2017 Soccer

[maxpowers]

Soccer season starts this month! I'm curious if Big East soccer fans have any predictions for the upcoming season? Here is my own take:
Providence (I think Mac Steeves is back), Butler, Creighton and Xavier will be at or near the top. Seton Hall and DePaul will be at or near the bottom. The remaining four are hard to predict. Georgetown was clearly rebuilding last year after losing a lot to the draft. I'm curious if Hoya fans see them being more competitive this season or if this will be another rebuilding year? Villanova had a nice breakthrough year last season, finishing tied for 3rd. I think they return most of their better players this season. St. John's is a historically good team that just hasn't found its identify since Big East realignment, but they showed signs of turning the corner last year. Marquette hasn't done much since winning the conference in the first season after realignment. They have a young, solid foundation returning from last year.

Predictions:
1. Providence
2. Butler
3. Creighton
4. Xavier
5. St. John's
6. Georgetown
7. Marquette
8. Villanova
9. DePaul
10. Seton Hall

Creighton and Providence will meet in the BE tourney championship. The Jays will avenge a regular season loss to the Friars to win the BE championship. Creighton, Providence and Butler will all qualify for the NCAA tourney.

Go Bluejays!

[Saymyname]

I almost fully agree with your prediction, would switch some teams in between. Your top 5 prediction is pretty acurate, good job!

[gosports1]

preseason poll is out. 3 BE teams ranked. PC Creighton and Butler

http://www.bigeast.com/news/2017/8/3/th ... -poll.aspx

[FriarJ]

BE Coaches Poll

1.PC
2.Creighton
3. Butler
4.Villanova
5. Georgetown

Steeves player of the year even though he missed last year with injury.

[Hall2012]

Soccer is perhaps my favorite sport, which makes it incredibly frustrating that he current SHU administration doesn't care about the program at all and hasn't for years. I can't help but feel like soccer is an area where the BIG EAST and all non-football playing schools have an opportunity to thrive.

[FriarJ]

Many do and they currently do thrive. PC has really made a jump in the last few years. New soccer stadium on campus is excellent as well. It's a shame about SHU not caring. They are in a hotbed of talent.

[Omaha1]

Jays open with a 1-0 vistory at Wisconsin.

[FriarJ]

Nice start.
PC opens up with just 2 brutal games, at #4 UNC then at #2 Wake Forest.

[maxpowers]

Soccer is perhaps my favorite sport, which makes it incredibly frustrating that he current SHU administration doesn't care about the program at all and hasn't for years. I can't help but feel like soccer is an area where the BIG EAST and all non-football playing schools have an opportunity to thrive.

Interesting fact: Seton Hall has eleven all-time NCAA tourney soccer appearances, third most in the Big East behind Creighton (24) and St. John's (20). Their last appearance was 2005. The Pirates have advanced as far as the Sweet 16. There is definitely long-term soccer potential at Seton Hall.

[maxpowers]

Many do and they currently do thrive. PC has really made a jump in the last few years. New soccer stadium on campus is excellent as well. It's a shame about SHU not caring. They are in a hotbed of talent.

Big East soccer has a really promising future. There are roughly twenty D1 soccer conferences. I would rank the BE at roughly 4th or 5th best. Based on recent trends, I think the BE will soon rival the Big Ten as the second best soccer conference. I really hope the conference leadership prioritizes soccer as a sport where the BE becomes elite.

My DI conference soccer rankings, based mostly on recent performance:
ACC (Top tier: Clemson, UNC, Virginia, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Duke. Next tier: BC)
Big Ten (Top tier: Indiana, Maryland, Penn State. Next tier: Michigan State)
Pac 12 (Top tier: UCLA, Stanford. Next tier: Washington, Cal)
American Athletic (Top tier: SMU, UConn, South Florida. Next tier: Tulsa)
Big East (Top tier: Georgetown, Creighton, Providence. Next tier: Xavier, Butler, St. John’s – historically successful)

The ACC is head and shoulders above the rest. At any given time, half the conference is in the top 25.
The Big Ten has a handful of powerhouses, led by Indiana, Maryland and Penn State.
The Pac 12 is barely a soccer conference, just six members, including San Diego State. But two of those members, UCLA and Stanford, are traditionally elite programs, with UW and Cal being strong programs.
The American Athletic is narrowly ahead of the BE, based solely on the strength and history of the top three.
Except for Creighton and St. John’s, the top programs in the BE have less historical success than their counterparts in other conferences. GTown, Providence, Xavier and Butler each have a handful of NCAA tourney appearances, and most of those are in the last decade or so. But the trend is favorable. Like in MBB, the depth of the conference should be our greatest strength. We have some really interesting rivalries developing.

Go Bluejays!