WASHINGTON – For the fifth year in a row, Head Coach
Dave Nolan and the Georgetown women's soccer team are named the unanimous BIG EAST Preseason favorites, announced Monday by the league. The conference schedule will feature two geographic divisions this spring, with the Hoyas favored in the East Division, receiving 25 points and five first-place votes.
Additionally, junior
Jenna Royson was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year as well earned as a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST squad. This is the fourth-straight year that a Hoya garnered the preseason defensive player of the year award and fifth Hoya overall. This is also the fifth year in a row that a Georgetown player has won a major BIG EAST preseason award.
All-BIG EAST honors and preseason polls were decided by a vote of the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own team or players. Divisional polls were voted upon only by coaches in their respective divisions while awards were chosen regardless of division.
Jenna Royson
Defender
Junior
- Earned 2019 All-BIG EAST Second Team honors.
- Named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16, 2019 and to the league's weekly honor roll the following week.
- The defender started in all 21 games last season, finishing with nine total points from four goals and a helper, including two game-winning goals.
- She led one of the top-defending teams in the country that allowed just 0.92 goals per game as the Hoyas averaged more than double the shots of their opponents (15.2 to 7.1 per game).
Preseason Poll
- Following Georgetown was Villanova with 19 points and Providence with 18 points and the remaining available first-place vote. Returning to BIG EAST play for the first time since 2012, UConn was slotted fourth in the East with 12 points, followed by St. John's (11) and Seton Hall (5).
- The league has been split into two divisions for the 2021 spring season with each team playing only those in their division along with nonconference contests.
- Georgetown's 2021 spring schedule will be announced in the coming week.
