Sports
By Luke Essig, Sports Editor
Xavier women’s soccer triumphed in the Big East tournament, earning their spot in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven years.
On Nov. 6, the Musketeers beat the University of Connecticut Huskies 7-0, led by a hat trick from 2024 Big East Freshman of the Year Samantha Erbach. She was accompanied by three assists by sophomore Emma Flick. With no real challenge in the game, the Musketeers strolled through the semifinals and into the finals.
Xavier rolled into the Germantown, Maryland Soccerplex coming off of a commanding win, ready to play the Georgetown University Hoyas. Just 45 minutes from D.C., Georgetown had pretty close to home field advantage.
That did not faze the Musketeers.
Georgetown, the No. 12 ranked team at the time, beat the Musketeers 4-0 on Nov. 1. The odds were stacked against Xavier.
A tough game ensued. Georgetown outshot Xavier 13-8. Goalkeeper Maria Galley was tested throughout the 90 minutes, as she protected the shutout and made nine saves.
Only nine minutes in, Erbach broke the deadlock. The forward scored four goals in the two games played of the Big East Tournament, something only the best of the best could achieve.
Xavier wins their first Big East Championship since 2019.
The title looked well in reach when senior forward Regan Dancer scored the team’s second goal in the 78 minute. She had five goals and 10 assists in 20 games this season.
The Musketeers took home the Big East title for the first time since 2019 after being the runners-up in three years straight.
With the win, Xavier earned the sixth seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the Musketeers will play the Dayton Flyers at Corcoran Field on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in an Ohio matchup in the first round.
Dayton went 15-3-3 this season, with a 10-0 record in their conference the Atlantic 10.
Xavier all-time has a 12-26-3 record against the Flyers. Most recently, they faced off in Dayton in September 2024, where the Musketeers won 3-0.
With a win on Saturday, Xavier would move on to the second round to face the winner of No. 3 Colorado vs Utah Valley.
