The Saint Louis Billikens are on an 11-game winning and shutout streak and can advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a win over Georgetown on Friday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| SLU WOMEN’S SOCCER GAME NOTES & INFORMATION | |
| Game 23 | Saint Louis University (18-2-2) vs. Georgetown (13-1-7) |
| Date // Time | Friday, November 17, 2023 // 2 p.m. CT |
| Location | University Park, Pa. (Jeffrey Field) |
| NCAA Digital Program | Program |
| Watch | ESPN+ |
| Live Stats | NCAA.com |
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — The two oldest Jesuit universities in the United States, Georgetown (founded 1789) and Saint Louis University (founded 1818), hold their first women’s soccer meeting Friday afternoon, when the Billikens and Hoyas will meet with a trip to the NCAA Championship Sweet 16 on the line.
Georgetown is the No. 3 seed, with a 13-1-7 record, while Saint Louis is the No. 6 seed, with a 18-2-2 mark. The winner will face the winner of the day’s other second round match between No. 2 seed and host school Penn State and No. 7 seed Santa Clara.
The Sweet 16 game will be played on Sunday at noon.
SLU brings an 11-game winning streak – the nation’s second-longest current streak behind Memphis (16) – a school-record 11-game shutout streak and a 17-game unbeaten streak (15-0-2) into Friday’s game. A No. 6 seed, the Billikens earned the Atlantic 10 Conference’s automatic bid by winning the A-10 Championship and advanced by defeating Indiana 2-0 in the opening round.
Georgetown tied Xavier for the Big East Conference regular-season crown and beat the Musketeers 2-0 in the league’s tournament final to collect an automatic bid. The Hoyas edged Old Dominion 2-1 in overtime in NCAA first-round action.
Saint Louis ranks among the top 10 nationally in 10 categories, including No. 1 rankings in goal differential (+59) and save percentage (.904), a No. 2 standing in shutout percentage (.682, 15 shutouts in 22 games), and No. 3 ratings in goals per game (3.14) and shots on goal per game (9.55).
Just as they did during the regular season, the Billikens have featured a balanced attack in postseason play. In four tournament games – three in the A-10 Championship, one in the NCAA Championship – seven different players have at least one goal, and 11 players have at least one point.
Like Saint Louis, Georgetown is a strong defensive team. The Hoyas rank eighth in the nation in shutout percentage (.619, 13 clean sheets in 21 games), 12th in goals against average (0.52) and 17th in save percentage (.853). Georgetown also is third nationally in corner kicks per game (8.00).
The Hoyas are 2-0-1 against common opponents with the Billikens. In addition to a 0-0 regular-season draw with Xavier and its conference tournament victory over the Musketeers, Georgetown edged Creighton 1-0.
Players to Watch: The Billikens are led by 2023 Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Emily Gaebe. The junior from Union, Mo., has 15 goals and seven assists for 37 points this season.
Senior teammate Caroline Kelly 12 goals and five assists for 29 points, while juniors Hannah Sawyer and Hannah Larson have nine goals and nine assists, respectively.
Georgetown is led by senior Aliie Winstanley, who has five goals and five assists this season. Sophomore Natalie Means also has five goals, while senior Tatum Lenain has five assists.
