Game Notes | Xavier (Live Stats) | Xavier (Watch)

The Bulldogs will make a run at the BIG EAST regular season crown on Thursday, Oct. 31 in Indianapolis, Ind. Butler (10-4-3, 5-1-2 BE) will host Xavier (13-3-2, 6-2-0 BE) at 7 p.m. at the Sellick Bowl.

Bulldog Bits                                                                                                                

• Stephanie Rodriguez named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week (Oct. 28 and Oct. 14)
• Rodriguez and the Bulldogs lead the BIG EAST with nine shutouts (six in league)
• Rodriguez is tied for the Butler single-season shutout record (9)
• Rodriguez is on a five-game (472.02 minutes) shutout streak; She has not allowed a goal since the 1-1 draw with Villanova (Oct. 6)
• Bulldogs defense holds a 0.73 GAA, allowing only 13 goals this season (a BIG EAST best)
• Annika Schmidt named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 26 and Oct. 21)
• Amanda Kowalski named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 30)
• Macy Miller tabbed two game winning goals for BU last week, moving to five on the season
• Miller, Katie Soderstrom and Alana Wood all scored for the Bulldogs in the recent 3-0 win over Marquette
• The Bulldogs clinched a spot in the post-season after defeating the Golden Eagles
• Miller named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 2)
• Soderstrom leads the Bulldogs offense in all categories: goals (8), assists (7), and points (23)
• Soderstrom named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 26 and Oct. 14)
• BU is tied with Georgetown for second in the BIG EAST rankings with one game remaining
• The 2019 BIG EAST Tournament will be Butler's sixth conference tournament appearance (fifth consecutive) in seven seasons as part of the BIG EAST.
• The Bulldogs have be represented on nine of ten BIG EAST weekly awards
• Anja Savich and Schmidt were named to the Preseason BIG EAST team
• Savich is the reigning 2018 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year

 
The Bulldogs Weekly Recap                                                                      
The Bulldogs collected a 1-0 victory at Providence and a 3-0 win against Marquette to close out the last two-game week of the regular season. Miller scored the game-winner in both match ups, while Soderstrom and Wood each chipped in a score against the Golden Eagles.

With the wins, Butler moves to 10-4-3 overall and 5-1-2 in the league, maintaining a second-place tie in the BIG EAST with Georgetown.
 
Scouting the Musketeers                                                                                          
The Xavier Musketeers approach the last regular season game with a one point edge on Butler and Georgetown to hold the top spot in the standings. The Musketeers have the leading scorer in the conference in forward Samantha Dewey. Dewey has 13 goals and 29 points so far this season.

The Musketeers' only conference losses came at the hands of Villanova (1-0) and (then) No. 10 Georgetown (2-1). The Bulldogs forced a draw with both the Wildcats and the Hoyas.
 
BU vs. XU in 2018                                                                                                      
In 2018, neither the Bulldogs nor the Musketeers could put away the game-winner, resulting in a 0-0 2OT draw in Cincinnati. Miller led the Bulldogs with four shots in the match, while Soderstrom, Savich and Schmidt had at least one shot each.

In the 2018 BIG EAST Tournament, the No. 4 seeded Musketeers won a quarterfinal match over te No. 5 seed DePaul by way of penalty kicks before falling to No. 1 seed Georgetown in the semifinal. The No. 2 seeded Bulldogs defeated No. 6 seed Providence in the other semifinal match and went on to earn a runner-up finish in the BIG EAST Championship.
 
Dawgs on Halloween                                                                                
The last time the Bulldogs played on Halloween was in 2014, where Butler posted a 2-1 win over Marquette. Butler has faced the Musketeers on Oct. 31 only one other time in program history: the 1993 season. Xavier came away with the 3-0 OT win.
 
BIG EAST Finales                                                                                       
In the last six seasons as part of the BIG EAST, Butler is 5-1 in regular season finales, dividing up to 3-0 at home and 2-1 on the road. Thursday will be the third time the Bulldogs and Musketeers close out the season against each other. Butler has won the last two times the teams have met at the end of conference play.
 
Up Next: BIG EAST Tournament Play                                                  
Butler's 5-1-2 BIG EAST mark gives the Bulldogs 17 points in the conference standings and remains in a tie with Georgetown for second. Sunday's win clinched Butler not only a BIG EAST Tournament berth (the top six qualify), but also guaranteed the Bulldogs can finish no lower than the No. 3 seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament.

Based on Thursday's result with Xavier, Butler will either receive a bye into the semifinals as the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, or would host a quarterfinal match at the Sellick Bowl as the No. 3 seed.