Women’s soccer qualifies for the Big East tournament

One second. That’s how much time was left in double overtime of Saturday night’s Connecticut-Providence women’s soccer game. And that was how much time was left on the scoreboard as Linda Ruutu’s goal for the Huskies sent DePaul women’s soccer to the Big East tournament.

Needing a Syracuse win over St. John’s and a UConn win over Providence, the Blue Demons got both, enabling the women’s soccer team to qualify for the postseason as an "At-Large" seed after missing out last year with a disappointing overall record of 3-14-1.

Syracuse put up a 3-0 scoreline over the Red Storm, while Providence took the Huskies to double overtime. A UConn-Providence draw would have eliminated DePaul, but Ruutu’s last-second goal in the 110th minute gave UConn the win – and DePaul a postseason berth.

The Blue Demons (8-9-2, 3-6-1) will be an "At-Large" seed with 10 points. The team was in control of its own destiny on Friday, however a double overtime loss to Notre Dame 1-0 complicated matters. A win or draw was all the team would have needed.

Entering into Saturday night’s fixtures, Connecticut, with a head-to-head win over DePaul, sat in one of the last playoff spots with 10 points. Providence, who defeated the Blue Demons 1-0 earlier in the year, sat at nine points, where a win or draw with the Huskies would see the Friars make the postseason.

With UConn’s win, however, the Huskies finish with 13 points, DePaul with 10, and Providence with nine.

Women's soccer will travel to Villanova on Oct. 25 for a 2 p.m. (Eastern) kickoff. The two teams played to a scoreless draw earlier in the season.