Georgetown, Xavier Advance To BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship Final
Georgetown, Xavier Advance To BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship Final
Every BIG EAST title match since 2016 has featured either Georgetown or Xavier. This year, they'll play each other for the title and NCAA Tournament berth.
The 2022 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship presented by Jeep continued Thursday with the semifinals.
No. 2 Xavier defeated No. 3 St. John’s, 3-1, in double overtime during the first match of the day, followed by No. 1 Georgetown winning a closely contested 1-0 match against No. 5 Creighton.
The Musketeers and Hoyas advance to Sunday’s title match, slated for 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Every BIG EAST title match since 2016 has featured either Georgetown or Xavier. These two teams faced off in the championship game in 2019, where Xavier came away with a 2-0 victory.
The winner of the BIG EAST Championship receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Xavier 3, St. John’s 1
Xavier is headed to the BIG EAST Championship title match for the first time since 2019, having earned the spot with a 3-1 victory in double overtime.
The Musketeers won the rematch of last season’s semifinal game, where the Red Storm earned a 1-0 win.
St. John’s struck first in the match Thursday with a goal in the 23rd minute off a free kick from All-BIG EAST first team member Jessica Garziano, her fourth of the season.
Head coach Nate Lie talks about Xavier's 3-1 double overtime win against St. John's in the BIG EAST Semifinals.#LetsGoX pic.twitter.com/i187wgJDiW
— Xavier Women's Soccer (@XavierWSOC) November 3, 2022
The Musketeers scored an equalizer in the 79th minute, with Emma Flick being assisted by Molly McLaughlin and Ella Rogers to force the match into overtime.
In the first 90 minutes of the match, Xavier outshot the Red Storm 10-5.
The first overtime period was controlled by the Musketeers, who had three shots and scored two goals. The first goal came in the 95th minute by McLaughlin, the 2022 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year.
Four short minutes later, Chloe Netzel put the ball in the back of the net again for Xavier.
St. John’s came out strong in the second overtime with two shots but could not find the back of the net.
St. John’s moved to 7-5-7 on the year. The Red Storm had entered the day with the fourth-highest RPI in the BIG EAST at No. 93.
Georgetown 1, Creighton 0
The Hoyas advance to their seventh straight BIG EAST Championship match after a 1-0 victory over the Bluejays. This win gives Georgetown a 2-0-0 record over Creighton in the BIG EAST Championship semifinals, with the first win coming in the spring 2021 tournament.
All-BIG EAST first team member Gia Vicari scored the lone goal of the match in the 19th minute. It marks Vicari’s sixth goal of the season, and Maja Lardner was credited with the assist.
it's almost like @HoyasWSOC is listening to @John_Fanta on the 🎙️
— BIG EAST Conference (@BIGEAST) November 3, 2022
The @GeorgetownHoyas lead Creighton 1-0 at the half of the BIG EAST semis. #BEsoccer pic.twitter.com/4FZIXxyvP3
The Hoyas outshot the Bluejays 8-1 in the first half, while Creighton had the advantage in the second, outshooting Georgetown 9-5.
Creighton had multiple opportunities to score but had shots that hit the crossbar and goal post on multiple occasions.
Recently crowned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Allie Augur had three key saves to help the Hoyas keep their lead. It was her eighth shutout of the season.
Creighton’s record moved to 8-4-8. The Bluejays came into the day with the fifth-highest RPI ranking in the conference at No. 94.
For more information on the BIG EAST Championship, visit Championship Central here.
BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship
Presented by Jeep
First Round – Oct. 30 (home sites)
No. 3 St. John’s 1, No. 6 UConn 1 (SJU advances in PKs, 4-2)
No. 5 Creighton 1, No. 4 Butler 1 (CU advances in PKs, 6-5)
Semifinals- Nov. 3 – Boyds, Md.
No. 2 Xavier 3, No. 3 St. John’s 1
No. 1 Georgetown 1, No. 5 Creighton 0
Final – Nov. 6, - Boyds, Md.
No. 2 Xavier vs. No. 1 Georgetown, 1:30 p.m. ET, FS1