[BIG EAST: Women] Only three years ago, DePaul won just three games. On Friday, the No. 8 Demon Deacons completed an undefeated regular-season and earned the No. 1seed in next week’s Big East Tournament with a 3-0 win over St. John’s in a match featuring wind gusts up to 40 miles an hour.
BIG EAST TOURNAMENT,Schedule:
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5
St. John’s vs. Villanova
Marquette vs. Providence
FRIDAY,NOVEMBER 7
Georgetown vs. Villanova/St. John’s winner
DePaul vs. Providence/Marquette winner
Abby Reed scored twice to give her12 goals for the season, tying the school record set by Julianne Sitch in 2003. Alexa Ben added her ninth goal of theyear, scoring into the teeth of a vicious wind. Reed and Ben each have 28 points — three shy of Sitch’s season standard of 31 set in 2003.
“I was just excited for the girls because theyhave earned all of this,” DePaul coach Erin Chastain said. “To claim the Big East regular-season title on our home field with such a resounding win means a lotto me and our whole team.”
Besides the wind and cold, the match included a 30-minute lightning delay.
“In these tough conditions,” added Chastain, “we did an excellent job ofcreating dangerous chances. That will give us confidence going into the postseason.”
DePaul will play the victor of the Providence-Marquette tilt. Marquette is the reigning tournamentchampion. Providence enjoyed its first winning season in league play (5-4-0) since Big East regular-season play started in 1995.
No. 22 Georgetown finished runner-up for the secondconsecutive season at 6-1-2. The Hoyas will play the winner of the St. John’s-Villanova match in Friday’s other semifinal at St. John’s.