NEW YORK – The Butler Bulldog women's soccer team was picked to finish sixth in the 2017 Preseason Coaches' Poll, an announcement made by the BIG EAST office on Thursday, Aug. 10. The Bulldogs also placed two student-athletes on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. After a vote from the league's 10 head coaches, Shannon McDevitt and Paige Monaghan represented BU as two of the top players in the conference.
 
Butler ended the 2016 campaign with an 11-7-2 overall record that included a 4-4-1 conference record. Their win-loss total vs. conference foes landed them in sixth place of the BIG EAST standings. The 'Dawgs made the BIG EAST Conference Tournament field, but were eliminated in the opening round by Georgetown, who happens to be the 2017 favorite.
 
The Hoyas collected nine of the ten first place votes to top the preseason poll with 81 points. They also swept the major preseason awards with Rachel Corboz being named Player of the Year, Elizabeth Wenger taking Defensive Player of the Year accolades and Arielle Schechtman being named Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
 
DePaul came in at second with 70 points, holding off a Marquette program that ended the poll with 67 points. The top-five would round out with St. John's (54) and Providence (48).
 
The Bulldogs landed comfortably in sixth place with 43 points. Villanova took seventh (31), Creighton ranked eighth (28), Xavier came in at nine (16) and Seton Hall placed 10th (12).
 
The 2017 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team included four Hoyas, three Blue Demons, two Bulldogs and two from the Red Storm. Samantha Dewey of Xavier and Carrie Madden of Marquette were also on the squad. Extra players were added to the preseason team due to a tie in voting. There were only two unanimous selections (Alexa Ben of DePaul and Rachel Corboz of Georgetown).
 
McDevitt is a senior defender that helped BU post 10 shutouts last year. A 2016 Second Team All-BIG EAST selection, McDevitt started in 19 games a year ago, finishing the year with two goals. McDevitt heads into her senior year having started in 61 games for Butler.
 
Monaghan is the top returning goal scorer on the roster after posting six goals during her sophomore season. The former BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selection started in 18 games for Butler in 2016, leading the group in total shots (71). Three assists moved her overall point total to 15. Monaghan isn't shy when holding onto possession of the ball. She led the BIG EAST and ranked 33rd in the NCAA last year in shots per game (3.94).
 
BIG EAST Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Georgetown, 81 (9)
2. DePaul, 70 (1)
3. Marquette, 67
4. St. John's, 54
5. Providence, 48
6. Butler, 43
7. Villanova, 31
8. Creighton, 28
9. Xavier, 16
10. Seton Hall, 12
 
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Rachel Corboz, Georgetown
 
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Elizabeth Wenger, Georgetown
 
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Arielle Schechtman, Georgetown
 
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
Alexa Ben, DePaul, Sr., M*
Amanda Carolan, Georgetown, So., F
Franny Cerny, DePaul, Jr., F
Shea Connors, St. John's, Sr., F
Rachel Corboz, Georgetown, Sr., M*
Samantha Dewey, Xavier, Jr., F
Lucy Edwards, DePaul, Sr., M
Shannon McDevitt, Butler, Sr., D
Carrie Madden, Marquette, R-Jr., F
Allie Moar, St. John's, Sr., M
Paige Monaghan, Butler, Jr., F
Arielle Schechtman, Georgetown, Jr., GK
Elizabeth Wenger, Georgetown, Sr., D
 
^extra players added due to a tie in voting
*unanimous selection