Big East Conference

NEW YORK – The BIG EAST announced its annual women’s soccer awards today, with five different programs earning major awards and nine of 10 taking home all-league certificates. No. 19 Georgetown led all teams with two major honors and seven total all-league certificates. GU’s Paula Germino-Watnick was unanimously selected the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, while teammate Meaghan Nally was tabbed BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. St. John’s standout Zsani Kajan was voted BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while Providence’s Shelby Hogan was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year. Claiming its first regular-season title, Xavier was named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.    
 
All-BIG EAST Teams and major awards are selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches who are not allowed to vote for their own players. All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams are comprised of two defenders, two midfielders, two forwards, one goalkeeper and four at-large selections per team. The All-Freshman Team is 11 at-large selections.
 
Kajan becomes just the second Red Storm player to garner BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors after two-time honoree Rachel Daly (2015, 2013). The redshirt-junior tallied a BIG EAST-best 15 points and seven goals over nine conference contests. Kajan hit her stride down the homestretch of league action, totaling five goals and an assist over the final three outings. Over 17 games in 2019, she totaled 11 goals and an assist, posting three multi-goal games – two of which came in BIG EAST play.
 
Georgetown is one of the top offenses in the country and it runs through Midfielder of the Year Germino-Watnick. The senior totaled 12 points off five goals and two assists in BIG EAST play, while going for 26 points off nine goals and eight assists over 18 total appearances. Her eight assists rank second in the BIG EAST behind teammate Boo Jackson. Georgetown ranks in the top 20 nationally in both goals and points per game. Germino-Watnick is the fourth different Hoya to be tabbed BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year. Georgetown has claimed seven of the last 10 top midfielder certificates, with Rachel Corboz (2017, 2015), Daphne Corboz (2014, 2013) and Ingrid Wells (2011, 2010) all earning multiple honors.
 
Germino-Watnick’s teammate Nally claims her second straight top defensive honor. Nally and an experienced back line stepped up with a freshman in net, allowing just 5.9 shots per game in BIG EAST play and just 6.8 over 18 games overall. The Hoyas claimed five BIG EAST shutouts and outshot eight of nine conference opponents. Georgetown posted a 0.63 team goals against average and allowed just 23 corner kicks, with both marks ranking second in the conference. Nally is the first back-to-back BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year since St. John’s Georgia Kearney-Perry did so in 2014 and 2015.
 
Hogan becomes the first Friar to be tabbed BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year. The redshirt-junior totaled a league-high 52 saves over nine BIG EAST outings, registering a .788 save percentage. In 18 games overall, Hogan led all BIG EAST goalkeepers with at least 12 appearances with an .826 save percentage while denying 95 shots. She posted double-digit saves in two BIG EAST contests – 10 against Georgetown and 12 at Creighton. She enters the postseason with four shutouts on the year.
 
Creighton’s Heinrich was a standout from the start, totaling four of her 11 goals on the year in BIG EAST play. She finished her rookie campaign with 24 total points, eight of which came against BIG EAST competition. As of Nov. 3, Heinrich ranked fourth among all Division I freshmen with 11 goals and eighth with 24 points. Three of her 11 goals were game winners, notching the deciding scores against Iowa State, Eastern Michigan and DePaul. She finished third in BIG EAST play with 3.56 shots per game. Heinrich is Creighton’s first BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
 
Led by head coach Nate Lie, Xavier is in the midst of its most successful season as a member of the BIG EAST. The Musketeers won the regular-season title for the first time and enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed in what is just their third time qualifying. XU has matched the program record for most wins in a single season, entering postseason with 14 victories on the year. Xavier has been impressive on both sides of the field, leading the league with 62 points and 20 goals over nine BIG EAST contests, while listing third in team goals against average (0.67). Over 19 total contests, Xavier has a BIG EAST-best 10 shutouts, allowing a conference-low 14 goals. Lie is in his third season on the Xavier sideline, leading the Musketeers to qualify for the BIG EAST Championship all three seasons.  
 
Georgetown, ranked 19^th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, led all teams with seven total all-league certificates, including a conference-best three All-BIG EAST First Team selections. Germino-Watnick and graduate forward Amanda Carolan were unanimous first-team picks, joining Nally on the top squad. Xavier followed with four total All-BIG EAST certificates, with senior defender Grace Bahr being joined on the first team by unanimous selection Samantha Dewey, a redshirt-senior midfielder. Butler also placed multiple players on the All-BIG EAST First Team, with sophomore forward Katie Soderstrom and redshirt-senior defender Annika Schmidt each earning a slot. Creighton senior midfielder Taryn Jakubowski, DePaul junior forward Morgan Turner and Villanova’s Brice McInroy joined Providence’s Hogan and St. John’s Kajan on the All-BIG EAST First Team. The Blue Demons, Hoyas and Musketeers all had multiple second-team honorees, while Creighton, Georgetown and Providence all placed two on the All-Freshman Team. Four rookies were unanimous picks: Heinrich, Georgetown’s Anna Leat and Julia Leas, and Villanova’s Jane Olcott. Heinrich, Leat and DePaul’s Kristin Boos were named to both the All-BIG EAST Second Team and the All-Freshman Team.