NEW YORK – The Georgetown Hoyas claimed the top spot in the 2026 BIG EAST Preseason Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll with 98 points and eight first-place votes, announced on Monday afternoon. They also nabbed two preseason major award winners.
UConn received two first-place votes and 89 points to finish second in the poll, following a 7-1-2 record in conference play in 2025. Reigning champion Xavier took the third spot with 78 points and one first-place vote. Creighton (73) and Villanova (66) rounded out the top five, respectively. Providence received 60 points for sixth, Marquette tallied 40 points for seventh, and Butler followed with 39 points. St. John’s (28), DePaul (19) and Seton Hall (15) rounded out the 11-team poll.
Xavier senior forward Peyton Kohls was named the 2026 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Georgetown’s junior midfielder Lizzie Heller earned Preseason Midfielder of the Year, while teammate senior defender Kaya Hanson recorded Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Villanova graduate student goalkeeper Hannah Dickinson was voted the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
Kohls, Heller, Hanson and Dickinson were also voted to the 13-member Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. They were joined by Butler junior midfielder Chloe Brecht, UConn senior midfielder Anaya Johnson and redshirt sophomore forward Se-Hanna Mars, Marquette junior forward Jocelyn Leigh, Providence graduate midfielder Thaea Mouratidis and sophomore forward Courtnee Pickles, Villanova senior midfielder Gabby Koluch and sophomore forward Avrie Nelsen, and Xavier senior defender Brooklynn Miltenberger.
Kohls capped the 2025 season with six goals and eight assists for 20 points as she helped the Musketeers earn their second conference tournament title since joining the BIG EAST. The 2025 All-BIG EAST Third Team member started all 22 matches for Xavier.
Heller started all 23 matches, recording three goals and four assists for 10 points while logging 1,995 minutes for the Hoyas. The midfielder tallied a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over UConn last September. She has been named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team in each of the past two seasons.
Hanson started all 23 matches, contributing to 13 clean sheets, including nine straight from Sept. 27 through Nov 6. She was part of a Georgetown defensive unit that recorded nine clean sheets in 11 BIG EAST matches as the squad allowed just four goals in conference play. Her 2025 laurels included All-BIG EAST Second Team, BIG EAST All-Tournament Team and United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Second Team.
Dickinson boasted a 9-8-1 record in goal, starting all 18 games. She finished the season second in the league with 45 saves, to go with a .964 goals-against average and a .802 save percentage, both ranked third in the league. Dickinson’s eight solo shutouts also ranked second in the league and 33rd in the nation. The graduate student made 15 saves against Georgetown in October, the most by a Wildcat since 2021. She is a two-time All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree (‘24, ’25) and was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Third Team last season.
The poll, major awards, and Preseason All-BIG EAST Team are voted on by the league’s head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their teams.
BIG EAST Preseason Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown, 98 (8)
2. UConn, 89 (2)
3. Xavier, 78 (1)
4. Creighton, 73
5. Villanova, 66
6. Providence, 60
7. Marquette, 40
8. Butler, 39
9. St. John’s, 28
10. DePaul, 19
11. Seton Hall, 15
Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Peyton Kohls, Xavier, Sr., F
Preseason BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year
Lizzie Heller, Georgetown, Jr., M
Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Kaya Hanson, Georgetown, Sr., D
Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Hannah Dickinson, Villanova, Gr., GK
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team *
Jocelyn Leigh, Marquette, Jr., F
Courtnee Pickles, Providence, So., F
Se-Hanna Mars, UConn, R-So., F
Avrie Nelsen, Villanova, So., F
Peyton Kohls, Xavier, Sr., F ^
Chloe Brecht, Butler, Jr., M
Lizzie Heller, Georgetown, Jr., M
Thaea Mouratidis, Providence, Gr., M
Anaya Johnson, UConn, Sr., M ^
Gabby Koluch, Villanova, Sr., M
Kaya Hanson, Georgetown, Sr., D
Brooklynn Miltenberger, Xavier, Sr., D
Hannah Dickinson, Villanova, Gr., GK
^ unanimous selection
* Due to a tie in the voting, there are 13 members on the preseason team.