WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University men's soccer team was picked fifth in the BIG EAST Conference Preseason Coaches Poll on Wednesday. Additionally, junior JT Marcinkowski (Alamo, Calif./De La Salle) was named the BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and senior midfielder Christopher Lema (Ridgefield, N.J./Ridgefield Memorial) earned a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST squad.

The Hoyas finished fifth in the preseason poll with 46 points. Providence was selected first with 81 points and nine first place votes, while Creighton earned the second spot with 70 points and one first place vote. Butler and Villanova came in at third and fourth with 68 and 52 points, respectively. Xavier (45), Marquette (30), St. John's (27), DePaul (21) and Seton Hall (10) rounded out the preseason poll.

Last season, Marcinkowski helped the Hoyas to four shutouts, tallying 63 saves and a 1.23 GAA.

As a freshman, Marcinkowski had a breakout rookie year for the Hoyas earning United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Great Lakes Region, First Team All-BIG EAST, as well as BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors. He started all 21 games for the Blue & Gray and posted a 0.69 GAA on the season, totaling 63 saves. He went 16-2-3 in the net and managed nine shutouts.

Marcinkowski has been a member of the U.S. National Team Pool since 2010. He has earned 26 caps for the U-14 through U-20 national teams with 13 shutouts to his credit. With the U.S. Team, he has won the 2014 International Tournament of Vaclav Jezek in the Czech Republic, the 2013 Niigata International Tournament in Japan and the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

This past spring, Marcinkowski took the semester off to train exclusively with the U.S. U-20 Men's National Team. He played and trained in Costa Rica with the squad, and was on the U.S. roster for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea Republic.

This is the second time in his career that he has been named the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.

Lema was a First Team All-BIG EAST honoree a season ago, this is his first nod to the preseason squad. Last year, Lema started all 17 contests for the Blue & Gray. He was GU's third-leading scorer with one goal and a squad-best five assists for the year. Three of those assists came in league play. Lema was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Oct. 31 after posting two assists in a 3-2 victory over Villanova.

The Hoyas have played a pair of exhibition games and will have their final test on Saturday at Shaw Field against No. 13 University of Virginia. Georgetown opens the season at American University on Friday, August 25 at 5 p.m.