks 12th in the nation and 2nd in the BIG EAST with 18 points
- Paige Monaghan leads the BIG EAST in shots per game with her 4.25 average
- As a team, the Bulldogs lead the BIG EAST with 18 assists
- Four of the five goals allowed by BU this season have come in the second half
- Butler has not allowed a single goal on the road this year helping them go 2-0-1
- Luedtke is on pace to set the BU single-season goals-against average (0.57)
- Halle Stelbasky has scored a goal in three of Butler's last four games
 
Collica Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Maria Collica anchored the Butler defense which earned back-to-back shutouts last week, beginning Tuesday with a 3-0 victory over IUPUI and capping Sunday with a 4-0 victory at Evansville. The Bulldogs limited their opponents to just three total shots on goal last week, winning the total shots advantage 35-20. The junior defender provided a bit of offense as well, notching a pair of assists in Sunday's victory as Butler improved to 7-2-1.
 
Bulldogs Looking to Repeat Last Outing vs. Nova                                             
The Bulldogs put on a dominate performance in their BIG EAST opener against Villanova last year and are hoping for a similar result this season. Last year's game was a 3-0 shutout for Butler in which Serina Kashimoto, Maria Collica and Halle Stelbasky all accounted for goals. All three of those players are returning starters for this year's BU squad and have had a big impact thus far in the season.
 
Shutout Streak
Butler ended their non-conference schedule by posting four-straight shutout victories. During that time, Butler averaged 18.8 shots per game while limiting the opposition to 7.8. The 'Dawgs scored 14 total goals (3.5 per game) while limiting foes to just nine shots on goal. Goalkeeper Hannah Luedtke recorded two solo shutouts to add to her season total. Meanwhile Madison Card finished two contests for Butler to log 90 total minutes.
 
Control The Action
Butler has taken more total shots, shots on goal and more corner kicks than their opponent in nine of 10 matches this season. The only time they failed to do so was on a neutral field in Bloomington, Ind. when they defeated SMU 2-1 in the Hoosier Challenge Cup.
 
Paige Monaghan Ignites Offense
Paige Monaghan leads the BIG EAST Conference in shots per game (4.25). The sophomore forward has taken five shots or more in five-straight games. Her season-high shot total (9) came during a breakout performance at Fort Wayne where Monaghan scored two goals and added two assists for six of her eight points on the season. Most recently, Monaghan found the back of the net at Evansville, helping Butler secure the 4-0 victory.
 
Luedtke On Pace to Make History
Goalkeeper Hannah Luedtke has been phenomenal for Butler through the first 10 games of the season. Her numbers include three shutouts, 25 saves and a 0.57 goals-against average. Luedtke is now on pace to break the Butler single-season goals-against average school record which was set by Julie Burton during the 2012 season (0.69).

Conference Openers
BIG EAST play begins this weekend for all 10 teams starting Saturday when winners of four straight Butler visits Villanova at 1 p.m. (ET), and local rivals St. John's and Seton Hall square off in South Orange, N.J.  at 2 p.m. A rematch of a 2015 BIG EAST Championship Semifinal showdown kicks things off on Sunday as Providence travels to No. 6/3 Georgetown (1 p.m.). Action continues with Xavier visiting DePaul (2 p.m.) before wrapping up with Creighton hosting Marquette at 2 p.m. All five games can be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN).
 
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.
 
Up Next
Butler will return to action on Thursday, Sept. 29 with an away match at St. John's. Their next home game will be played on Sunday, Oct. 2 vs. Providence. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 PM.
 
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