The offer of conference membership from Big East officials to Butler University was no surprise to Butler officials.

In his first interview with The Collegian since the conference switch, President Jim Danko said university officials assessed a second possible move when deciding to move to the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The move to the A-10 did complicate the decision to move again.

“There was discussion about the potential of a Big East invitation,” Danko said. “In this day and age of conference realignment, we knew that it was a possibility.”

The group assessed a 20-percent chance that the Big East would extend an invitation to Butler to join the conference.

Before coming to Butler, Danko served as the School of Business dean at Villanova—a Big East institution. He said the conference splintering was “a long time coming.”

“I was aware of frustrations at those schools even before I stepped onto Butler’s campus,” Danko said. “It wasn’t completely new to me, and I certainly think my background knowledge of the situation helped along the way.”

When the FOX Sports Network made its way into the talks, the chances that Butler would join the conference went from 20 percent to about a “70, 80 or 100 percent chance,” he said.

“The sports network would be very lucrative for the schools involved, or it would at least cover a lot of their expenses,” Danko said. “The problem with these sorts of things is that you never have enough to cover your expenses.

“But the television deal definitely made the conference move more viable.”

As the face value of a potential conference move continued to increase, the deal turned into a “no-brainer.”

“You think about the exposure, the media deal, the realignment with other schools,” Danko said, “it was obvious. The league was turning into a perfect fit.”

Realigning the university with schools to which Butler aspires was another force in the decision.

Costs of the switch are uncertain, Danko said. The A-10 has not finalized Butler’s early exit fee.

“We know what the higher limits are, but nothing has been set in stone,” Danko said.

There are also expenses that come with starting a new conference. Since the new Big East is starting from scratch, there are a lot more costs the university will have to split with the other institutions.

The Butler Board of Trustees, Danko said, was quick to “universally back” a move to the Big East.

Danko said 95 percent of the reactions from the university community have been positive.

“Those with negative responses seem to be operating on a fear of athletics,” Danko said. “And you consider those responses and reactions, and you move forward.”

Danko said the move will continue to make Butler more recognizable on the national stage.

Athletic Director Barry Collier, men’s basketball coach Brad Stevens and Danko all agreed in the discussion about whether to move, that it would only be wise if the basketball team would continue to do well.

“We wouldn’t be doing this if we weren’t going to continue to perform among those other schools,” Danko said. “We were only going to do it if we were going win.”

Butler will be joining one of the nation’s premier basketball conferences when it enters the Big East next season.

Five teams from the new Big East, including the Butler men’s basketball team, were selected for this season’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Marquette (25-8, 14-4 in this season) has been a perennial contender in the Big East since departing Conference USA in 2005.

The Golden Eagles have now made three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances after their 74-72 win against Butler Saturday.

Before becoming a Big East member, Marquette won the 1977 National Championship as an independent.

The team made a run to the Final Four in 2003, led by then-coach Tom Crean and current Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.

Other notable former Golden Eagles include Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews and Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

Georgetown (25-7, 14-4) was a founding member of the original Big East in 1979 and has since won the 1984 National Championship and appeared in four Final Fours.

No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast stunned the No. 2 seed Hoyas 78-68 in a second-round game Friday.

How the loss will affect Georgetown’s star sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. is unclear. Porter said he is undecided on whether he will enter the NBA draft.

Notable former Hoyas include Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing, former Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson and Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert.

Villanova (20-14, 10-8) joined the Big East in 1980 and won the 1985 National Championship over conference rival Georgetown.

The Wildcats have made one Final Four appearance since then and have appeared in eight of the past nine NCAA tournaments.

No. 9 seed Villanova lost to No. 8 seed North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament 78-71 Friday.

Sophomore forward JayVaughn Pinkston led the Wildcats in scoring with an average of 13.1 points per game and is second on the team in rebounding and assists.

Notable former Villanova players include Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry and Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Arizin.

St. John’s (17-16, 8-10) was also a founding member of the Big East, and the program owns the seventh-most victories in NCAA Division I basketball history.

The Red Storm have made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances since joining the conference in the 1979-80 season and advanced to the 1985 Final Four.

Notable former St. John’s players include Hall of Famer Chris Mullin, Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace and Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson.

Providence (18-14, 9-9) was an establishing member of the Big East in 1979.

The Friars have appeared in seven NCAA tournaments since joining the conference, including a trip to the 1987 Final Four when they were coached by current Louisville coach Rick Pitino.

Current Florida coach Billy Donovan was the leading scorer for that 1987 squad.

Other notable former Providence players include Hall of Fame player and coach Lenny Wilkens and former Georgetown coach John Thompson, Jr.

Seton Hall (15-18, 3-15) has also been in the Big East since the founding of the conference.

The Pirates have made nine NCAA tournament appearances, including finishing runner-up in the 1989 tournament when they lost to Michigan 80-79 in overtime.

Notable former Pirates include P.J. Carlesimo, interim coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks center Samuel Dalembert.

DePaul (11-21, 2-16) has been a member of the Big East since 2005 after leaving Conference USA along with Marquette.

The Blue Demons last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2004.

Hall of Fame center George Mikan and former Detroit Pistons forward Mark Aguirre won national player of the year awards for DePaul.

Creighton (28-8, 13-5) is leaving the Missouri Valley to join the Big East.

The No. 7 seed Bluejays lost to No. 2 seed Duke 66-50 in the third round of the NCAA tournament Sunday.

Creighton has advanced to the round of 32 in the past two NCAA tournaments.

Junior forward Doug McDermott finished second in Division I in scoring this season, averaging 23.1 points per game.

The two-time All-American has not yet decided if he will forgo his senior year to enter the NBA draft or return for one more season.

Other notable former Bluejays include Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, former NBA coach Paul Silas and Atlanta Hawks forward Kyle Korver.

Xavier (17-14, 9-7) is leaving the A-10 to join the Big East.

The Musketeers have appeared in 11 of the last 13 NCAA tournaments, highlighted by berths in the Elite Eight in 2004 and 2008.

The team has also made it to at least the Sweet 16 in four of the past six seasons.

Notable former Xavier players include former Heat and Celtics forward James Posey and Pacers forward David West.

ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, Andy Katz and Dana O’Neil have reported Butler will join the “Catholic 7” segment of the Big East next season.

The Butler Collegian reported in December that the Big East would be splitting and Butler was considering joining the Catholic 7, despite being in its first season in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

You can see that article here:

http://thebutlercollegian.com/?s=Catholic+7&x=0&y=0

At that time, Butler President Jim Danko neither confirmed nor denied any intent to switch conferences for the second time in two years.

On Dec. 17, Danko sent an email to the Butler community addressing the rumors.

“In terms of the announcement by the “Catholic 7” schools to separate from the Big East, I greatly respect—and agree with—their collective conviction that, if they do not control their own destiny, someone else will,” Danko said.  “Butler, too, has controlled its destiny proactively, for example, when it made the decision to join the excellent Atlantic 10 Conference.

“Our administrators, our coaches, our trustees and our team will continue to do what is right for Butler and its students.”

Jim McGrath, Butler sports information director, said in an email that the athletics department “has no comment on a change in conference affiliation at this time.”

Reports say Xavier is expected to make the move with Butler, but neither school has made a formal withdrawal from the A-10.

Today in an interview Xavier coach Chris Mack told reporters he had no idea about the rumors and gave no indication that Xavier would leave the A-10.

“Yeah I had no idea about that one,” Mack said. “The A-10′s been great and we’ll see how things play out.”

It could cost Butler as much as $2 million to leave the A-10 without giving a year notice.

The A-10 conference has been contacted for a statement with no response.

The Catholic 7 are: Villanova, Georgetown, St. John’s, DePaul, Marquette, Providence and Seton Hall.

In an email with the Collegian, Georgetown Sports Information Director Mike Carey declined to comment on Butler’s status as it pertains to the Big East and Catholic 7.

The group is expected to retain the Big East name for its new conference.

The split is not official, but is being expedited by a potential media deal with Fox Sports Network. ESPN reported the deal could mean $2 million profit for each of the new conference’s schools.

The Big East, minus the seven, met today but no decision was reached.

Butler is receiving $400, 000 with its current media deal.

The new Big East would be an official conference on July 1.

Last updated Friday, March 1 at 9:20 p.m.

For most teams, splitting a squad up is usually done due to one of three things: injury, illness or disciplinary consequences.

For the Butler track and field team, it’s a little different.

This past weekend, members traveled to multiple meets, but not because of sickness, injured athletes or violating team rules.

The split was completely by choice.

Approximately a dozen Butler runners headed to Bloomington with an assistant coach for the Hoosier Hills Invitational, hosted by Indiana.

Others went to Anderson while a handful of athletes didn’t compete this weekend.

Four other runners flew to the West Coast with coach Matt Roe for the University of Washington’s Husky Classic, held in Seattle.

Roe said in an email that specific meets are better designed for specific athletes.

“Our schedule is composed to give the most appropriate competitive opportunities available for each student-athlete. There are a myriad of items to consider when deciding when and where each individual is to compete.”

He mentioned race distance, health, fitness, long-term and short-term development and academic schedules, all of which vary for each athlete. Roe also said some athletes aren’t racing simply because of the upcoming Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships.

Senior Kirsty Legg didn’t get the weekend off. An All-American in the 1,500-meter run, Legg holds a personal record of 4:40.25 in the mile. This past weekend – her fourth time running in the meet – she placed 14th in the women’s mile at the Husky Classic, racing among multiple All-Americans and pros.

Sophomores Mara Olson and Tom Curr went out to Seattle as well. Olson won her event, beating out more than 30 other runners in the 3,000-meter run and posting a personal record in the process with a time of 9:29.05.

“I like competing at these high-intensity meets,” Olson said. “The atmosphere is more competitive, which can lead to some fast times.”

Curr was 19th overall in the men’s mile with a time of 4:03.14, and junior teammate Ross Clarke was 12th in his section of the same race.

Closer to home, senior Kaitlyn Love competed at the Hoosier Hills Invite. She said that while splitting the team gives people opportunities to compete at a higher level, there were races at the Husky Classic in which the majority of the team could have competed.

“We have so many different talent levels,” Love said. “We have the extreme, and then we have people who really need to go to smaller meets.

“There were some great athletes (at the Husky Classic). But we all probably would’ve done just fine.”

Love ran in the 800-meter race at IU on Saturday—separate from the ordinary 800-meter run—and the fastest heat of the event. Despite confusion with the rabbit, who dictates the early pace in races, Love finished seventh in a time of 2:15.73, which would have been good for 29th at the Husky Classic.

Another big contrast between the meets is the number of professional runners at each event.

The Hoosier Hills Invite had a handful of unattached athletes. In Love’s equivalent race at the Husky Classic, nearly half of the runners were professional or some other form of post-collegiate athlete.

“Just four went to Seattle, so it really doesn’t make a huge difference,” Love said. “I do think it’s good to split sometimes though. And (some of my teammates) got a good challenge and into races that are more competitive.”

The team likely won’t divide again until the outdoor season for the Mt. SAC Relays in California. Next week, all athletes will be in Kingston, R.I., for the A-10 Indoor Championships.

The Butler women’s soccer team is scheduled to play in its first Atlantic 10 Conference tournament tomorrow.

The Bulldogs ended the regular season with an overall record of 11-4-4 and went 5-1-3 in conference play to finish in fourth place.

Butler will be entering the tournament as the No. 4 seed, having won three of its last four matches.

The top eight teams in the A-10 standings qualified for the tournament out of the league’s 16 teams.

No. 5 seed St. Bonaventure is an unfamiliar opponent to the Bulldogs. Tomorrow’s quarterfinal match will be the teams’ first meeting this season. The Bonnies went 8-10-1 overall and 5-4-0 in conference play.

“We haven’t played [the Bonnies], yet it is kind of an advantage because we don’t come in with any preconceived notions,” junior midfielder Mary Allen said. “But it’s kind of a disadvantage too because you don’t know what to expect at all, but I think it’s a good thing we haven’t played them yet.”

If Butler beats St. Bonaventure, the Bulldogs would play the winner of the match between first-seeded La Salle and eighth-seeded Charlotte. The Bulldogs beat Charlotte 1-0 in the regular season finale Sunday. They have not faced La Salle this season.

If Butler does face a familiar opponent later in the tournament, both teams would already know what to prepare for.

“There’s so much to playing a team twice, so even if we play the eight teams we’ve already played, those teams are going to come at us and know how we play (and) go against our weaknesses,” junior midfielder Olivia Colosimo said.

With the potential of playing up to three games in four days, the grind of tournament play can be hard on players.

“Your body doesn’t get a full recovery in between games, but you go into it knowing that,” Colosimo said. “I think you mentally prepare yourself and physically prepare yourself in the days ahead so that you’re ready to play two or three games back to back.”

Players must also prepare themselves for the added pressure of playing in a single-elimination tournament.

“There’s a lot more pressure,” Allen said. “You have to be focused all the time. You can’t let up even for a second because the other team could capitalize on it. One goal could end your season.”

Butler’s quarterfinal match against St. Bonaventure is at 1:30 p.m. in Kingston, R.I. Semifinal matches are on Friday, and the final is on Sunday.

The Butler men’s and women’s cross country teams made history last Saturday as they continued their respective streaks of conference championship victories with victories at the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships.

The men captured their 15th consecutive conference title, and the women brought home their fourth-straight title.

It was the first for both teams in the new conference.

The teams came back from Philadelphia with 16 pieces of hardware and became the first  Butler teams to win titles in the A-10.

The Butler women, led by individual champion junior Katie Clark, finished with a team score of 37 to defeat defending team champion and second-place La Salle by 33 points.

Clark outran runner-up senior Meghan McGlinchey of La Salle over the last 400 meters, clocking a time of 16:55 in the 5-kilometer event.

“That (finish) was pretty much my last gear,” Clark said. “I was just thinking, ‘I’ve made it this far on her shoulder. There’s no way I can’t give this thing my everything when I’m this close to winning.’”

Sophomore Mara Olson finished nearly a full minute behind Clark but was the second Bulldog to cross the line, finishing fifth overall with a time of 17:55. Junior Kirsty Legg was right behind Olson, taking sixth place in 17:58 on the hilly course.

Rounding out Butler’s scoring runners were freshman standout Olivia Pratt, who finished 11th in 18:08, and Lauren McKillop, who placed 14th in 18:20.

All five Butler runners earned All-League honors.

The Butler men also dominated their race, winning by an even larger margin than their female counterparts.

Placing four of five scoring runners in the top eight finishers, the Bulldogs totaled 38 points and defeated runner-up St. Joseph’s by 83 points.

Junior Tom Anderson crossed the line first for Butler and in third place overall, posting a time of 25:51 on the 8-kilometer course.

Junior Ross Clarke followed in fifth place with a time of 25:57, and sophomore Harry Ellis took sixth in 25:58.

“(Ross, Harry and I) were just trying to put ourselves in front of the second kid from St. Joseph’s,” Anderson said, “which was the main aim in order to score well as a team. Then we found we were rolling really nicely and felt really comfortable.

“The course really took care of itself. It’s quite challenging, and coach (Matt Roe) had gotten us in good enough shape to deal with it. It unfolded exactly how we wanted to.”

Freshman Erik Peterson wound up eighth for the Bulldogs with a time of 26:03, and senior Kevin Oblinger ran a time of 26:13 for 16th place.

“We went in with an idea of what we could do and how we wanted to run on both sides,” coach Matt Roe said “and we accomplished what we were hoping for.”

In addition to the team titles and nine All-Conference honors, Pratt and Peterson were named Most Outstanding Rookies in their respective races.

Sixth-year coach Matt Roe also received historic accolades when he was named Coach of the Year on both the men’s and women’s sides. He became the first Butler coach to earn the honor in the A-10.

The NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet, which is the last-chance qualifier for the NCAA National meet, will take place in Louisville, Ky.,  on Nov. 9.

McKillop said she is feeling some pressure heading into the regional meet but said Butler is in an exciting position.

“I’m very positive about this team,” she said. “We have (runners) one through five that are strong, and this is the first time since I’ve been at Butler that we’ve been (this) strong as a whole. It makes me really excited to race regionals in two weeks’ time.”

Her teammates are also fired up, and Clark said all five scorers being named All-Conference make her feel much more confident going into the next race.

“The atmosphere of the team this week has given me a really positive outlook on prospects for regionals,” Clark said. “We just work more as a unit. I feel like our attitudes are collectively more positive than they were at pre-nationals.”

The junior varsity squads will compete in their last meet at the Hoosier Invitational in Bloomington this weekend.

The Butler volleyball team is preparing for its third Atlantic 10 Conference road trip after dropping a pair of matches over the weekend.
The Bulldogs (12-11, 2-7) won a set in their match against league-leading No. 18 Dayton (17-4, 9-0) on Sunday, but the Flyers (17-4, 9-0) captured a 3-1 victory.
The opening-set was a back-and-forth affair that saw Dayton come away with a 26-24 win.
The Bulldogs led through most of the second set and eventually put the Flyers away for their only victory of the match.
Butler kept things close in the third set, but could not down Dayton a second time. This scene repeated itself in the fourth set, which the Flyers won to end the match.
Butler coach Sharon Clark said she was still proud of the Bulldogs’ effort despite the result.
“We really kept playing and played tough, but (the Flyers) dug more balls than we did and were able to terminate when they needed to, and that was the difference” said Clark.
“We stuck to our game plan” junior middle back Maggie Harbison said. “Although we didn’t win, we found great successes and took a huge step forward.”
Leading the Bulldogs was sophomore outside hitter Belle Obert with 17 kills. Sophomore middle back Erica Stahl added eight blocks, and sophomore libero Brooke Ruffolo tallied 21 digs.
On Friday, Butler fell in straight sets to Xavier.(15-9, 7-2)
The Musketeers (15-9, 7-2) jumped out to a big lead to open the contest, grabbing a 13-3 advantage in the opening set.
The hole would prove to be too much for the Bulldogs to dig out of, as they lost the first set 25-18.
In the second set, Butler and Xavier were close in the early stages. Eventually, the Musketeers gained the upper hand and came away with a 25-20 set victory.
The Bulldogs refused to go away in what proved to be the final set, although they eventually lost 25-23 to give Xavier the match.
Junior middle back Claire Randich provided 11 kills and three blocks for Butler. Junior setter Morgan Peterson also recorded three blocks, and Ruffolo added 17 digs.
The Bulldogs will head east for their next two matches, against Fordham (13-14, 5-3) Friday and Rhode Island (7-14, 3-5) Saturday.

The women’s cross country team has seen a fresh face arrive on the team this season in the form of freshman Olivia Pratt.

The Madison, Wis., native was victorious in the Bulldog’s season-opening race at Illinois, winning the four-kilometer race with a time of 14:18 to finish at the front of the 65-runner field.

Pratt has also earned the distinction of capturing the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Rookie of the Week award twice this season after her win at Illinois and her 13th-place finish at Toledo that helped Butler win the meet’s team title.

Pratt said it was satisfying to win those awards, but she is just as happy seeing her teammates be competitive and win awards as well.

“It was pretty gratifying to see that, but what I loved is that Katie (Clark) won the (A-10) Athlete of the Week,” Pratt said. “Really, having Rookie of the Week or Athlete of the Week, it’s just recognition for something that’s much more exciting, and that’s how we did at Toledo.”

Winning the first race of the season and her collegiate career with such a quick time was not something she expected to see.

“I’ve never raced that kind of time right off the bat, and it’s during the season,” Pratt said. “I was just feeling pretty confident coming into the race, and I knew (sophomore) Mara (Olson) had won it the year before, and I just wanted to go try and get it.”

Junior Kirsty Legg said it helps having a freshman be able to provide the rest of the team with consistency.

“It’s great that she’s able to just come in and be in our top five easily, and we can always count on her,” Legg said.

Coach Matt Roe said Pratt has proven to be a difference-maker on the team earlier than expected.

“We knew that she was a really good competitor in high school,” Roe said. “She was really consistent in racing at a high level, but she’s proved to be a better competitor than we really had imagined.

“That’s been a real shot in the arm for everyone on the team.”

College life has made it more convenient for Pratt to balance academics and athletics.

“One of the big differences is that running is built into my days here,” Pratt said. “I live on campus, I run on campus, I go to the training room on campus. It feels much more central to my life now just because it’s right here.”

Adjusting to college life while also being a student-athlete may be a challenge for some, but Roe said he has not seen that with Pratt.

“She’s a great student, and that’s one of the things we obviously liked about her,” Roe said. “We also liked that she was organized, so we felt that she would make a good transition on campus, and she certainly has.”

After beating only a handful of teams last year, the Butler women’s swim team faces a huge challenge in moving to the Atlantic 10 Conference this season.

Despite the lingering competition, the non-scholarship squad has a positive outlook that it will have a good season, particularly in the classroom.

“I think, at first, we were definitely kind of nervous about (the conference switch),” junior Rosalie Fidanze said, “but it’s exciting to get a new set of teams to compete against.”

A goal exists for the Bulldogs to beat a certain number of teams this season, as well as hit particular individual times. Aside from all other goals, the team has historically pushed for, and held, just under a 3.5 GPA as a group.

“We’ve been a scholar All-American team every semester since I’ve been here,” junior Lauren Lambrecht said. “We realize that the A-10 is a very challenging conference, especially for us being non-scholarship.”

Lambrecht said, at least in the pool, it’s mostly about getting people into finals at the conference meet and making sure everybody is meeting personal goals. And as one of just a couple of A-10 teams without divers, Butler is at an immediate disadvantage.

But the team makes up for it in the classroom. Since 2004, Butler has been Academic All-American every semester. Teams have to pull a 3.25 GPA or better to qualify, and upperclassmen on the squad are confident that the trend will continue.

“A lot of our goals are GPA-related,” said sophomore Lauren Scotti, who said women’s swimming has had the highest team GPA on campus for a while. “We have a great group of freshmen who came in this year, and we’re really expecting a lot from them.”

Coach Maurice Stewart said the move to the A-10 is an exciting time for the university and athletics, and that he’s equally excited for the largest freshman recruiting class women’s swimming has ever had.

“It’s 14 girls who bring a lot of talent and a lot of good background that’s going to help elevate our level of competitiveness,” Stewart said. “They will hopefully set the tone for where we eventually want our program to go, which is to be competitive in the A-10 Conference.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenge, but I think these girls are beginning to realize and embrace the challenges that we have. I’m confident that they’re going to—at the very least—help us move into becoming a team that can have a potential to be competitive in the A-10 Conference.”

But the expectations don’t stop at the end of the pool. In addition to the historically-high GPA for Butler’s campus, women’s swimming was actually a top-five academic squad in the nation in 2008 holding a 3.63 average to rank the team fourth in the nation for Division I squads.

“It’s getting harder and harder to get into Butler,” Lambrecht said, “but I really think (the freshmen) will be able to help us out both in the pool and in the classroom.”

The main focus before the next competition is simply racing, making sure the swimmers are totally ready and pushing all the way through each event, as well as tweaking some of the little things.

But the Bulldogs are ready to put in the work and is excited about upcoming events.

“I feel good about the season,” Fidanze said. “We have a lot of new freshmen and a good amount of returners, and I think the balance between the two and the talent on the team is going to be good.”

Butler takes on Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Eastern Illinois at the IUPUI Natatorium on Oct. 19.

The Butler men’s soccer team looks to shake off a nail biting conference road match against nationally ranked Xavier.

The two teams played to a scoreless tie through the first half of the match.  Xavier midfielder Andrew Jordan’s short shot to the right corner of the net at 42 minute ended the gridlock between both teams.  The goal was Jordan’s third of the season and gave the unbeaten and nationally-ranked Musketeers (9-0-2, 2-0 in A-10 play) a 1-0 advantage going into the locker room at halftime.

The two teams continued to battle through the first 30 minutes of the second half, before Butler’s Jordan Burt tied the match off an unassisted goal from 18 yards out in the 76minute of the game.

“I think the match really just came down to how you defend in your box and how you attack,” said head coach Paul Snape, “They were a bit better than us today,”

The game-winner by Xavier’s James Queree came in the 82 minute of the game; just five minutes after Butler had tied the match on a goal by junior Jordan Burt. Queree’s goal was fired from eight yards out on the left side of the goal.

“Our team is playing hard and moving the ball well, we just haven’t been able to really click on offense and then we end up making one or two costly mistakes in the back,” said senior co-captain Jared Isenthal, “We really felt we were the better team going into the game.”

Xavier finished with a slight 12-11 advantage in shots and a six-four edge in corner kicks.  Butler goalkeeper Jon Dawson, coming off a career-high nine saves at Dayton, finished with five saves, including one up close in the closing minutes of the match.

“I thought we played really well, we just lost focus. Not once but twice. We did do well coming back from a goal down but sometimes a losing score isn’t what you want to see,” said Butler goalkeeper Jon Dawson, “We really have to get it going for next week.”

The Bulldogs will open up their first home Atlantic 10 match on Friday, Oct. 12, against Richmond at the Butler Bowl.