WASHINGTON – Two Georgetown University men's soccer players were named the BIG EAST Players of the Week on Monday as the Hoyas prepared for a matchup against the University of Maryland. Senior Achara earned Offensive Player of the Week honors, while sophomore
Giannis Nikopolidis was named the Goalkeeper of the Week for the league. The No. 13 Hoyas went 2-0 last week with a pair of shutouts.
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 then 12th-ranked Hoyas three points and a solid hold on second place in the BIG EAST standings. Achara took just six shots on goal, this is his first honor of the season and the second for the Blue & Gray this year.
Nikopolidis recorded back-to-back shutout wins last week, defending the net for the Hoyas against Lehigh and 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. This is his first honor of the year and the first for Georgetown.
GU is currently 10-1-1 overall and 3-0-1 in BIG EAST play.
The Hoyas return to BIG EAST Conference action on Saturday as the squad hosts Xavier at 1 p.m. at Shaw Field. Additionally, next weekend is Alumni Weekend with a special 25-year celebration for the 1994 BIG EAST Champion squad. There will also be a Kid's Clinic following the match. Register online at GUHoyas.com/soccerclinic.
The game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) with Georgetown alums Dan Helfrich and Tom Greaser calling the action. Live stats will be available at GUHoyas.com and fans can follow the in-game scoring on Twitter at @GUHoyasMSoccer.
The BIG EAST has a dedicated channel on Caffeine, www.Caffeine.tv/BEDN, where fans can find all BEDN content. In addition to appearing on Caffeine, all BEDN events will be co-streamed on YouTube via the conference's main channel, www.youtube.com/BIGEASTConference, and Twitter on the main BIG EAST handle, @BIGEAST.
