Nov. 6, 2008

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Senior Erin Hardiman (Galloway, N.J.) was named the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year on Thursday evening as the league announced its annual postseason awards and All-Conference selections in a banquet held at the South Bend Marriott. Hardiman had a spot on the All-BIG EAST first team and was joined in receiving postseason honors by junior defender Kelly Eagan (St. James, N.Y.), who was chosen as a second team All-BIG EAST performer.

Hardiman is the first Villanova player to ever be named the top midfielder in the conference. This season she established a single-season school record with 14 assists, leading the BIG EAST and ranking fifth in the nation with that total. Hardiman also tied for third on the team with four goals scored and led the Wildcats with her 22 points on the year.

The Villanova offense surged during the 2008 season and registered better than two goals per game for the year. The Wildcats recorded a program best by scoring multiple goals in seven straight games to start the season and never looked back. Hardiman was the driving force behind the team's offense all season long, registering at least one point in 10 of the 15 games that Villanova scored a goal in.

Overall, Hardiman had a part in 18 of the 39 goals scored by the Wildcats and five of her 14 assists came on game-winning or game-tying goals. She was the fastest player in school history to reach 10 assists for the year when she tied the previous school record for helpers in a season and had three games in which she registered at least one goal and one assist.

Villanova has been presented with one of the major postseason awards given by the BIG EAST in four consecutive seasons. The only other programs in the league to ever receive a major award in at least four straight seasons are Notre Dame and West Virginia. The Wildcats have also had at least one first team All-BIG EAST selection in each of the last five seasons, another program first.

Eagan is the only current player on the Villanova roster who has started every single team game during her career. She once again was the anchor of the Wildcats defense and was the BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. She has received all-league accolades all three seasons of her career.

The Villanova defense allowed opponents an average of just over six shots on goal per game and posted seven shutouts. Five of the shutouts came in BIG EAST play and the defense often turned up its pressure when the game was on the line. The Wildcats outscored their opponents by a 28-14 margin after halftime of games this season.

A central defender, Eagan also has the presence to be a force on the offensive end and takes part in every offensive set piece the team runs. Her only point of the season came on a game-tying goal late in the second half against top-ranked Notre Dame. Villanova became just the fourth team ever (out of 295) to tie a game against the Fighting Irish after Notre Dame had held a 2-0 lead. Eagan was on the field for more than 95 percent of the team's minutes played for the season despite often being a targeted matchup for opposing teams.

The contributions of Hardiman and Eagan were central to the Wildcats fortunes during the season. Villanova finished the campaign with an 11-7-1 record, marking the 10th straight year that the team has won at least 10 games and posted a winning record. The 2008 season was also the 12th consecutive non-losing season for the team.

Hardiman shared the midfielder award with Carolyn Blank of West Virginia, who had 12 points during the year. Other major award winners included Notre Dame's Kerri Hanks (Offensive Player of the Year), Carrie Dew (Defensive Player of the Year), Melissa Henderson (Rookie of the Year), Randy Waldrum (Coach of the Year) and Connecticut's Stephanie Labbe (Goalkeeper of the Year).

NOTES: Labbe was the first non-Villanovan to win Goalkeeper of the Year honors since 2004 ... Wildcat All-American Jillian Loyden won the award each of the past three seasons and is the only three-time recipient of the honor ... Villanova now has 32 All-BIG EAST selections since 1995, including 12 first team and 10 second team honorees ... During the season Hardiman was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on August 25 and was named to the Soccer America Team of the Week the same date for her two-goal, two-assist performance in a season-opening win over UMBC ... Hardiman also earned Offensive MVP honors at the TD Banknorth Classic in Vermont and an All-Tournament Team nod at the Villanova Classic ... Eagan was the Defensive MVP at the Villanova Classic and the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on October 6.