Creighton, Georgetown and DePaul Headline Monday’s BIG EAST Weekly Honors
NEW YORK – The Bluejays and Hoyas continue to be the teams to beat in BIG EAST play as both remain undefeated at 6-0 with three games left in the season. Both Creighton and Georgetown are represented on Monday’s BIG EAST honors as Bluejay mid/forward Ricardo Perez was named Offensive Player of the Week and Hoya Joshua Yaro is named Defensive Player of the Week. Creighton’s Joel Rydstrand earns his second-straight weekly honor, this time as Freshman of the Week. DePaul keeper Mack Robinson kept Providence’s offensive threats scoreless to earn a point in the BIG EAST standings. His efforts in goal earned him Goalkeeper of the Week honors, his first honor this season.
With three games left to play, Creighton and Georgetown are at the top of the standing with 18 points and 6-0-0 records. Creighton defeated Villanova 5-1 amidst Saturday’s senior day celebrations. Georgetown defeated St. John’s 1-0. Butler earned a 3-0 win over Seton Hall on the road on Saturday as they move to third place with 12 points and a 4-2-0 record. Xavier sits at fourth place after the Musketeers earned 1-0 overtime victory over Marquette. Providence and DePaul are in fifth and sixth place with seven points each. Coincidentally, this weekend, they tied each other with a 0-0 match.
Noteworthy: Georgetown has tied a program-record set in 2012 with an 11-game unbeaten streak. The sixth-consecutive shutout streak sets a new school record which breaks the previous one set in 1998.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ricardo Perez, Creighton, Jr., M/F, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico – Perez tied teammate Fabian Herbers for most points this week for four as he led the BIG EAST in goals scoring two against Villanova in a 5-1 victory. Perez scored the go-ahead goal in the 23rd minute, which eventually became the game-winner. The junior then scored the fifth goal of the game as the Bluejays tallied their 15th consecutive win to remain undefeated. Perez’s two goals came on just two shots on goal. He had four total shots for the game. The five goals were the most scored in a game this week by a BIG EAST team and the highest goal differential of the week.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Joshua Yaro, Georgetown, Jr., D, Santa Barbara, Calif. – Yaro played all 90 minutes in the Hoyas’ sixth consecutive shutout as Georgetown defeated St. John’s 1-0 to remain undefeated in league play at 6-0. Yaro led a Georgetown defense that prevented St. John’s to get one shot on goal, the first time the Red Storm has not had 0 shots on goal all season. St. John’s was also held without one corner attempt, another first this season. The only other time this season that a BIG EAST team had no shots on goal was Xavier in their 3-0 loss to Providence on Oct. 10.
GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
Mack Robinson, DePaul, Sr., GK, Cincinnati, Ohio – Robinson had a season-high 11 saves to keep Providence scoreless on Saturday and earn the Blue Demons a point in the league standings in a 0-0 double overtime tie. Robinson faced 12 corners and 24 total shots as he spent 110 minutes in goal. He saved five shot attempts by the BIG EAST’s second-leading scorer, Mac Steeves, including one in the 106th minute. At the end of regulation, Robinson saved two consecutive shots by Providence’s Brendan Constantine to keep the Friars off the board. The tie against Providence keeps DePaul in the playoff hunt with three games left to the regular season.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Joel Rydstrand, Creighton, Fr., M, Almunge, Sweden – Rydstrand helped Creighton to their 15th-straight win scoring the Bluejays first goal of the game to tie Villanova at 1-1. He helped a defense that held the Wildcats to just one shot on goal while facing five corners. Creighton won 5-1.
BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Weekly Honor Roll
Vincent Mitchell, Butler, Sr., M/F, Reckford Clarendon, Jamaica – Scored the eventual game-winner less than two minutes into the match as Butler defeated Seton Hall on Saturday night on the road, 3-0. It was his team-leading ninth goal of the season and fourth game-winner.
Eric Dick, Butler, RS-So., GK, Carmel, Ind. – Dick orchestrated his fifth shutout of the season as Butler blanked Seton Hall 3-0 on Saturday night on the road. Dick made one save and used his 6-foot-5 frame to alter a PK attempt by the Pirates that went wide.
Brandon Allen, Georgetown, Sr., F, Old Bridge, N.J. – Scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win at St. John’s to keep the Hoyas undefeated at 6-0 in BIG EAST play. Allen scored a penalty kick at 58:56.
Matt Vasquenza, Xavier, So., F, East Hampton, Conn. – Snapped a personal scoreless streak of five matches as he delivered the game-winning goal in the 95th minute to defeat Marquette in overtime on Saturday. It was his first game-winner of the season.
Dallas Jaye, Xavier, Grad Student, GK, San Ramon, Calif. – Kept his sixth shutout of the season as he registered 95 minutes against Marquette. Jaye faced 10 shots and tied a career-high with six saves as he and the defense defended nine corner attempts and a slew of restart chances in the second half.