The Bulldogs open the Spring 2021 regular season Friday afternoon, hosting SIUE in a match that has been moved to Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.

With the typical fall season modified and moved to the spring due to COVID, the Bulldogs will play an abbreviated non-conference slate in addition to a regional BIG EAST slate being implemented this spring.

Coach Paul Snape enters his tenth season leading the Bulldogs. He returns a roster that includes seven starters from the 2019 team that earned an NCAA Tournament berth. For Butler, that was the team's third NCAA Tournament appearance over the last four seasons.

Butler was picked as the preseason favorite to win the BIG EAST's Midwest Division. Butler topped the Midwest Division Poll with 15 points, tallying three first-place votes. Creighton followed in second with 14 points and the remaining two first-place tallies. Xavier followed in third place with 10 points, followed by Marquette with seven points and DePaul with four points.

Butler had two standouts named to the 2021 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team in sophomore Wilmer Cabrera Jr., and senior Rhys Myers.
 
Cabrera, Jr., was named the 2019 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, scoring eight goals, including six game-winners. Myers played a pivotal role in anchoring Butler's defense that only allowed 1.3 goals per game in 2019.

Butler's returners also include junior midfielder Jack Haywood. He earned All-BIG EAST third-team honors following the 2019 campaign, tying for the conference lead with nine assists. The nine assists are tied for fifth on Butler's single-season list.

Cabrera, Jr., earned a third-team spot as TopDrawerSoccer unveiled its Preseason Best XI teams earlier this week.

SIUE owns a 4-1-2 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools. SIUE picked up a 2-1 overtime win in the last meeting between the two teams Sept. 17, 2019, in Edwardsville. All seven match-ups have come since the 2014. The teams have met in each of the last six regular seasons in addition to a 2016 NCAA Tournament contest. Butler's win came at home during the 2016 season (by a score of 2-0). Later that year, the teams played to a 0-0 draw after 110 minutes in the NCAA Tournament before SIUE advanced on penalty kicks, 5-4. That match was played in Indianapolis.