Butler will travel to Cincinnati to face conference rival Xavier on Saturday. The game will kick off at 5 p.m.

A live stream of the match will be available on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN).

Butler enters the match with a record of 2-6-2, while Xavier sits at 3-6-1.

In the Midwest division of the BIG EAST standings, Butler currently sits in third with a 2-2-2 conference record. The top two teams in the Midwest standings will advance to the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament. Marquette has already clinched one of the two positions, while Butler needs to win its final two games to have a chance at jumping Creighton in the standings to secure the second Midwest berth. A Creighton win against DePaul Friday would put the Bluejays in the BIG EAST Tournament regardless of Butler's result. Butler and Creighton meet April 10 in Indianapolis in the regular season finale.

BIG EAST play during the 2021 spring includes a home-and-home series with the four other Midwest division schools: DePaul, Xavier, Marquette, and Creighton.

Xavier has been eliminated from BIG EAST Tournament contention at this point in the season.

This will be the 23rd meeting between the Bulldogs and the Musketeers, with Butler holding the lead in the all-time series with a record of 14-6-2. 

In the first matchup between the two teams on March 13 in Indianapolis, the Bulldogs and Musketeers played to a 0-0 double-overtime draw. The game was even between the two sides, with Xavier having the slight advantage in shots at 13-12. Gabriel Gjergji was stellar in the match, recording three saves and a shutout in the contest.

Gjergji has four shutouts on the season. Butler has surrendered only five goals in its six BIG EAST matches.

In Butler's most recent contest against No. 21 Marquette, an overtime penalty kick is what ended the Bulldog's evening. In the 94th minute, Lukas Sunesson converted on the penalty lifting Marquette to victory late in the match. Hemi Nasser led Butler with four shots, and Gjergji had six saves in the game. 

Butler was predicted to win the BIG EAST Midwest Division, which was voted on by the league's head coaches earlier this year. The Bulldogs had two players named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team in sophomore Wilmer Cabrera Jr. and senior defender Rhys Myers.

Cabrera Jr. leads the Bulldogs with three goals and eight points. His three goals (and one assist) came in a 5-0 win over DePaul March 3. He earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week accolades with the performance. Nasser and Tommy Visser each have two goals and six points on the season. Cabrera Jr. also leads the BIG EAST with 31 shots on the season.

Cabrera Jr. was the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2019, after scoring eight goals and starting in every game. Jack Haywood was All-BIG EAST third-team in 2019 after tying for conference high in assists.

Following Saturday's match, Butler will have a week off before returning to action on Saturday, April 10, when they take on Creighton in their final home match of the season. That game is set to kick off at 11:30 a.m. at Varsity Field.