Butler, which captured the 2017 BIG EAST regular season title, was well-represented as the conference announced its regular season awards and all-conference teams Friday, Nov. 3.
Redshirt senior
Eric Dick was selected as the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, while sophomore
Brandon Guhl was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Head coach
Paul Snape and his staff earned Coaching Staff of the Year.
Dick and Guhl were joined on the All-BIG EAST First Team by sophomore midfielder
Lewis Suddick. Junior defender
Joe Moulden was voted on to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
"I am thrilled that Eric, Brandon, Lewis, and Joe have been selected to receive their respective BIG EAST Awards," said Snape. "The four of them are very important members of our team who consistently perform at a high level. I am positive that these guys will say that they are only recipients of these prestigious awards because of the hard work, sacrifice, and dedication of their fellow teammates. The journey to the 2017 BIG EAST regular season championship has not been easy to say the least, but the players have showed tremendous character to battle through a lot of adversity, and to remain strong as a unit. We know that we still have a lot of areas to improve upon, but we remain extremely focused on trying to win the next Championship!"
All-BIG EAST Teams and major awards are voted on by the league's head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their own players. All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams are comprised of three forwards, three midfielders, three defenders, one goalkeeper and one at-large selection. The BIG EAST All-Freshman Team recognizes the top-11 freshman vote earners.
Dick tied for the BIG EAST lead with eight shutouts during the 2017 regular season. His goals against average of 0.85 and save percentage of 0.833 were both second in the conference, while his 4.38 saves per contest were tops in the BIG EAST. Dick has been named the conference's goalkeeper of the week four times in 2017. Previously, Dick was voted to the 2015 All-BIG EAST Second Team. Dick was the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Guhl, in his first season with the Bulldogs after transferring from SMU, was second in the BIG EAST and 25
th nationally with 10 goals in Butler's 17 matches. His 24 points were also second in the conference. He has three game-winning goals so far in 2017. Guhl shared Co-Offensive Player of the Year accolades with Creighton's Ricky Lopez-Espin.
Suddick tied for the BIG EAST lead with eight assists during the regular season, despite missing three matches. He added five goals for 18 points. His five goals included four game-winners. Twice in 2017, Suddick has received the conference's weekly offensive award. A season ago, Suddick was selected to the BIG EAST All-Newcomer Team.
Moulden anchored a Butler back line that has allowed only 17 goals in 17 contests this season. That includes eight shutouts. The junior also scored the first goal of his Butler career in the Bulldogs' 2-1 win at Marquette Oct. 28, which clinched the BIG EAST regular season title for the Bulldogs.
Butler went 8-1 against BIG EAST opponents during the 2017 season, winning the regular season title and earning the No. 1 seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament. The Bulldogs were picked third in the BIG EAST preseason poll. Snape and his staff have led the Bulldogs to an overall record of 12-4-1 and a No. 15 national ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
"I would also like to thank my incredible coaching staff for their outstanding body of work throughout this exciting campaign," said Snape. "Assistants
Adam Bruh and
Jason Perry have worked relentlessly to make sure that the players are fully prepared for every practice, scouting report, video session, and game. Their dedication and commitment to the program is a huge reason why we won the 2017 regular season championship. Our keepers coach
Fabian Knopfler has provided invaluable insight, knowledge and energy to our talented goalkeepers unit. Finally, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to those who support our program each and every day – our university and athletic department leadership, medical staff, academic advisors, compliance officers, equipment staff, marketing and communications personnel, facilities crew, and so many others – whose names rarely get mentioned, but work so hard to provide our student-athletes with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to excel both on the field, and in the classroom!"
The Bulldogs will host a BIG EAST semifinal at the Sellick Bowl on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Butler will play the winner of the quarterfinal between fourth-seeded Xavier and fifth-seeded Providence. If the Bulldogs win the semifinal, they will also host the BIG EAST championship match on Sunday, Nov. 12 by way of being the regular season champion. The Bulldogs will look to repeat as BIG EAST Tournament champions after winning the 2016 postseason title.
BIG EAST Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Brandon Guhl, Butler, So., F
Ricky Lopez-Espin, Creighton, Sr., F
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BIG EAST Midfielder of thÂe Year
Harry Cooksley, St. John's, Sr., M
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BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
David Enstrom, St. John's, Sr., D
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BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Eric Dick, Butler, RS-Sr., GK
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BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Derek Dodson, Georgetown, Fr., F
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BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Butler (Head Coach
Paul Snape)
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All-BIG EAST First Team
Brandon Guhl, Butler, So., F *
Ricky Lopez-Espin, Creighton, Sr., F *
Mac Steeves, Providence, RS-Sr., F
Harry Cooksley, St. John's, Sr., M
Christopher Lema, Georgetown, Sr., M
Lewis Suddick, Butler, So., M
Cory Brown, Xavier, Sr., D
David Enstrom, St. John's, Sr., D
Brendan McDonough, Georgetown, Jr., D
Lucas Stauffer, Creighton, Sr., D
Eric Dick, Butler, RS-Sr., GK
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All-BIG EAST Second Team
Derek Dodson, Georgetown, Fr., F
Declan McCabe, Georgetown, Sr., F
Matt Vasquenza, Xavier, Sr., F
Andres Arcila, Seton Hall, Jr., M
Noah Franke, Creighton, Sr., M
Simen Hestnes, Xavier, Jr., M
Luka Prpa, Marquette, So., M
Shane Bradley, Villanova, So., D
Joe Moulden, Butler, Jr., D
Cameron Taylor, Xavier, RS-Jr., D
JT Marcinkowski, Georgetown, Jr., GK
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BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
Kuba Polat, Creighton, Fr., M *
Istvan Wilhelms, DePaul, Fr., M
Derek Dodson, Georgetown, Fr., F *
Jacob Montes, Georgetown, Fr., M *
Sean O'Hearn, Georgetown, Fr., D
Manuel Cukaj, Marquette, Fr., D
Matt DePerro, Providence, RS-Fr., F
Jack Shearer, St. John's, Fr., F *
Theo Quartey, Villanova, Fr., M
Samuel Buzzas, Xavier, RS-Fr., D
Zach Nelson, Xavier, RS-Fr., GK
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* - denotes unanimous selection
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