DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Meets Providence in First Round of BIG EAST Championship
10/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - The DePaul women's soccer team is BIG EAST Championship tournament bound for the eighth time in its program's history as the Blue Demons were the final team to punch their postseason ticket, using a 1-0 victory over St. John's Thursday afternoon in a win-or-go-home regular-season finale, to the 2017 BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship tournament.
The six-team tournament field will battle through three rounds of play to crown the 2017 tournament champion. Receiving a first-round bye are top-seeded Georgetown and second-seeded and 20th-ranked Butler. In the first quarterfinals matchup, fifth-seeded Xavier will travel to Milwaukee, Wis., to face fourth-seeded Marquette. The winner of that match will face Georgetown in the semifinals.
On the opposite side of the bracket, the sixth-seeded Blue Demons will hit the road to Providence, R.I., where DePaul will battle third-seeded Providence for a spot in the semifinals against Butler. Both semifinals matches will be played on Nov. 2.
DePaul has reached the BIG EAST tournament six seasons in-a-row. In the 2017 regular season, the Royal Blue and Scarlet posted a 7-7-4 mark, going 3-2-4 in BIG EAST play. Six of DePaul's seven wins came by way of a shutout victory where the Blue Demons outscored their opponents 16-0 during that stretch.
Overall, DePaul netted 26 goals in the regular season where junior Franny Cerny led the way with a BIG EAST best 10 goals on 53 shots. The Berkeley, Calif., native recorded 22 points on the season also dishing out two assists. Senior Alexa Ben has been a continual fighter for the Blue Demons as the Senior CLASS Award Finalist and MAC Hermann Trophy watch list candidate has scored on seven occasions, including a hat-trick in DePaul's 6-3 win against Villanova on Oct. 22.
Head coach Erin Chastain picked up her 100th career victory in DePaul's win-or-go-home regular-season finale against St. John's. Coach Chastain's goalkeeper, senior Lauren Frasca, has made 66 saves on season in 1700 minutes of play, notching five solo shutouts while combining with Vanessa Nigg for two more. Frasca carries a 1.13 goals against average while posting a .759 save percentage.
Freshman Morgan Turner and junior Madeline Frick continue to be offensive enforcers for DePaul, combining for five goals and seven assists, while seniors Lucy Edwards and Elizabeth Endy have held down the midfield and defensive line, respectively, for the Blue Demons.
DePaul enters Sunday's First Round match against the Friars on a five-match unbeaten streak that dates back to Oct. 8. During that stretch, the Blue Demons went 2-0-3, picking up draws with Xavier, Butler, and Providence.
The Blue Demons lead the all-time series with Providence, which dates back to 2005, 7-6-1. In the two squads' meeting earlier this season on Oct. 19, the match ended in a scoreless draw. Providence outshot DePaul 15-6 in the contest while the Blue Demons won the corners battle 3-2. Providence carries a 5-1-1 record at home against the Blue Demons. The Friars won the only post-season meeting against DePaul in 2015 with a 1-0 result in the quarterfinals play.
Providence (10-7-1, 5-3-1 BIG EAST) enters Sunday's contest off the heels of a 2-1 loss to Creighton in the Friars' regular-season finale. Prior to the loss, Providence carried a five-match unbeaten streak where the Friars defeated St. John's (2-1) on Oct. 5 and Seton Hall (2-1) on Oct. 22 while capturing shutouts against Marquette (1-0), then-ranked No. 15 Georgetown (1-0), and DePaul (0-0, 2OT). The Friars have had multiple offensive threats in 2017 as 14 different players have tallied a goal.The Friars have netted 22 goals in 18 matches this season, allowing their opponents 19 scores while holding their competition scoreless on seven occasions. Hannah McNulty and Casey Estey have combined for 70 of the Friars' 222 shots. Kayla Steeves has been the key distributor for Providence as the midfielder has recorded a team-best three assists. Between the posts, Shelby Hogan has made 75 saves in 1600 minutes of play, allowing just 17 goals to carry a 0.96 goals against average in 18 matches. Hogan has turned in seven shutouts while boasting a .815 save percentage.
The third-seeded Friars have made seven appearances in the BIG EAST tournament, with 2017 being their fourth in-a-row. Providence is 4-5-1 all-time in BIG EAST tournament play, winning their lone championship in 1993 with a 1-0 result against Connecticut.
Five of the six participants in this season's tournament have BIG EAST Championship titles to their credit, with Georgetown winning in 2016, Butler in 2015, DePaul in 2014, Marquette in 2012 and 2013, and Providence in 1993.
DePaul has made eight appearances, beginning with its 2009 meeting with South Florida, in the BIG EAST tournament where the Blue Demons have recorded a 5-5-2 mark. The Blue Demons have made two championship match appearances (2013, 2014) where they captured the 2014 crown with a 2-0 win against Georgetown.
DePaul's match against Providence will take place at Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium in Providence, R.I. First touch is set for 1:00 p.m. Central.
The BIG EAST's champion will be crowned on Sunday, Nov. 5 live on Fox Sports 1 at 12:30 p.m. Central.
