WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University men's soccer team held its annual banquet on Monday to recognize the accomplishments of the 2018 squad. Head Coach Brian Wiese and his staff named the three major award winners.
 
The Most Valuable Player Award was given to senior midfielder Kyle Zajec (Westport, Conn. / Staples). It was presented by junior Dylan Nealis (Massapequa, N.Y. / Massapequa).
 
Zajec had an outstanding senior campaign being named Second Team All-BIG EAST as well as Scholar All-South Region.  He started all 21 games and ranked second on the squad in scoring with four goals and a team-best seven assists for 15 points.  He was an impressive 3 for 3 on penalty kicks and scored one game winner in a 4-0 win over Providence.  Zajec earned two nods to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
 
In his career, he appeared in 62 games with 59 starts scoring five goals with nine assists for 19 points. He was voted a 2018 team captain.
 
Junior forward Riley Strassner (Avon, Conn. / Avon) was named the Most Improved Player. The award was presented by senior Ethan Lochner (New York, N.Y. / Stuyvesant).
 
Strassner made a huge impact as a junior after appearing in just six games his first two seasons on the Hilltop.  He played in all 21 games with four starts and managed three goals and three assists for nine points on the year.  He also tallied the game winner against Villanova.
 
The Ricardo Mendoza Award, given to the player who exhibits spirit, leadership and dedication, was awarded to senior Brendan McDonough (Matthews, N.C. / Charlotte Catholic) and presented by classmate Peter Schropp (Omaha, Neb. / Creighton Prep).
 
A 2018 team captain, McDonough was selected 35th overall by the Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.  He was a Second Team All-East Region and a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection as well.  He and the defense managed a league-best 10 shutouts on the season.  McDonough had one goal and one assist on the year for three points.  His lone goal was the game winner against Marquette in the BIG EAST Championship.
 
In his career, McDonough was a two-time all-region selection, twice named All-BIG EAST and a two-year captain for the Blue & Gray. The defender appeared in 63 games with 56 starts.  He scored two goals and managed two assists for six career points. 
 
Following the awards, players received rings for winning the league championship and the 2018 highlight video was debuted.
 
Georgetown went 13-5-3 this past season.  Along the way, the Hoyas claimed the 2018 BIG EAST Championship after entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed and earned an automatic NCAA Tournament berth with the No. 13 overall seed. It marked the third championship in four years for the Blue & Gray as well as the third tournament championship in program history.  The coaching staff was also named United Soccer Coach East Region Coaching Staff of the Year.