The women’s soccer team will face its first tests on the road this weekend with a pair of games against Big East teams. The Bulldogs (1–0–2) will travel to New Jersey to take on Rutgers (3–2) on Friday night before heading to New York for a matchup against St. John’s (3–2–1) on Sunday.
The Elis have yet to drop a game this season, and enter the weekend coming off a 1–1 tie against Sacred Heart on Tuesday. The team’s newcomers continued to impress, with forward Meredith Speck ’15 scoring the tying goal on an assist from forward Melissa Gavin ’15. Freshmen have accounted for seven of the Bulldogs’ nine points this season, including all three of the team’s goals.
“Obviously they had some big shoes to fill with Becky Brown ’11 being gone as an attacking player,” head coach Rudy Meredith said on Tuesday. “Right now Meredith and Melissa are doing a pretty good job offensively fulfilling that role.”
The Elis have also been solid defensively and have allowed just one goal through their first three games.
Rutgers last played on Sunday when it dropped a 1–0 contest to No. 6 UCLA in Los Angeles. The Scarlet Knights are led by forward Jonelle Filigno, who has tallied a team-high nine points through five games. Junior goalkeeper Emmy Simpkins has been strong for Rutgers in front of the net and currently sports a 0.78 goals against average.
St. John’s is coming off a weekend sweep of Albany and Columbia during the New York City Classic. The Red Storm defeated Albany 2–0 on Friday before earning a 1–0 victory against Columbia on Sunday. The two wins gave St. John’s a second-place finish in the tournament, behind Hofstra. Defense has been a strong point for the Red Storm, as the team has posted three shutouts in its last four games, which currently ranks second in the Big East.
Kickoff against Rutgers is slated for Friday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs face St. John’s on Sunday at 4 p.m.