With Butler University’s intention to join the new Big East official, people both inside and outside the Butler community have begun speculating how it will affect the men’s basketball team.

Less immediate attention has been placed on how the change could affect Butler’s 17 other athletic teams.

Based on recent history, those teams could experience varying levels of success in their first Big East seasons.

Butler’s athletic programs stepped up to the plate, and many had or are still having successful seasons in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Butler men’s soccer coach Paul Snape had his team in the hunt for an A-10 tournament berth on the final day of the season.

Snape said Butler’s time in the A-10 helped his team prepare for “elite” competition in the new Big East.

“The boys have to make sure they’re ready to go,” Snape said. “Nothing less than 100 percent is going to win us a game.

“If you lack focus or make a mistake, (Big East teams) punish you because they’re just quicker, stronger and faster than what you’ve played against before.”

Snape’s squad will have to face the national runner-up team from Georgetown and national semifinalist Creighton on a regular basis next season. St. John’s men’s soccer team was the national runner-up in 2003 as well.

“Long term, I think (the move) is fantastic,” Snape said. “But in the short term, we’ve got a few challenges we’ve got to deal with, and (we have to) make sure we’re fully prepared for playing in one of the elite conferences in the country.”

In women’s soccer, the new Big East will harbor the top two seeds from the most recent Big East conference tournament.

Butler’s men’s and women’s cross country teams have been national players in recent years. The women’s team made the NCAA final meet in 2012 by placing fourth in its regional meet.

Matt Roe, coach for both of Butler’s cross country teams, said his teams always aim to be competitive on a national level, but winning a conference championship will be harder for his teams than ever before.

“If you know anything about the Big East on the track and in cross country, you know it’s arguably the toughest conference in the country,” Roe said. “Obviously, the bar is even higher than it had been in the Atlantic 10 and the Horizon League.”

Women’s cross country in the new Big East will be especially competitive.

Villanova University took home the women’s national title in 2009, and Georgetown’s squad took the title the following two seasons. Providence College fielded the national runner-up in 2012.

“Ultimately, our goal is to compete against these teams, as it has been for a long time,” Roe said.

The Butler volleyball team reeled off five consecutive wins to close its only A-10 season and earn the No. 6 seed in the A-10 tournament.

But coach Sharon Clark said the team’s inclusion in the Big East is a big competitive step from both the Horizon League and the A-10.

“We’ve got several programs throughout that are all going to be in the same conference that are top 100 programs (in the nation),” Clark said. “I think the Big East presents an opportunity for us to showcase our university and athletic program on a much higher level.”

Clark’s team will compete against a Marquette squad that went 27-7 last season and a Creighton team that went 26-3 and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Both of Butler’s track and field teams will experience tough competition from Villanova, Georgetown and Providence.

Butler will compete against five other teams in women’s swimming. Creighton, Marquette, St. John’s and DePaul do not have women’s swim programs.

Creighton, St. John’s and Villanova sent their women’s basketball teams to the ongoing NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament.

As for spring sports, DePaul offers relatively strong men’s and women’s tennis teams. St. John’s had the highest-seeded men’s team of the Catholic 7 in the 2012 conference tournament schools, while DePaul had the strongest-seeded women’s squad of the new Big East group.

Butler’s men’s golf team will have good competition in the form of teams from Villanova, St. John’s and Georgetown.

There are only six women’s golf teams in the new Big East, including Butler’s team. Seton Hall’s team was the best of those from all the new Big East schools in the 2012 conference tournament.

Butler’s baseball and softball teams started their A-10 seasons a combined 5-0. The softball team will face decent competition in the Big East while the baseball team will have to deal with last season’s Big East conference champ St. John’s and an NCAA tournament team in Creighton.

In the A-10, Butler’s teams travelled to new locations for in-conference games. Snape said getting his team familiar with more new environments offered by the Big East will be a key to success.

“What will change is making sure the boys understand the strengths and weaknesses of each conference and making sure they understand the environments,” Snape said.

“Our focus in these next four, five months is to gain as much information about the cities, about the colleges, about the facilities so we can educate our players on what to expect.”

Snape said his team’s schedule and when the Bulldogs will be on the road is another concern.

“We’re going to play up in the Northeast in October and early November, (which is) certainly different than if you played there at the end of September because of the weather,” Snape said.

From a recruiting perspective, Snape, Roe and Clark all said the Big East move should benefit their teams.

Clark said she is glad Butler is playing in Chicago and Milwaukee again, as many of her team’s players have come from the Chicagoland area.

Roe said the move can be beneficial to Butler’s cross country and track and field teams outside the U.S.

“Georgetown, Providence and Villanova are national brands in our sport,” Roe said, “and to be aligned with them is going to help us on a national and international recruiting page.”

Snape said he hopes Butler’s move to the Big East can help it’s men’s soccer team recruit players who might otherwise consider more well-known conferences.

“We can actually go further (while recruiting) and maybe hit the East Coast,” Snape said. “If we can (also) have a prominent image in (Chicago), maybe we can compete for players with the Big Ten. Maybe they’ll look and say, ‘Hey, I can go get a soccer experience playing at Butler in that Big East.’”

Clark said many people may not realize how difficult it is for fall sports to turn around and prepare for a new conference in such a short period of time.

“It’s almost April right now, so in four or five months we’re going to be doing a completely different thing than we just did for eight months, which for me is different than the last 13 years,” Clark said.

Clark said she is also concerned about the level of funding her team has in comparison to some of the other teams the Bulldogs will be facing.

However, she said her student-athletes are “resilient” and will “rise to the occasion” when preparing for another new conference.

“Any coach, any player that’s truly a competitor wants to compete against the best all the time,” Clark said. “I’m very excited for where we’re headed.”

The Butler Men’s soccer team will begin a stretch of three consecutive matches in Ohio with a non-conference game at Ohio State tonight.

Since 1998, the Bulldogs and Buckeyes have played eight games with the Buckeyes leading the series with six wins and two losses against Butler. The two teams last met at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus, Ohio in a match on September 20, 2009.

The Bulldogs lost that game 2-1, breaking a four game win streak. But now three years later, the Bulldogs will travel once again to Columbus and head coach Paul Snape said feels good going in.

“Ohio State men’s soccer has a strong tradition of winning and they are better than their current record shows,” Snape said. “I expect it to be a physical game and a tactical battle. The boys are very excited to be playing at the famous Jesse Owens Stadium.”

After a loss and two ties, the Bulldogs finally grabbed a victory, rolling over Evansville 3-0. The win gave junior goalkeeper Jon Dawson his third shutout of the season and his second at home. Dawson said he is ready for the next step of this journey for the Bulldogs.

“We have really been clicking as a team and going to Columbus will be exactly what we need to continue our form this season,” Dawson said. “It’ll be a great game in a great environment.”

The younger players on this Bulldogs squad have seemed to step up under the leadership provided so far.

Freshman forward Jeff Atkins currently leads the Bulldogs with 6 points as the freshman has racked up two goals and two assists in the seven games he has played. Senior captain Jared Isenthal said he believes that this progress is moving the team in the right direction.

“After a great win last week, I believe this team is really coming together,” Isenthal said. “A strong week of preparation and practice has given us a good outlook forward as we go into playing a tough Big Ten opponent.”

The Butler Men’s soccer team will begin a stretch of three consecutive matches in Ohio with a non-conference game at Ohio State tonight.

Since 1998, the Bulldogs and Buckeyes have played eight games with the Buckeyes leading the series with six wins and two losses against Butler. The two teams last met at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus, Ohio in a match on September 20, 2009.

The Bulldogs lost that game 2-1, breaking a four game win streak. But now three years later, the Bulldogs will travel once again to Columbus and head coach Paul Snape said feels good going in.

“Ohio State men’s soccer has a strong tradition of winning and they are better than their current record shows,” Snape said. “I expect it to be a physical game and a tactical battle. The boys are very excited to be playing at the famous Jesse Owens Stadium.”

After a loss and two ties, the Bulldogs finally grabbed a victory, rolling over Evansville 3-0. The win gave junior goalkeeper Jon Dawson his third shutout of the season and his second at home. Dawson said he is ready for the next step of this journey for the Bulldogs.

“We have really been clicking as a team and going to Columbus will be exactly what we need to continue our form this season,” Dawson said. “It’ll be a great game in a great environment.”

The younger players on this Bulldogs squad have seemed to step up under the leadership provided so far.

Freshman forward Jeff Atkins currently leads the Bulldogs with 6 points as the freshman has racked up two goals and two assists in the seven games he has played. Senior captain Jared Isenthal said he believes that this progress is moving the team in the right direction.

“After a great win last week, I believe this team is really coming together,” Isenthal said. “A strong week of preparation and practice has given us a good outlook forward as we go into playing a tough Big Ten opponent.”

Butler University’s move to the Atlantic 10 Conference brought praise from  coaches of several different athletic teams on campus.

Men’s basketball coach Brad Stevens said the move to the A-10 was no surprise and that the conference is one of the best basketball conferences in the county.

“It is one heck of a basketball league, and [it will be] strong this year,” Stevens said.

Stevens also said that this move provides his team a better chance of entering the NCAA tournament. Last year, the A-10 sent four teams to the NCAA tournament, whereas the Horizon League sent only one.

While there may be greater opportunities in basketball, softball saw no change in its quest for a championship.

The softball team must win the A-10 tournament in order to advance to the NCAA championship tournament, just as it was required to do in the Horizon League.

Despite this challenge, coach Scott Hall called the move a great opportunity and said he is excited for different challenges.

Hall, who enters his third year as Butler’s coach, said though he was just getting adjusted to Horizon League play, he is glad the move was made.

“I’m excited for the change,” Hall said. “Butler is a better fit for the A-10.”

As a spring sport, softball has more time to prepare for its new opposition. Hall said his upperclassmen are excited for the change in competition and scenery.

Men’s soccer coach Paul Snape also had a positive reaction to the move.

“We can really establish ourselves (in the A-10),” Snape said.

Butler’s change in conference entry date was altered over the summer, and, as a result, soccer and other fall sports have had little time to prepare for their new opponents.

Snape said his team moved on because there was nothing they could do.

Snape said the team was lucky that it did not have to change its packed and competitive schedule despite the quick move.

Stevens, Hall and Snape all said that this move will be great for the university within and outside athletics.

All three said they believe the move to the East Coast will drastically help their teams through recruiting, exposure, demographics and new markets.

Snape said more people will see the Bulldog signage, and the move exposes Butler to a region that may not know a lot about Butler.

“Whether you’re looking at academic reputation, recruitment of students, athletic competition and branding and so forth, it’s getting our brand out there on a bigger stage,” athletic director Barry Collier said.

Stevens said that the exposure of Butler on the East Coast should help build the school’s reputation nationwide.

“[The move] will show how ‘The Butler Way’ is the way to go,” he said.

Spring has arrived on campus, but that does not mean the school’s fall athletic teams are resting easy.

The Butler men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball teams are currently participating in spring seasons even though their regular seasons are still months away.

The men’s and women’s soccer teams are both in the middle of month-long exhibition seasons that run from late March to the end of April.

The men’s squad took on Oakland last Saturday and has four games remaining this spring. The women’s team has already faced three teams and will take on Indiana on April 21.

Men’s soccer coach Paul Snape said playing games against other schools in the offseason gives players a chance to face off against different competitors.

“The problem is when you play against each other, you can get stale,” Snape said, “so playing other teams is a great opportunity to stay fresh.”

Junior forward Katie Griswold, a member of the women’s soccer team, said spring games help the team plan strategy for the fall season.

“[Spring games] let our coaches see what we need to work on, what will best suit the team and which formations will fit our team best,” Griswold said.

The volleyball team has matches scheduled on each of the first three Saturdays in April.

Junior outside hitter Rachel Barber said that the younger members of the team take advantage of the spring season.

“(The spring season) benefits the younger players the most,” Barber said. “It’s about getting comfortable with each other and allowing the coaches to develop players.”

The football team may not have games scheduled for the offseason, but coach Jeff Voris has 14 practices planned between March 23 and April 20.

The practices will culminate in the annual Blue-White Spring Game on April 21.

Sophomore running back Trae Heeter said that the squad focuses on re-implementing the team’s formations.

It also gives younger players time to impress the coaching staff.

“In the spring, we re-install either our offensive schemes or our defensive schemes,” Heeter said. “It’s basically a time for the guys that have been here to continue to work on their skills and for the freshmen and sophomores to go out there and show the coaches what they can do.”

The two-part scenario was simple for the Butler men’s soccer team entering last Wednesday: Win or tie the final two matches of the regular season or go home.

The second match resulted in a 1-0 loss for the Bulldogs (7-8-3, 2-4-2) to the league’s second place team, Wright State, on Saturday afternoon at the Butler Bowl, capping a disappointing conference season.

“We went out there and had to play positive,” coach Paul Snape said. “We had to make sure that we didn’t overcommit ourselves, and we went out and created a lot of good chances.”

Photo by Maria Porter

Butler had put itself in position to move on to the Horizon League Tournament with a win or tie against the Raiders (10-6-2, 5-2-1) after tying 1-1 with league-leading Valparaiso on Wednesday.

The Bulldogs had several scoring opportunities early on, including freshman forward Chad Rigg striking the crossbar with a shot in the opening minute of the match.

However, the first major  momentum shift came in Wright State’s favor when sophomore midfielder Will McAteer successfully converted a corner kick in the 24th minute for the match’s first and only goal.

“[Snape] articulated some good tactical aspects at halftime that put us in position to score,” junior defenseman Jared Isenthal said. “Our execution kind of failed us.”

The Raiders were able to keep the Bulldogs from scoring the rest of the match despite Butler finishing with a 17-8 advantage in shots and a 9-4 advantage in shots-on-goal.

In the final 15 minutes, Butler struck the crossbar twice but could not find the back of the net as time eventually expired in the match and on Butler’s season.

Sophomore forward Austin Oldham led the Bulldogs’ attack with four shots, and junior goalkeeper John Dawson contributed three saves in the loss.

The match was the last in the collegiate careers of Butler’s five seniors: defenseman JC Aikenhead, midfielder Lucas Eichhorn, midfielder Dustin Mares, midfielder Randy Richter and student manager Jack Morlock.

“It was a unique senior class,” Isenthal said. “Each one brought different aspects to the team that a team needs.

“Most of all [we are going to miss] their experience.  That kind of set the tone for what it means to play soccer at Butler.”

The five seniors were part of the winningest stretch in Butler history, compiling a 50-15-12 record while playing in a blue and white uniform.

Photo by Reid Bruner

They also played in two NCAA tournaments and won two Horizon League regular season titles during their careers.

Next season’s squad expects to return 10 of the 11 players who started against Wright State, including Isenthal, Oldham and Dawson.

The Butler men’s soccer team remained in control of its Horizon League tournament fate with a 3-1 victory over Detroit on Saturday.

Three different players scored for the Bulldogs (7-7-2, 2-3-1), and they kept the Titans (5-10-1, 1-5-1) off the scoreboard until the 86th minute in what proved to be a crucial conference win.

With the victory, Butler remains tied for sixth place in the conference standings with Illinois-Chicago.
Butler struck early against Detroit when sophomore forward Austin Oldham scored on a free kick in the 13th minute.

It would not take long for the Bulldogs to add an insurance goal.

Freshman forward Chad Rigg received the pass from Oldham on the left side and fired it past Titan sophomore goalkeeper Anthony Shepherd.

It was Rigg’s first collegiate goal and gave Butler a 2-0 lead just less than 20 minutes into the game.

In the 43rd minute, Butler redshirt freshman defenseman Brandon Fricke received a red card, meaning he had to sit out the rest of the match, and the Bulldogs were forced to play with only 10 men in the second half.

“It was unfortunate because [Fricke] has been playing really well lately,” coach Paul Snape said.

Freshman midfielder Zach Steinberger added a goal in the 78th minute to all but seal the game.

Oldham and Rigg led Butler with three shots each, while sophomore  goalkeeper Jon Dawson recorded six saves in net for the Bulldogs.

“We are confident in anyone who plays defender or goalkeeper,” Dawson said. “I was seeing the ball well, and our defenders were giving me windows so I could see.”

The win came three days after Butler fell to Cleveland State 2-1 at the Butler Bowl.

The Vikings (8-8-1, 4-2-1) scored two goals in a 12-minute span and shut Butler’s offense down to pick up the win.

Butler will take on Valparaiso on Wednesday and Wright State on Saturday. The latter match is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Butler Bowl.

Butler will need to maintain a top-six standing in the conference in order to play in the Horizon League tournament.

“Everything that we have prepared for has got us in this position right now,” Snape said.  “If everything comes together, I totally believe we can win both games.”

The Cleveland State Vikings (9-5-3, 5-0-1) and the Wright State Raiders (8-6-2, 4-2-1) are currently first and second in the Horizon League, respectively.

The Butler men’s soccer team broke a four-game losing streak with a non-conference victory over Evansville Saturday at Arad McCutchan Stadium.

The 1-0 victory over the Purple Aces (5-7-1) also broke a scoreless streak for the Bulldogs (6-6-2, 1-2-1) that lasted for more than 400 minutes.

Photo by Maria Porter

Sophomore forward Austin Oldham fired the ball past Evansville freshman goalkeeper Eric Teppen in the 36th minute.

The goal was Oldham’s team-leading sixth and his second game-winning goal of the season.

Photo by Maria Porter

Junior defenseman Jordan Burt picked up the assist on the play after feeding Oldham the ball across the pitch.

“It was a total team effort,” coach Paul Snape said of the scoring play.

The start of the match was consistent with the past three weeks for the Bulldogs, with the Purple Aces out-shooting them 8-4.

The turning point of the match was Oldham’s goal, which seemed to ignite Butler on both sides of the ball.

“We had four or five opportunities to put more in the back of the net,” Snape said.

In the second half, the Bulldogs out-shot the Purple Aces 8-2 and held them to a single shot on goal.

Overall, the Bulldogs out-shot Evansville 13-11 and held an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal.

Burt led a strong offensive attack for the Bulldogs with three shots on goal. Oldham added two shots on goal.

Justin Sass, a junior defenseman who transferred  from Evansville to Butler prior to the start of the season, turned in a strong performance against his old team with two shots on goal.

Butler sophomore goalkeeper Jon Dawson quietly turned in a solid effort, recording six saves en route to the third shutout of his career.

The Bulldogs will take on Horizon League opponent Cleveland State tonight at the Butler Bowl at 7 p.m.

The match will be the biggest of Butler’s season thus far, with the Bulldogs looking to get in the conference tournament picture.

Six teams qualify for the Horizon League Tournament at the end of the regular season. Butler is currently in seventh place, holding a similar record as Illinois-Chicago in league play.

The Vikings (6-8-1, 3-2-1) currently hold third place in the league.

The Butler men’s soccer team fell 1-0 to Indiana surrounded by a record-breaking crowd Wednesday at the Butler Bowl.

Attendance was announced at 3,343, a Bowl record for soccer. The enthusiastic crowd was a mix of fans displaying both cream and crimson and blue and white.

Butler coach Paul Snape said the attendance figure was exciting.

“It’s a great showcase for the state of Indiana,” he said. “I’d love to have a crowd like that all the time.”

Indiana coach Todd Yeagley said the Hoosiers (7-3-2, 2-1-0) were expecting a large crowd, especially after the Bulldogs’ 2-1 upset last season in double overtime on the Hoosiers’ home turf.

“We know no matter where Butler or IU is in the season records, this is going to be a big game,” he said.

The scoreless first half was marked by tight back and forth action and aggressive play that sent Butler sophomore forward Adekunle Oluyedun to the bench more than once.

Butler sophomore forward Austin Oldham, who led the Bulldogs (5-5-2, 1-1-1) with four shots, fired a shot that went just wide of the net in the 36^th minute.

Snape said the game came back in the Bulldogs’ favor at the end of the half, but they could not maintain that momentum after halftime.

“We stopped passing the ball when we got it back,” Snape. “By going forward every time, we lost it.”

Hoosier freshman forward Eriq Zavaleta scored the only goal in the 84^th minute off an assist from senior defender Chris Estridge.

The late goal ended Butler sophomore goalkeeper Jon Dawson’s shutout streak, which lasted just more than 125 minutes, dating back to the conclusion of Butler’s loss to Indiana-Purdue Indianapolis.

The strike also denied the Bulldogs any hope of extra time.

“I thought we were going to ninety [minutes] and then take it in to overtime, and we might have had a chance,” Snape said.

Tense steals and back and forth action near the end of regulation was not enough to garner the Bulldogs a goal, but Snape said the game showed the Bulldogs are contenders.

“If the boys can play like this in the remaining six games of the season, and we can bring out some more quality, I actually think we could win the Horizon [League],” he said.

Butler will next visit Green Bay at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

For the Butler men’s soccer team, it turns out the best thing to do in Dayton is leave—with a tournament win.

The Bulldogs (3-1-1) grabbed two wins to capture the Dayton Marriott Classic, their first tournament championship of the season.

Butler defeated Western Illinois 3-2 Friday and followed that up with a 2-1 win over Houston Baptist in the tournament final Sunday to win the crown.

“It wasn’t a perfect weekend,” Butler head coach Paul Snape said. “But we executed, and overall it was a positive weekend.”

The Bulldogs finished the tournament strong, outshooting the Huskies (0-5) from Houston Baptist 19-10 in the final match.

Sophomore forward Austin Oldham accounted for both Butler goals and junior defenseman Jordan Burt led the team with six shots in the match.

Oldham got things started three minutes into play when he received a pass from Burt. He settled the ball and found the back of the net from 15 yards out to give Butler the early 1-0 advantage.

A one-score lead would not be enough, however, as the Huskies responded with a goal of their own in the 10th minute.

Freshman midfielder Zach Pierce was able to slip past Butler defenders and tie the game after narrowly putting the ball past the outstretched hand of sophomore goalkeeper Jon Dawson.

The Bulldogs shook off the strike and came out firing in the second half.

It was Oldham again beating the Huskies’ freshman goalkeeper, Kevin Suarez, to give Butler the lead in the 66th minute.

The goal secured the Bulldogs’  second victory in three days.

Photo by Erin Drennan

The Bulldogs’ first win of the tournament came Friday against Western Illinois.

In a game that proved to be a battle throughout, Butler came from behind twice to win the contest.

The Leathernecks (2-3-1) took a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute on an unassisted strike from senior midfielder Daniel Lewis.

Lewis’ goal would be the only goal of the first half.

The second half of the match was an entirely different story, however.

Redshirt freshman defenseman Brandon Fricke scored the equalizer for the Bulldogs when he scored off of a rebound in the 54th minute.

The goal provided only temporary relief for Butler, as the Leathernecks scored just eight minutes later to grab a 2-1 advantage.

“It’s definitely frustrating falling behind twice,” Fricke said.  “But we just kept fighting and had a never say die attitude.”

It was Oldham who would tie the game a second time, scoring his third goal of the season in the 79th minute off an assist from freshman midfielder Zach Steinberger.

Three minutes later, the Bulldogs would tally the game-winner when sophomore midfielder Adam Glanzer received a pass from Oldham, who put the ball in the back of the net to seal a 3-2 victory for Butler.

The Bulldogs will head south to Kentucky Saturday to take on national powerhouse Louisville.

The Cardinals (4-1-0) started the season ranked No. 1 nationally but fell to No. 7 after a 2-1 loss to North Carolina, the new home of former Butler star Matt Hedges.

Hedges, who transferred to North Carolina from Butler, started all 20 games for the Bulldogs last season and was named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year.