Aug. 9, 2007

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Official BIG EAST Release

Reigning first team All-American and 2007 Hermann Trophy candidate Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.) is the BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and sophomore defender Kelly Eagan (St. James, N.Y.) earned a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team, it was announced today. In the annual preseason poll of league head coaches, Villanova was picked to finish third in the powerful National division.

Loyden is the top preseason goalkeeper for the second straight season and has won the award at the end of the season in each of the past two years. In 2006 she became the first player in program history to be selected as a first team All-American. She enters the season needing just one win and four shutouts to tie the school career records in those categories.

Also earning a spot on the preseason all-conference team was Eagan, who last year was one of 14 finalists for consideration as Freshman of the Year. She became the only first-year player in team history to be a first team All-BIG EAST honoree. From her central back position, Eagan helped to anchor a team defense which surrendered only 11 goals all season long, the fewest for an entire season in the team's 24-year varsity history.

The Wildcats enter the 2007 campaign with one of their strongest teams from top to bottom. Villanova received 87 points in the coaches' poll and trailed only Notre Dame (15 first-place votes, 113 points) and Rutgers (one first-place vote, 94 points) in its division. All three teams advanced at least to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, with Notre Dame advancing all the way to the national championship game.

Chosen behind Villanova in the division were Louisville (70 points), Georgetown (53), Seton Hall (41), Cincinnati (33) and DePaul (21).

The Wildcats have the third-highest win total in conference games (52) since the BIG EAST began a regular season schedule in 1995. Over the past two seasons the team has produced a 13-3-5 (.738) regular season record against league opponents.

All three of the major preseason award winners came from the National division. Notre Dame juniors Kerri Hanks and Carrie Dew were named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. In 2005 and 2006, seven of the eight major postseason award winners from the conference have been from the National division, including Loyden being named Goalkeeper of the Year in both seasons.

In the American division, West Virginia (10 first-place votes, 107 points) was picked first and was followed by Connecticut (six, 102), Marquette (88), St. John's (66), Pittsburgh (45), University of South Florida (45), Syracuse (36) and Providence (23).

The other players on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team included Brittany Bock (Notre Dame), Amanda Cicchini (West Virginia), Amanda Cinalli (Notre Dame), Gina DeMaio (Rutgers), Carrie Dew (Notre Dame), Deana Everrett (West Virginia), Monique Gjini (Louisville), Kerri Hanks (Notre Dame), Meghan Schnur (Connecticut), Brittany Taylor (Connecticut) and Michele Weissenhofer (Notre Dame).

Villanova opens the 2007 season on August 31 at home with a 1:30 p.m. game against Lafayette.