By: Jack Dunn ~Guest Writer~

The women’s soccer team dropped its conference opener to the DePaul Blue Demons after finishing up non-conference play with a win and a loss against Ohio University and Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), respectively. The team is now 6-4-1 on the season and 0-1 in Big East Play.

The Musketeers beat Ohio 2-1 for their sixth victory of the season on Sept. 16. The first goal was scored midway through the first half with sophomore Samantha Dewey adding her fifth tally of the season. After Xavier took the 1-0 lead into halftime, Ohio tied it up early in the second half. The Musketeers were able to retake the lead with 15 minutes left thanks to a strike from the top of the box by senior Tori Doss. It was her second game-winning goal on the year.

After their victory over Ohio, the Musketeers lost a tight game to IUPUI 2-1. After missing her first two chances, junior Kenadie Carlson buried her third goal of the season to put the Musketeers up 1-0. Despite Xavier having a 13-6 shot advantage in the first half, IUPUI evened the score in the 21st minute. IUPUI was able to score again early in the second half, and the Musketeers were unable to recover. Xavier closed non-conference play at 6-3-1.

The Musketeers fell to DePaul 5-0 in their Big East opener, making it only the second time the team was shut out this season. DePaul went into halftime with a 2-0 lead, breaking the game open in the 72nd minute by scoring three goals in seven minutes. The loss puts the team at a 0-1 hole to start conference play.

The Musketeers’ next game will be at Providence on Sept. 29, followed by a home game against No. 3 Georgetown on Oct. 2.