Georgetown's Achara returned to action on Oct. 4.
Georgetown Earns A Pair Of #BEfútbol Weekly Awards, St. John’s And Providence Claim Remainder
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Achara, Georgetown, Sr., F (Enugu, Nigeria)
Georgetown senior forward Achara led the BIG EAST in points last week with six, scoring three of the Hoyas four total goals in back-to-back 2-0 victories. In Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Lehigh, Achara scored in the 13th minute, unassisted, off a blocked cross to the far post for the eventual game-winner. On Friday, Achara scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Seton Hall, giving the 12th-ranked Hoyas three points and a solid hold on second place in the BIG EAST standings. Achara took just six shots on goal. Achara returned to the pitch for the Hoyas on Oct. 4.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Brandon Duarte, St. John’s, Sr., M (Toronto, Ontario)
St. John’s senior midfielder Brandon Duarte dropped back to play the back line this week to help the No. 10 Red Storm to back-to-back shutout victories this week. Duarte played 170 minutes during the Red Storm’s 1-0 win over Temple and 4-0 league victory over Villanova at home. He helped hold opponents to 10 total shots on goal. In the league victory over the Wildcats, Duarte helped hold Villanova to just three shots on goal, six total shots and was credited with a team save. The Red Storm’s back line and tag-team goalies Luka Gavran and Jan Hoffelner have not let a goal in the net since Sept. 23 (four games). St. John’s has eight clean sheets on the season.
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week
Giannis Nikopolidis, Georgetown, So., GK (Athens, Greece)
Georgetown sophomore Giannis Nikopolidis recorded back-to-back shutout wins last week, defending the net for the Hoyas to earn a 2-0 win over Lehigh and a 2-0 win over Seton Hall. Nikopolidis made six total saves, four in the win over Lehigh and two against the Pirates. For the season, Nikopolidis has a 0.49 goals against average and a 5-1 record.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Esben Wolf, Providence, Fr., M (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Providence freshman midfielder Esben Wolf tallied three points in a 2-0-0 week for the Friars. Esben assisted Providence’s golden goal in the 92nd minute against Connecticut on Tuesday. On Saturday, the rookie scored the insurance goal in the 58th minute, unassisted, to seal off a 2-0 Friar win over Marquette. The win was the second in BIG EAST play for PC. Esban played 82 minutes against MU, connecting on one of his two shots on goal.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Gabriel Gjergji, Butler, So., G
Gjergji went unbeaten in goal last week with a 1-0-1 record and two double-overtime games. Against Akron, Gjergji made six key saves before Alex Lehtinen scored the golden goal in the 110th minute. He allowed two goals (a PK sand a free kick) in the draw against DePaul, but made four saves.
Max de Bruijne, DePaul, Sr., D
de Bruijne played all 110 minutes in a 2-2 draw at Butler to earn a point in the BIG EAST standings. De Bruijne helped anchor a back line that held the Bulldogs to just five shots on goal. He also scored the game-tying PK in the 90th minute to send the game to the extra periods.
Griffin Jende, Marquette, R-Jr., F
Jende earned his first career start on Tuesday against Green Bay and made it count. He scored the first two goals of his career in a 6-1 rout of Green Bay, playing a career-high 56 minutes. Three of his four shots on the game came on goal.
Tani Oluwaseyi, St. John’s, So., M/F
Oluwaseyi recorded a goal and two assists in another 2-0 week for St. John’s. He scored the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Temple on Tuesday, before dishing out two assists in SJU’s 4-0 win over Villanova, a team that had conceded just three goals all year in more than 1,000 minutes.
Matthew Rosenberg, Xavier, RS-Jr., GK
Rosenberg made four saves on Friday night in a 1-0 win over Creighton. The win was Rosenberg’s fourth shutout of the season. It was just the third shutout of the year for the Bluejays and was the first BIG EAST win for Xavier this season. CU outshot XU 17-7.