WASHINGTON – The No. 1/2 Georgetown University men's soccer team led all BIG EAST Conference teams with three major awards and eight total all-conference honors on Wednesday when the league announced its postseason awards.

Junior Giannis Nikopolidis was named the Goalkeeper of the Year for the second-consecutive season.  Rio Hope-Gund was the Defensive Player of the Year, while sophomore Dante Polvara earned Midfielder of the Year honors.  Nikopolidis, Hope-Gund and Polvara joined seniors Derek Dodson and Jacob Montes on the BIG EAST First Team. The Blue & Gray led all schools with five first team honorees.  Additionally, senior captain Sean Zawadzki earned a spot on the second team for the second-consecutive year, and senior Paul Rothrock along with sophomore Will Sands both were named to the third team.

Georgetown earned the top seed in the East Division as well as the overall high seed to host the postseason event. GU finished both the regular season and league play with a mark of 7-0-2. The top-seeded Hoyas will face the second seed in the Midwest Division Creighton in the BIG EAST Semifinal matchup on Thursday at noon at Shaw Field.

Giannis Nikopolidis
Goalkeeper of the Year, First Team All-BIG EAST

• Nikopolidis started seven games with four shutouts in 581 minutes in goal.
• The junior has a record of 5-0-1 overall.
• He has 15 saves and a 0.31 goals-against average which ranks him fifth in the nation and first in the BIG EAST Conference.
• Nikopolidis was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week on 3/15 and 4/12 as well as earning one nod to the weekly honor roll.
• This is Nikopolidis' second-consecutive BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year honor and his second First Team All-BIG EAST nod.
• He earned a spot on the all-freshman team in 2018.
• Nikopolidis is currently ranked fourth on the program's all-time shutout list.

Dante Polvara
Midfielder of the Year, First Team All-BIG EAST

• Polvara has started all nine games for the Blue & Gray and currently leads the team in scoring with seven goals and two assists for 16 points.
• Two of his goals were game winners against Seton Hall and at St. John's.
• His seven goals ranks him 12th in the nation as well as tying him for the lead in the BIG EAST.
• Polvara's total scoring ranks him 23rd in the country and in a tie for first in the league.
• He was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on 3/1 and also earned two nods to the weekly honor roll this season.
• This is his first postseason honor.
• It marks Georgetown's second-consecutive BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year award after Montes won it a season ago.

Rio Hope-Gund
Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-BIG EAST

• Hope-Gund appeared in eight games with as many starts.
• His season was cut short as he was called into preseason camp with Orlando City of Major League Soccer.
• Individually, he appeared in 44 games with 32 starts and managed two goals to go along with two assists.
• This past preseason, Hope-Gund was voted the BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year as well as All-BIG EAST.
• In his final week on the Hilltop he earned his first-career weekly award after two nods to the honor roll.
• Earlier this year, Hope-Gund was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week.
• This is Georgetown's third-consecutive BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award.

Derek Dodson
First Team All-BIG EAST

• The senior captain has started all seven games he appeared in this season.
• He is second on the team in scoring with two goals and three assists for seven points on the year.
• A strong performance earned him BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors on 3/22.
• Has earned one All-America, three All-Region and four All-BIG EAST honors, including 2017 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, during his career on the Hilltop.
• Dodson has 32 career goals, including 10 game winners, to go along with three assists for 78 points at Georgetown.
• He ranks sixth all-time on GU's goals list.

Jacob Montes
First Team All-BIG EAST

• Montes departed following the UConn game for Europe for a Premier League tryout.
• The midfielder started all 73 games over the past four years and managed 15 goals along with 15 assists for 45 points in his time on the Hilltop.
• He has been selected as a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award.
• This preseason, Montes was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and selected Preseason All-BIG EAST.
• In 2019, Montes was a Third Team All-American as a junior while also being named First Team All-East Region, the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and First Team All-BIG EAST.
• Montes earned two weekly awards in his time on the Hilltop as well as two honor roll selections.
• This is his second all-conference recognition.

Sean Zawadzki
Second Team All-BIG EAST

• The midfielder has started all eight games he has appeared in this season.
• Zawadzki moved into the backline against St. John's to take the place of Hope-Gund.
• He was a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection.
• Zawadzki was named to the all-freshman team as a rookie and was Second Team All-BIG EAST a season ago.

Paul Rothrock
Third Team All-BIG EAST

• Rothrock has started all seven games he has appeared in for the Blue & Gray this season.
• His two goals this year were both game winners against Villanova and UConn.
• The midfielder has also managed one assist for five points on the season
• This is his first postseason honor on the Hilltop.

Will Sands
Third Team All-BIG EAST

• The sophomore has appeared in eight games with seven starts to his credit in a number of different roles.
• He has one assist on the season coming against Villanova on opening weekend for the Blue & Gray.
• This is his first postseason honor.

How to Watch

• The game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network with Georgetown alums Dan Helfrich and Tom Greaser calling the action. Live stats will be available at GUHoyas.com.

Fan Information

• All Georgetown men's soccer home games are currently scheduled to be played at Shaw Field. In accordance with Washington, D.C. regulations which limit the size of in-person gatherings, fans are regrettably not permitted to attend home games at this time.