The Butler women's soccer team continues its battle for a spot in the postseason BIG EAST Tournament, traveling to Villanova for its final regular season match of the season this Saturday. The Bulldogs (5-4-7, 2-3-4 BIG EAST), saw a pair of draws last week on the road at St. John's and at home vs. Creighton.
 
Villanova (9-8-0, 4-5-0 BIG EAST) is coming off a string of losses to Providence, No. 12 Georgetown, and UConn.
 
Both Butler and Villanova need a win in the match to avoid elimination from the BIG EAST Tournament field (see below).

Bulldog Bits

         through games 10/26/25

• Talia Sommer ranks fifth in the BIG EAST (51st nationally) with seven assists, and she ranks fifth with 1.19 points per game. She is fourth in the conference (80th) in shots on goal per game (1.50) and fourth (36th) in shots per game (3.69).
• Leila Lister is third in the BIG EAST (83th nationally) with a .533 shot accuracy.
• Léa Larouche is eighth in the BIG EAST with 5 assists.

       vs. Creighton

• Talia Sommer notched an "olympico," scoring directly into the net off a corner kick. The goal was her sixth this season, and she now has 28 in her career. She has moved up to seventh on two of Butler's All- Time lists: career goals and career points (80).

Butler's BIG EAST Tournament Scenarios

• The top four teams in the BIG EAST standings (based on points accumulated during regular season conference play) qualify for the 2025 BIG EAST Women's Soccer Tournament. Georgetown, Xavier and UConn have already clinched three of those four spots in the bracket entering Saturday's games that conclude the regular season.
• To earn the No. 4 seed and a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament, Butler must defeat Villanova Saturday and have both of the following scenarios play out:

1. Creighton loses to or ties St. John's AND
2. Providence loses to or ties DePaul.
 

• If Butler ties or loses to Villanova Saturday, they are eliminated from BIG EAST Tournament consideration.

Butler at Villanova
DATE/TIME:    Saturday, November 1 / 3PM
LOCATION:     Villanova, Pa. / Higgins Soccer Complex
LIVE VIDEO:    ESPN+
LIVE STATS:   butlersports.com (StatBroadcast)
 
Villanova has wins this season that include Marquette, St. John's, DePaul, Seton Hall, Penn, Lehigh, Bucknell, and Columbia. Losses include No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 12 Georgetown, No. 24 Xavier, Providence, UConn, Creighton, and Michigan.

The Series: Butler leads the overall series, 7-4-2, and the Bulldogs won the most recent match, 2-1, last season in Indianapolis.

• Butler is unbeaten in the most recent nine contests, from 2015 through 2024. The Bulldogs have seven wins in the period with ties coming in 2019 and 2023.
• Villanova won the first four meetings, in 2001, 2006, 2013, and 2014. The 2014 win for the Wildcats, which was in Indianapolis, is their most recent.