NEW YORK – The 2022 BIG EAST Preseason Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll was unveiled on Thursday and after winning its fifth BIG EAST Championship in the last six seasons, Georgetown once again stands at the top of the conference before another season begins. Two Hoyas earned preseason major awards as senior midfielder Julia Leas was voted BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and senior Allie Augur was voted BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. Rounding out the major awards was Butler senior forward Katie Soderstrom, who was picked BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. The poll, major awards and Preseason All-BIG EAST Team are decided by a vote of the league’s head coaches who are not permitted to vote for their own teams.
 
Georgetown, which finished with a 7-1-2 BIG EAST record in the fall of 2021, received eight first-place votes and a total of 98 points. Following the Hoyas in second was Xavier, which received two first-place votes and a total of 91 points. Xavier won the BIG EAST regular-season title last season with a 9-1 conference record, marking its second regular-season crown in league history. Butler followed in third in the preseason poll with one first-place vote and 83 points, while Providence came in fourth with 69 points. St. John’s and Connecticut were picked fifth and sixth with 59 and 57 points, respectively. Creighton and Marquette were separated by one point with the Bluejays picked seventh with 43 points and the Golden Eagles eighth with 42. Rounding out the poll was DePaul (31 points, ninth), Villanova (22, 10^th) and Seton Hall (10, 11^th).
 
In addition to their major awards, Augur, Leas, and Soderstrom were voted to the 11-member Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Also recognized on the preseason squad were Butler’s Aliya Diagne, UConn’s Jaydah Bedoya, Creighton’s Aida Kardovic, Georgetown’s Gia Vicari, Providence’s Meg Hughes, St. John’s Jessica Garziano, and Xavier’s Molly McLaughlin and Ella Rogers.
 
Georgetown went 14-2-6 overall last season, including a 7-1-2 BIG EAST record. The second-seeded Hoyas won their fifth BIG EAST Championship with a 1-0 win over St. John’s in Cincinnati to punch their NCAA Tournament ticket for the 10^th straight year, where they advanced to the Second Round. Georgetown will start the season ranked No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches National Preseason Poll.
 
Leas will be the leader of Georgetown’s defense this season as the Hoyas’ back line has become an integral part of their past BIG EAST Championship runs. Leas is the reigning BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and was also an All-BIG EAST First Team selection in 2021. Georgetown finished second in the nation in goals against average at .275. The Hoyas also finished sixth in Division I for shutout percentage at .591.
 
In 2021, Augur finished third among Division I goalkeepers in goals against average at .475, while also listing ninth in the nation in goalie minutes played. Augur was selected to the 2021 All-BIG EAST Second Team during her first season at Georgetown
 
A 2021 All-BIG EAST First Team selection, Soderstrom leads the Butler offense into another season. The Bulldogs finished third in the conference in goals scored, while also tying Georgetown for the top spot in the league for goals per game with 1.95. Soderstrom created opportunities for the Butler offense by finishing second in the conference in shots per game with 3.48, and she capitalized on those opportunities scoring the second-most goals per game in the BIG EAST with a 0.57 average. She also averaged 0.38 assists per game to rank fourth in the league.
 
The BIG EAST saw an impressive five teams receive NCAA Tournament berths in 2021, the most for the conference since 2010. Georgetown was joined by Xavier, Butler, Providence, and St. John’s in the field for the fourth-most bids by any Division I conference last fall. Of note, the Red Storm advanced to their first ever Round of 16.
 
In addition to school-provided non-conference coverage, all regular-season BIG EAST matches not selected for national television will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi, available on FloSports. The Conference recently announced a three-year agreement with the streaming platform.
 
BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(First-place votes)
1.       Georgetown          98 (8)
2.       Xavier                     91 (2)
3.       Butler                     83 (1)
4.       Providence            69
5.       St. John’s               59
6.       Connecticut           57
7.       Creighton               43
8.       Marquette             42
9.       DePaul                    31
10.     Villanova                22
11.     Seton Hall              10
 
BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Katie Soderstrom, Butler, R-Sr., F
 
BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Julia Leas, Georgetown, Sr., M                
 
BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Allie Augur, Georgetown, Sr., GK
 
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Aliya Diagne, Butler, R-Jr., D
Katie Soderstrom, Butler, R-Sr., F*
Jaydah Bedoya, Connecticut, Jr., F
Aida Kardovic, Creighton, Sr., M*
Allie Augur, Georgetown, Sr., GK
Julia Leas, Georgetown, Sr., M*
Gia Vicari, Georgetown, Sr., F
Meg Hughes, Providence, Jr., F
Jessica Garziano, St. John’s, Sr., M
Molly McLaughlin, Xavier, Grad., M
Ella Rogers, Xavier, So., M
*Unanimous selection