NEW YORK – With the 2017 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship presented by Jeep kicking off Sunday, the Conference announced annual awards on Saturday, with the top two seeds earning the bulk of the honors. Regular-season champion and tournament No. 1 seed Georgetown saw senior Rachel Corboz earn BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year honors, senior Elizabeth Wenger was voted Defensive Player of the Year and senior Arielle Schechtman tabbed Goalkeeper of the Year. No. 2 seed and regular-season runner-up Butler was named Coaching Staff of the Year, while junior Paige Monaghan was tabbed Offensive Player of the Year and goalkeeper Leonie Doege was in a three-way tie for Freshman of the Year accolades. Providence goalkeeper Shelby Hogan and Xavier forward Sydney Schembri also shared top rookie honors.
Corboz garners top midfielder honors for the second time in four seasons. The senior, who is the NCAA’s active career leader in assists (42), totaled a BIG EAST-best six helpers in league play this year to go along with a pair of game-winning goals. Over 18 games this season, Corboz has 22 points to rank second in the BIG EAST. The senior eclipsed the 100-career points mark this season and is one of just 11 active Division I players to have at least 30 goals and 20 assists. Corboz was one of two All-BIG EAST First Team unanimous selections this year.
Wenger anchored a Georgetown defense which limited its conference foes to an average of just 1.4 shots on goal per game, with the Hoyas outshooting their nine league opponents by an average 5:1 margin. Only one BIG EAST opponent managed to get more than three shots on target all season against Georgetown, while five were held to one or less on-target strikes. The Hoyas allowed a league-best two goals in conference play, the fewest in the BIG EAST since 2012 when both Georgetown and Marquette surrendered a pair of scores.
Schechtman went 6-1-2 in BIG EAST play, with all wins coming in shutout fashion, while also earning a scoreless draw with Butler for seven clean sheets. Overall, the senior enters the postseason with the most shutouts in Division I this season with 14, while her career shutout tally of 28 ranks 10
th nationally among active goalkeepers. In 850 minutes in the cage over nine league contests, Schechtman posted a 0.21 goals against average and .846 save percentage.
Monaghan is in the midst of a breakout season, leading the league in points per game (2.00), goals per game (0.89), game-winning goals (3) and shots per game (3.67). One of the junior’s biggest strikes came in Thursday’s regular-season finale as Monaghan drilled the golden goal from 25 yards out just 25 seconds into overtime to clinch the No. 2 seed for Butler. Over 18 games this season, Monaghan has a BIG EAST-best 23 points off nine goals and five assists, including a conference-high four game-winning goals. Monaghan was a unanimous selection for BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while also garnering All-BIG EAST First Team honors unanimously.
Doege played in all nine BIG EAST matches, surrendering just one goal in nearly 504 minutes in the cage for a 0.18 goals against average. The rookie boasted a .960 save percentage in conference play, while having a hand in six shutouts. In 15 appearances overall, Doege leads the nation in goals against average (0.102) and save percentage (0.975). Hogan started all nine BIG EAST games for the Friars, posting a 0.68 GAA and .842 save percentage. The rookie was credited with four shutouts, including the 1-0 decision over a nationally ranked Georgetown squad. Schembri helped spark the Xavier offense with three goals in BIG EAST play, leading the Musketeers to their first postseason berth since 2003. The freshman forward was credited with two game-winning goals and tallied a team-best 16 strikes in nine league matches.
The Bulldogs are enjoying one of their finest seasons in program history, entering postseason with a 16-game unbeaten streak and their first national ranking since 1996. Butler, which was voted sixth in the conference’s preseason poll, enters the BIG EAST Championship as the No. 2 seed, earning a first-round bye for the first time since joining the conference. The Bulldogs posted a 12-1-5 overall regular-season record, including 5-0-4 in BIG EAST play, with the nation’s top goals against average (.207) and save percentage (0.945), and second-best shutout percentage (0.778).
Georgetown led the way with nine total All-BIG EAST Team certificates, including five first-team selections. Corboz, Wenger and Schechtman were joined on the top team by junior forwards Caitlin Farrell and Amanda Carolan. Butler and DePaul each added a pair of first teamers, with Monaghan joined by fellow Bulldogs Annika Schmidt, while the Blue Demons were represented by senior midfielder Alexa Ben and junior forward Franny Cerny. Marquette redshirt-junior forward Carrie Madden and Providence junior defender Katie Day also garnered All-BIG EAST First Team recognition.
All-BIG EAST Teams and major awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their own players. All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams are comprised of three forwards, three midfielders, three defenders, one goalkeeper and one at-large selection. The BIG EAST All-Freshman Team recognizes the top-11 freshman vote earners.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Paige Monaghan, Butler, Jr., M*
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Elizabeth Wenger, Georgetown, Sr., D
BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year
Rachel Corboz, Georgetown, Sr., M
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Arielle Schechtman, Georgetown, Sr., GK
BIG EAST Freshmen of the Year
Leonie Doege, Butler, GK
Shelby Hogan, Providence, GK
Sydney Schembri, Xavier, F
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Butler
All-BIG EAST First Team
Franny Cerny, DePaul, Jr., F
Amanda Carolan, Georgetown, Jr., F
Caitlin Farrell, Georgetown, Jr., F
Carrie Madden, Marquette, R-Jr., F
Alexa Ben, DePaul, Sr., M
Rachel Corboz, Georgetown, Sr., M*
Paige Monaghan, Butler, Jr., M*
Katie Day, Providence, Jr., D
Annika Schmidt, Butler, R-So., D
Elizabeth Wenger, Georgetown, Sr., D
Arielle Schechtman, Georgetown, Sr., GK
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Tori Doss, Xavier, R-Sr., F
Christina Bellero, St. John's, Jr., F
Caitlyn DiSarcina, Butler, Fr., F
Allie Moar, St. John's, Sr., M
Taylor Pak, Georgetown, Sr., M
Kayla Steeves, Providence, Jr., M
Shannon McDevitt, Butler, Sr., D
Carly Alfano, Xavier, Sr., D
Meaghan Nally, Georgetown, So., D
Jesse Schaefer, St. John's, Sr., D
Shelby Hogan, Providence, R-Fr., GK
BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
Amber Birchwell, Providence, M/F
Maia Cabrera, St. John's, M
Caitlyn DiSarcina, Butler, F
Leonie Doege, Butler, GK
Shelby Hogan, Providence, GK
Julia Leonard, Butler, D
Kelly Ann Livingstone, Georgetown, D
Jenna Menta, Georgetown, F
Sydney Schembri, Xavier, F
Kylie Sprecher, Marquette, F
Morgan Turner, DePaul, F
*Unanimous selection