BIG EAST Women's Soccer Coaches Slot Bluejays Ninth in Preseason Poll
8/8/2019 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Taryn Jakubowski Unanimously Selected to Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season the Bluejays have finished seventh twice (2016 & 2018), eighth three times (2014, 2015 & 2017) and ninth in 2013.
Winners of three consecutive BIG EAST Championship titles, Georgetown is predicted to make it four straight as the Hoyas were unanimously picked to three-peat. Georgetown claimed all available first-place votes (nine) and 81 points. Georgetown senior Meaghan Nally, the reigning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, garnered the preseason honor, while 2018 Midfielder of the Year Samantha Dewey of Xavier was voted BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Junior Shelby Hogan rounded out the major award winners as the BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. The poll, major awards and Preseason All-BIG EAST Team are decided on a vote by the league's head coaches who are not permitted to vote for their own team.
BIG EAST Championship and regular-season runner-up for the past two seasons, Butler was slotted second behind the Hoyas with the final remaining first-place vote and a total of 67 points. Providence landed third with 62 points, followed by Xavier in fourth with 55. DePaul rounded out the top five with 46 points, while St. John's and Villanova tied for sixth with 38 points apiece. Marquette was picked eighth with 34 points, followed by Creighton (20) and Seton Hall (9).
Georgetown is coming off its second trip to the NCAA College Cup in the last three seasons, finishing the 2018 campaign with a 21-1-3 overall record, including its first ever unbeaten finish (8-0-1) in BIG EAST play. The Hoyas won their second consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title and third straight conference tournament crown in shutout fashion. Led by head coach Dave Nolan, the Hoyas were recognized as National Staff of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches. GU was voted No. 7 in the recently released United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25 Poll.
Nally, one of six unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST Team selections and one of two from Georgetown, anchored a defense which boasted the nation's second best team goals against average (.384). The Hoyas totaled 15 shutouts on the year while no team scored more than one goal against the stingy Georgetown defense all season. GU limited its BIG EAST opponents to just 4.0 shots on goal per game, more than doubling up its opponents in shots (152-69) and shots on goal (74-36). The junior added a goal and two assists in BIG EAST play, including a game-winning score. Joining Nally on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team are junior defender Kelly Ann Livingtstone and senior forward Paula Germino-Watnick, a unanimous selection.
Dewey was Xavier's first BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year after earning the honor last fall. Over nine BIG EAST matches, the redshirt-junior totaled 12 points, second-most in the league, ranking second in goals (4) and third in assists (4). She led the Musketeers to a second consecutive BIG EAST Championship berth, finishing the regular reason as the lone conference team to earn a draw with Georgetown. Four of Dewey's nine goals on the year were game winners, while she led XU with 25 points overall.
Hogan has the top goals against average (0.73), save percentage (.854) and shutout total (five) among returning goalkeepers from 2018. The redshirt-junior played all 1877:39 of the Friars' season, posting an 11-6-3 record with 10 total shutouts. On a national level, Hogan's shutout total ranked 12th among all Division I keepers, while her season save percentage (.856) ranked 16th and her GAA (.767) landed 39th.
Butler, led by Preseason All-BIG EAST unanimous choice Annika Schmidt and reining BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Anja Savich, went 13-6-1 overall in 2018 and 6-2-1 in conference play to finish in second place. The Bulldogs, which received votes in the 2019 United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, were among the top defenses in the BIG EAST last year, holding opponents to just 0.67 goals per game while tallying five shutouts. Savich is Butler's top returning scorer after finishing her rookie campaign with 17 points off seven goals and three assists.
Providence went 11-6-3 overall and 4-3-2 in BIG EAST play to tie for fourth in the conference standings in 2018. The Friars advanced to the BIG EAST Semifinals for the second consecutive year and welcome back two key pieces from that squad in Hogan and top scorer and Preseason All-BIG EAST honoree Hannah McNulty. McNulty tallied 24 points off 10 goals and four assists over 20 games last year.
Led by Dewey, Xavier went 10-8-3 and knotted with PC and DePaul in fourth place in the standings at 4-3-2. The Musketeers made their second consecutive BIG EAST Championship appearance, advancing to the semifinals for the first time. Another returnee of note is senior goalkeeper Toni Bizzarro, who posted an .810 save percentage and 0.82 goals against average in nine BIG EAST appearances.
DePaul (8-6-5) rounded out that fourth-place three-way tie and narrowly missed a trip to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals after falling to Xavier in penalty kicks in the first round. The Blue Demons return starting goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson who was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team in 2018, and will also welcome the return of defender Jess Lazo and forward Jade Eriksen-Russo, who both missed most of last season due to injury.
St. John's finished in third place in 2018 with a 5-3-1 mark while going 9-9-1 overall. The Red Storm boast the top returning goal scorer in the BIG EAST as Zsani Kajan tallied 11 scores over 19 appearances in 2018. Kajan was a unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST Team pick. Other notable returnees include starting keeper Meredith Reinhardt, and midfielder Madeline McCracken, who missed all of 2018 due to injury.
Returning a trio of BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selections from 2018, Villanova eyes its first BIG EAST Championship appearance since 2014. The young Wildcats went 9-9-0 overall and 3-6-0 in BIG EAST play a season ago. Villanova returns nearly 99 percent of its scoring from a year ago, including Bri Austin who tallied team highs of 15 points and seven goals.
Two-time BIG EAST Champion Marquette missed the conference postseason for the first time last year but will look to return to its winning ways in 2019. The Golden Eagles (4-11-3, 2-5-2 BIG EAST) welcome back experienced goalkeeper Maddy Henry, who collected three shutouts in BIG EAST play last year, and Preseason All-BIG EAST Team member Katrina Wetherell. The sophomore midfielder was an All-BIG EAST Second Team member her rookie season.
Creighton, which is serving as the host of the 2019 BIG EAST Championship Presented by Jeep, will look to qualify for the conference tournament for the first time. The Bluejays (6-10-1, 3-5-1) fell just shy last season, but return unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST honoree Taryn Jakubowski. The senior midfielder led Creighton with 12 points (five goals and two assists) and was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection.
Seton Hall (2-12-4, 0-9-0) is under the direction of first-year head coach Ciara Crinion. Crinion inherits a young Pirates squad which includes seven sophomores and six freshman. Junior Alyssa Reszkowski led SHU with three points in 2018.
2019 BIG EAST Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll1.  Georgetown             81 (9)
2.  Butler                       67 (1)
3.  Providence              62
4.  Xavier                      55
5.  DePaul                    46
6.  Villanova                 38
      St. John's               38
8.  Marquette                34
9.  Creighton               20
10. Seton Hall               9
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BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Samantha Dewey, Xavier, R-Sr., M
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BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Meaghan Nally, Georgetown, Sr., D
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BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Shelby Hogan, Providence, R-Jr., GK
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Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Anja Savich, Butler, So., F
Annika Schmidt, Butler, R-Sr., D*
Taryn Jakubowski, Creighton, Sr., M*
Paula Germino-Watnick, Georgetown, Sr., F*
Kelly Ann Livingstone, Georgetown, Jr., D
Meaghan Nally, Georgetown, Sr., D*
Katrina Wetherell, Marquette, So., M
Shelby Hogan, Providence, R-Jr., GK
Hannah McNulty, Providence, Jr., F
Zsani Kajan, St. John's, R-Jr., F*
Samantha Dewey, Xavier, R-Sr., M*
*unanimous selection
