Big East women's soccer power rankings

AMERICAN DIVISION
1. Marquette. 9-0-1 Big East, 13-2-2 overall. The Golden Eagles finished the regular season on an absolute tear, and have cemented their place as the team to beat entering the playoffs. Except for a 1-1 tie against UConn, they were perfect in conference play, outscoring opponents 29-1. They have an automatic entry into the quarterfinals, where they await the winner of UConn/ Rutgers.

2. USF. 6-2-2 Big East, 10-5-2 overall. The Bulls will have to bounce back from a 4-0 thrashing from Marquette in their regular season finale, their second loss in conference play. They will host the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.

3. Syracuse. 6-3-1 Big East, 9-6-2 overall. The Orange are 1-5-3 in their previous five road games, and they will have to travel to South Bend to face Notre Dame in the quarterfinals.

4. Connecticut. 4-5-1. 8-7-2 overall. The Huskies faced a late season slide, winning only one of our their last five games. However, the one win came in dramatic fasion in the season finale against Providence when Linda Ruutu scored in the final seconds of double overtime to clinch the No. 4 seed for UConn. They will host Rutgers on Thursday night with a chance to advance to the quarterfinals, as well as give head coach Len Tsantiris his 500th win of his storied career in Storrs. The teams last met back in 2010 in Piscataway, a 2-0 loss for the Huskies.

NATIONAL DIVISION
1. Georgetown. 8-1-1 Big East. 14-2-2 overall. The Hoyas were the most dominant team in the Big East all season before being stunned by Villanova in the regular season finale, 1-0. The Hoyas are led by Daphne Cortez, the conference’s most prolific scorer, who is currently leading the Big East in goals (16) and points (38).

2. Notre Dame. 8-1-1 Big East, 12-4-2 overall. The Irish claimed a share of the National Division title when they won a double overtime thriller against Depaul in the season finale on Sunday. They have earned a first round bye and will next play again in the quarterfinals.

3. Louisville. 5-3-3 Big East, 10-4-3 overall. The Cardinals also ended their regular season on a thrilling note, defeating Cincinnati in double overtime. Junior forward Charyn Corral was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts in the victory, which included a goal and an assist. They will travel USF on Sunday for their first game of the postseason.

4. Villanova. 5-4-1 Big East, 7-8-3 overall. The Wildcats are riding the momentum from handing Georgetown its first conference loss in the final game of the season. They will host Depaul in the first round Thursday afternoon.

AT LARGE
1. Rutgers (National Division) 5-5-1 Big East, 12-6-1 overall. Rutgers had to fight its way into the postseason, and earned a spot by winning its final three games in convincing fashion, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 10-0. They will travel to Storrs to face UConn Thursday night.

2. DePaul (National Division) 3-6-1 Big East, 8-9-2 overall. When Depaul lost to Notre Dame in double overtime of its season finale at home, they thought that they had lost their spot in the playoffs. However, only a few hours later, UConn helped them out by beating Providence in the final seconds of double overtime, allowing Depaul to clinch the final playoff spot. DePaul will try to take advantage of this new life when it travels to Villanova Thursday.