Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer versus UMass Lowell on August 12, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Women's Soccer
vs UMass Lowell
6:30 PM
Providence College Athletics
Sunday, October 13
Cincinnati, Ohio
1:00 p.m.
Providence College
at
Xavier
Photo by: Stew Milne
Women’s Soccer Travels To Xavier For BIG EAST Clash
10/11/2019 2:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence College women's soccer team will travel to Xavier University for a 1:00 kick-off in Cincinnati, Ohio on Sunday, Oct. 13. The Friars tied the DePaul Blue Demons on Thursday, Oct. 10 after a scoreless draw, placing them in a four-way tie for second place in the BIG EAST. Butler, Villanova and DePaul post 2-1-1 conference records alongside Providence, as Georgetown leads the conference with a perfect 4-0 mark.
Defensive Stalemate… Providence played to a scoreless draw against the Blue Demons on Thursday, Oct. 10. DePaul posted four shots on net compared to Providence's three. Neither side built many opportunities with possession staying in the middle third. Hannah McNulty (Warwick, R.I.) posted a team-high four shots while Shelby Hogan (Franklin, Mass.) picked up her fourth clean sheet of the season.
Four-Game Win Streak… Providence's season-best four-game win streak came to an end on Sunday, Oct. 6 when the team hosted No. 11 Georgetown at The Chap. The Friars allowed the first goal of the match in the 28th minute after trading opportunities, the team failed to cut into the lead as No. 11 Georgetown prevailed, 4-0. Providence and Georgetown were the last remaining unbeaten BIG EAST teams heading into the matchup, both holding a 2-0 conference record. This marked the first game this season that the Friars allowed more than one goal in a match.
Providence's second BIG EAST win came in the 106th minute against Marquette in Milwaukee, Wis. when sophomore Elayna Grillakis (Lowell, Mass.) scored her third golden goal of the year and sixth career goal. The goal tied her for the team-lead in goals (five) with Hannah McNulty. Kelsie Cummings (Millbury, Mass.) scored her first career goal in the 45th minute on a feed from Alessandra Arace (Pittsfield, Mass.) to gain a 1-0 advantage. The Golden Eagles found the equalizer in the 79th minute before Providence prevailed in double overtime with the victory. Shelby Hogan recorded five saves on the night to improve to 7-3-1. She now holds a 0.88 goals against average this season with a 0.861 save percentage.
Offensive Breakout… Providence scored a season-best four goals against St. John's in the team's shutout victory on Sept. 28 at Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium to open its BIG EAST schedule. The game marked the first time this season that the margin of victory/defeat was larger than one goal. The Friars improved to 5-1 this season on home turf, and 13-2 over their last 15 games at The Chap.
Overtime Heroes… Seven of the Friars' 13 matches have been decided in overtime this season and they have posted a 5-0-1 mark. Prior to the overtime win over Marquette, Providence's most recent overtime game came against Northeastern with a 2-1 victory on Sept. 22. The Friars gave up a goal in the final minute of the first half. Elayna Grillakis knotted the game at one goal apiece after scoring her second penalty kick goal of the season in the 52nd minute. Hannah McNulty emerged as the hero in the sixth minute of overtime. She gathered the ball at the top of the box before ripping a right-footed shot to the bottom right corner of the net.
Lonestar Statement… The Friars matched up with the Texas Longhorns on Thursday, Sept. 19 in Austin, Texas for the first time in program history. Texas was previously 3-0 against BIG EAST programs this season prior to Providence handing them a 1-0 loss in overtime. Eight minutes into the first overtime period, Elayna Grillakis (Lowell, Mass.) sent Providence home with the golden goal victory. Olivia Lucia (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) played the ball to Amber Birchwell (Mastic, N.Y.) on the end line before Birchwell crossed it to Grillakis to the left of the penalty mark. Grillakis slotted home the game-winner with a right-footed one-timer to the far post. It marked the third goal of Grillakis' career, and second game-winning goal this season. It marked the fourth assist of Birchwell's fourth assist of her career and first this season and Lucia's second career assist. Shelby Hogan (Franklin, Mass.) kept the game scoreless for her third shutout of the season after tallying seven saves.
One-Goal Affairs… 11 of the Friars' 13 matches this season have been decided by one goal or less, with one draw on their record. On Sunday, Sept. 15 Providence fell to its cross-town rival Brown by a 1-0 score, the Bears scored the game-winner in the 30th minute. Shelby Hogan (Franklin, Mass.) tallied six saves on the afternoon while Providence outshot the opposition, 15-12. Alexis Rothmann (Norwell, Mass.) led the offensive push with four shots out of the midfield.
Road Battle… Providence battled to a 1-1 draw on the campus of Boston College on Thursday, Sept. 12. The Eagles gained the lead in the 56th minute after Gianna Mitchell finished a header in the box. The Friars answered with a header goal of their own in the 88th minute. Angie Suaza (Nashua, N.H.) lofted a free kick from the right corner that swept across the box, and Hannah McNulty (Warwick, R.I.) finished with a header near post. The assist marked Suaza's first career point in a Friar uniform and McNulty with a team-leading third goal of the season. Hogan recorded five saves on the night. The Eagles entered the match with a 6-0-0 record.
Friars Picked Third in the BIG EAST Coaches' Poll… The BIG EAST Conference announced its 2019 Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday, Aug. 8. The Friars were picked to finish third among 10 BIG EAST schools behind Georgetown and Butler. Providence finished last season ranked 47th nationally in RPI.
Redshirt junior Shelby Hogan highlighted Providence in the BIG EAST Preseason Awards. She was named BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year as well as being named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. McNulty also earned a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team after a stellar sophomore season. Hogan posted 10 total shutouts in 2018 to tie the program record for a single season, ranking her 12th among all Division I goalkeepers. She finished the season with a 0.77 goals against average, while playing all 1877:39 minutes for the Friars in net.
McNulty and Amber Birchwell (Mastic, N.Y.), the focal point of the Friars' offense, return for their junior seasons. The duo combined to score 16 of the team's 26 goals a season ago. McNulty finished third in the BIG EAST in goals (10) and tied for second in the BIG EAST in game-winning goals (four) with Birchwell. Birchwell sent the Friars to the BIG EAST Semifinal after scoring the lone goal against St. John's in the team's 1-0 win in the BIG EAST Quarterfinal.
Newcomers… The Friars welcome six freshmen and four transfers to the 2019 squad. Incoming freshmen include Sam Murray (Medway, Mass.), Chloe Ortolano (Norwalk, Conn.), Alexis Rothmann (Norwell, Mass.), Angie Suaza (Nashua, N.H.), Lisa Verhoeven (Bunde, Netherlands) and Ava Brandt (Chester, N.J.). Katelyn Vieira (Warwick, R.I.) will use her last season of eligibility after transferring from UMass-Lowell, Kristen Parry (Acton, Mass.) joins Providence as a sophomore who began her career at South Carolina, Mara Rodriguez (Rochester, N.Y.) comes to Providence after one season at West Virginia and Jana Braun (Frittlingen, Germany) enters the 2019 season as a junior after two seasons at Gardner-Webb.
Series History Against Xavier… Sunday's match will break a 4-4 record between Providence and Xavier. The Friars dropped the most recent two matchups, the most recent game coming at home last season on Sept. 27 resulting in a 3-2 loss.
Scouting the Musketeers… Xavier sits in fifth place in the BIG EAST with a 2-2 conference mark and 9-3-2 overall record. Samantha Dewey leads the Musketeers with 12 goals and three assists for a team-high 27 points. No other player on the team has double digit points. Grace Bahr has a team-high six assists alongside one goal. Toni Bizzarro and Olivia Jenkins have each played in seven games in net. Bizzarro has played 664:36 minutes compared to 665:38.
Up Next… Providence will stay on the road for a BIG EAST battle against the Creighton Bluejays. Creighton is fighting for a playoff position with a 1-2-1 record in BIG EAST play.
2019 Providence College Award Winners
Elayna Grillakis
- BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 2)
- BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 23)
- Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week Honorable Mention (Sept. 23)
Shelby Hogan
- BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
- Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
- BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 9, Sept. 30)
- BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week (Sept. 23)
Hannah McNulty
- Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Christina Rodgers
- BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Aug. 26)
-GO FRIARS!-
Defensive Stalemate… Providence played to a scoreless draw against the Blue Demons on Thursday, Oct. 10. DePaul posted four shots on net compared to Providence's three. Neither side built many opportunities with possession staying in the middle third. Hannah McNulty (Warwick, R.I.) posted a team-high four shots while Shelby Hogan (Franklin, Mass.) picked up her fourth clean sheet of the season.
Four-Game Win Streak… Providence's season-best four-game win streak came to an end on Sunday, Oct. 6 when the team hosted No. 11 Georgetown at The Chap. The Friars allowed the first goal of the match in the 28th minute after trading opportunities, the team failed to cut into the lead as No. 11 Georgetown prevailed, 4-0. Providence and Georgetown were the last remaining unbeaten BIG EAST teams heading into the matchup, both holding a 2-0 conference record. This marked the first game this season that the Friars allowed more than one goal in a match.
Providence's second BIG EAST win came in the 106th minute against Marquette in Milwaukee, Wis. when sophomore Elayna Grillakis (Lowell, Mass.) scored her third golden goal of the year and sixth career goal. The goal tied her for the team-lead in goals (five) with Hannah McNulty. Kelsie Cummings (Millbury, Mass.) scored her first career goal in the 45th minute on a feed from Alessandra Arace (Pittsfield, Mass.) to gain a 1-0 advantage. The Golden Eagles found the equalizer in the 79th minute before Providence prevailed in double overtime with the victory. Shelby Hogan recorded five saves on the night to improve to 7-3-1. She now holds a 0.88 goals against average this season with a 0.861 save percentage.
Offensive Breakout… Providence scored a season-best four goals against St. John's in the team's shutout victory on Sept. 28 at Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium to open its BIG EAST schedule. The game marked the first time this season that the margin of victory/defeat was larger than one goal. The Friars improved to 5-1 this season on home turf, and 13-2 over their last 15 games at The Chap.
Overtime Heroes… Seven of the Friars' 13 matches have been decided in overtime this season and they have posted a 5-0-1 mark. Prior to the overtime win over Marquette, Providence's most recent overtime game came against Northeastern with a 2-1 victory on Sept. 22. The Friars gave up a goal in the final minute of the first half. Elayna Grillakis knotted the game at one goal apiece after scoring her second penalty kick goal of the season in the 52nd minute. Hannah McNulty emerged as the hero in the sixth minute of overtime. She gathered the ball at the top of the box before ripping a right-footed shot to the bottom right corner of the net.
Lonestar Statement… The Friars matched up with the Texas Longhorns on Thursday, Sept. 19 in Austin, Texas for the first time in program history. Texas was previously 3-0 against BIG EAST programs this season prior to Providence handing them a 1-0 loss in overtime. Eight minutes into the first overtime period, Elayna Grillakis (Lowell, Mass.) sent Providence home with the golden goal victory. Olivia Lucia (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) played the ball to Amber Birchwell (Mastic, N.Y.) on the end line before Birchwell crossed it to Grillakis to the left of the penalty mark. Grillakis slotted home the game-winner with a right-footed one-timer to the far post. It marked the third goal of Grillakis' career, and second game-winning goal this season. It marked the fourth assist of Birchwell's fourth assist of her career and first this season and Lucia's second career assist. Shelby Hogan (Franklin, Mass.) kept the game scoreless for her third shutout of the season after tallying seven saves.
One-Goal Affairs… 11 of the Friars' 13 matches this season have been decided by one goal or less, with one draw on their record. On Sunday, Sept. 15 Providence fell to its cross-town rival Brown by a 1-0 score, the Bears scored the game-winner in the 30th minute. Shelby Hogan (Franklin, Mass.) tallied six saves on the afternoon while Providence outshot the opposition, 15-12. Alexis Rothmann (Norwell, Mass.) led the offensive push with four shots out of the midfield.
Road Battle… Providence battled to a 1-1 draw on the campus of Boston College on Thursday, Sept. 12. The Eagles gained the lead in the 56th minute after Gianna Mitchell finished a header in the box. The Friars answered with a header goal of their own in the 88th minute. Angie Suaza (Nashua, N.H.) lofted a free kick from the right corner that swept across the box, and Hannah McNulty (Warwick, R.I.) finished with a header near post. The assist marked Suaza's first career point in a Friar uniform and McNulty with a team-leading third goal of the season. Hogan recorded five saves on the night. The Eagles entered the match with a 6-0-0 record.
Friars Picked Third in the BIG EAST Coaches' Poll… The BIG EAST Conference announced its 2019 Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday, Aug. 8. The Friars were picked to finish third among 10 BIG EAST schools behind Georgetown and Butler. Providence finished last season ranked 47th nationally in RPI.
Redshirt junior Shelby Hogan highlighted Providence in the BIG EAST Preseason Awards. She was named BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year as well as being named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. McNulty also earned a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team after a stellar sophomore season. Hogan posted 10 total shutouts in 2018 to tie the program record for a single season, ranking her 12th among all Division I goalkeepers. She finished the season with a 0.77 goals against average, while playing all 1877:39 minutes for the Friars in net.
McNulty and Amber Birchwell (Mastic, N.Y.), the focal point of the Friars' offense, return for their junior seasons. The duo combined to score 16 of the team's 26 goals a season ago. McNulty finished third in the BIG EAST in goals (10) and tied for second in the BIG EAST in game-winning goals (four) with Birchwell. Birchwell sent the Friars to the BIG EAST Semifinal after scoring the lone goal against St. John's in the team's 1-0 win in the BIG EAST Quarterfinal.
Newcomers… The Friars welcome six freshmen and four transfers to the 2019 squad. Incoming freshmen include Sam Murray (Medway, Mass.), Chloe Ortolano (Norwalk, Conn.), Alexis Rothmann (Norwell, Mass.), Angie Suaza (Nashua, N.H.), Lisa Verhoeven (Bunde, Netherlands) and Ava Brandt (Chester, N.J.). Katelyn Vieira (Warwick, R.I.) will use her last season of eligibility after transferring from UMass-Lowell, Kristen Parry (Acton, Mass.) joins Providence as a sophomore who began her career at South Carolina, Mara Rodriguez (Rochester, N.Y.) comes to Providence after one season at West Virginia and Jana Braun (Frittlingen, Germany) enters the 2019 season as a junior after two seasons at Gardner-Webb.
Series History Against Xavier… Sunday's match will break a 4-4 record between Providence and Xavier. The Friars dropped the most recent two matchups, the most recent game coming at home last season on Sept. 27 resulting in a 3-2 loss.
Scouting the Musketeers… Xavier sits in fifth place in the BIG EAST with a 2-2 conference mark and 9-3-2 overall record. Samantha Dewey leads the Musketeers with 12 goals and three assists for a team-high 27 points. No other player on the team has double digit points. Grace Bahr has a team-high six assists alongside one goal. Toni Bizzarro and Olivia Jenkins have each played in seven games in net. Bizzarro has played 664:36 minutes compared to 665:38.
Up Next… Providence will stay on the road for a BIG EAST battle against the Creighton Bluejays. Creighton is fighting for a playoff position with a 1-2-1 record in BIG EAST play.
2019 Providence College Award Winners
Elayna Grillakis
- BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 2)
- BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 23)
- Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week Honorable Mention (Sept. 23)
Shelby Hogan
- BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
- Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
- BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 9, Sept. 30)
- BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week (Sept. 23)
Hannah McNulty
- Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Christina Rodgers
- BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Aug. 26)
-GO FRIARS!-
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/ Women's SoccerWednesday, October 22
Saturday, October 18
Saturday, October 11
Saturday, October 04
