WASHINGTON – The No. 4 Georgetown women's soccer team clinched the 2018 BIG EAST Regular Season title for the second year in a row on Sunday afternoon at Shaw Field after shutting out the Butler Bulldogs, 2-0. The Hoyas lead the conference with a perfect 8-0 record. With the win, GU advances to 15-0-2 overall and 8-0 in the BIG EAST, while Butler falls to 11-5-1 on the season and 5-2-1 in the league.
 
"I could not have been more impressed with the girls today," said head coach Dave Nolan. "The weather and wind in particular made this a tricky encounter and in the first half, we had to manage that and a very good Butler team. Butler posed us some problems, they are an excellent team and very well coached. However, in the second half, we really took ownership of the game and I felt we were well worth the win."

The Bulldogs maintained possession of the ball for most of the first half on the offensive end, but the Hoya defense did a great job of pressuring the players and protecting senior goalkeeper Arielle Schechtman (Del Mar, Calif. / La Jolla Country Day / UCLA) in the net. Junior defender Meaghan Nally (Herndon, Va. / South Lakes) anchored Georgetown's defense throughout the 90 minutes of play, denying whatever was shot towards Schechtman. Butler had a big opportunity to score in the 17th minute in the six-yard box, but Schechtman reacted quickly to register a save.
 
Senior forward Caitlin Farrell (Wallingford, Conn. / Choate Rosemary Hall) set up a number of passes to junior Paula Germino-Watnick (Chevy Chase, Md. / Bethesda-Chevy Chase) for a chance to score for the Blue & Gray, but Germino-Watnick could not capitalize on any of the opportunities. With just 42 seconds left in the first half, Butler had a chance to take the lead heading into the second half after a foul was called on Georgetown, but Schechtman managed to make the save while two Bulldogs collided into her, tallying a foul for BU.
 
As the two teams headed into the second half in a scoreless tie, GU controlled the ball for the majority of it and finally found its rhythm. In the 65th minute, junior Carson Nizialek (Chantilly, Va. / Freedom) took a free kick from the left side into the six-yard box and Nally touched it towards sophomore Kelly Ann Livingstone (Glen Ridge, N.J. / Glen Ridge), who then buried it into the net past Butler goalkeeper Leonie Doege. Livingstone's first goal of the season gave the Hoyas a 1-0 lead
 
The Hoyas had multiple opportunities to score its second goal, but BU's rough defense did not allow them to take many shots. In the 83rd minute, Farrell took a shot towards Doege, who saved it and deflected it back towards senior Amanda Carolan (Bayville, N.J. / Central Regional). Carolan passed the ball to Germino-Watnick in the six-yard box while Doege was still recovering from the first shot and Germino-Watnick fired away, giving the Blue & Gray a 2-0 advantage. Georgetown's defense allowed one shot from the Bulldogs in the final eight minutes of play.
 
GU outshot Butler, 9-8, but the Bulldogs had a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks. Both goalkeepers managed three saves in the net. Additionally, Schechtman recorded her 11th shutout of the season.

"Winning consecutive BIG EAST Regular Season Championships is a goal that the team set for themselves and we now look towards the conference tournament with great confidence," said Nolan. "We are excited by the challenges ahead in the BIG EAST and NCAA tournament also, hopefully."
 
Up next, the Blue & Gray will travel to Xavier for its final game of the regular season. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at XU Soccer Complex. The game will be broadcast live on BEDN and live stats will also be available at www.GUHoyas.com.
 
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