A Weekend of Field Hockey Championship Implications Field hockey matchups this weekend have serious BIG EAST Championship implications. In what could prove to be a showdown for the regular-season title, No. 6 Syracuse travels to No. 7 Connecticut on Saturday. Both teams stand at the top of the BIG EAST rankings with 3-0 records and have only one blemish on each of their nonconference schedules (UConn 14-1, Syracuse 13-1), both from No. 4 Princeton.
Prior to the battle for first place, Friday will feature a faceoff for third place when No. 14 Louisville hosts Providence. The teams are tied for third in the BIG EAST standings as both boast a 2-2 mark. The Cardinals enter the game at 7-6 overall, while the Friars stand at 5-7. Both teams' two BIG EAST losses were to Syracuse and Connecticut, while both have defeated Villanova and Rutgers. Women's Soccer Strong in Goal In the latest NCAA national statistics released on Oct. 11, five BIG EAST women's soccer teams are ranked in the top 30 of the lowest goals against average in the country. Not surprisingly, all five teams have at least 10 points in conference play and are among the league leaders in the standings.
NCAA Rank Goals Against Avg. Pittsburgh No. 6 0.46 Rutgers No. 7 0.50 St. John's No. 14 0.56 West Virginia No. 27 0.63 Marquette No. 30 0.64 BIG EAST Volleyball Blocks Lead the Nation Recently, USF senior Alli Arbogast became eligible for NCAA statistical leaders after playing 42 sets and now leads the nation with a 1.69 blocks-per-set average. The middle blocker has racked up 11 solo and 60 assisted blocks on the season. Her average surpassed conference rival and senior Sarah Morton of Syracuse (1.53), who was previously first. Morton still leads the nation with 52 solo blocks and 122 total over 80 sets. Her solo amount is 11 more than second place and total blocks are 16 more than Pittsburgh senior middle hitter Meagan Dooley who is second in total rejections.
Men's Soccer Unbeaten Streaks Four men's soccer teams have unbeaten streaks of five games or better. In its last seven games, West Virginia holds a record of 4-0-3, including four straight wins from Sept. 20-Oct. 3. Connecticut is in the midst of a six-game unbeaten streak, having won five of its last six games. The Huskies only tie of the streak came at West Virginia, a 0-0 decision, on Oct. 10.
In the BIG EAST Red Division, both Louisville and St. John's are riding five-game unbeaten streaks. The Cardinals have won four straight games, including a 1-0 home victory over then-No. 3/5 USF on Oct. 7. The Red Storm hold a 1-0-4 record in their last five games. St. John's set a program single-season record for ties in a season, earning its sixth draw of the year at USF on Oct. 10, and added another to its record with a 1-1 draw at Princeton last night.
10 BIG EAST Cross Country Teams Ranked in Men's & Women's Top 30 With the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships just over two weeks away, many teams are positioning themselves for a title run. Six women's and four men's programs are ranked in this week's U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Poll. For the women, No. 2 Villanova and No. 3 West Virginia pace the pack. No. 13 Georgetown, No. 15 Syracuse, No. 25 Providence and No. 30 Notre Dame round out the top 30. Georgetown leads the men's side with a No. 10 ranking. Syracuse is right behind them at No. 11. The top four from the conference is completed by No. 16 Providence and No 24 Villanova.
Courtesy: BIG EAST Conference
