Aug. 8, 2005

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Senior defender Laura Koch (Blackwood, N.J.) has been named the Big East Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, the conference announced today. The preseason coaches poll and all-conference team were released by the conference, and Villanova was chosen to finish second in Division B.

Koch was also named to the Preseason All-Big East squad. The senior captain is coming off a season where she earned first team All-Region and third team All-Conference honors. Koch helped to anchor a strong Wildcat defensive unit in 2004, as Villanova surrendered just 16 goals in 22 games (0.70 goals-against average) and posted 10 shutouts. During her standout career, Koch has garnered all-region recognition on two occasions and all-conference honors once.

"It is a wonderful and well-deserved honor for Laura to be chosen for a major preseason award," head coach Ann Clifton said. "She is so athletic and does an excellent job commanding our back four. I am really excited for her to have the opportunity to be recognized at such an elite level."

The other preseason awards went to players from defending national champion Notre Dame. Katie Thorlakson, a senior forward, was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. In addition, senior Erika Bohn was named the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.

With the Big East expanding to 16 teams for the 2005 season, the conference has aligned into two divisions for women's soccer. Villanova will play out of Division B, where the Wildcats were selected to finish second behind Notre Dame. Villanova received one first-place vote and 102 points overall in the poll. The Wildcats were 14-6-2 last season, coming in just one victory short of the school record set in 2003. Villanova reached the semifinals of the Big East Tournament and the second round of the NCAA Tournament, marking the program's fourth consecutive appearance in national postseason competition. Rutgers, Georgetown and Louisville rounded out the top five in Division B.

"It is an incredible honor to be picked second in our division," Clifton said. "It shows that there is a great deal of respect for our program. I am excited about the challenges that lie ahead of us. The team is committed to working hard and getting after a tough schedule this season."

Villanova begins the 2005 season on August 26 with a home game against La Salle. The game marks the earliest season opener in team history. The Wildcats play a league game against Georgetown on August 31, and then settle in to the remainder of the conference schedule in late September.

Big East teams will be vying for one of 10 spots in the conference tournament this season. The top three teams in each division will get a first-round bye, while the fourth place and fifth place teams will face a first round play-in game. The semifinals and championship game of the tournament will be hosted by conference newcomer Marquette.

Big East Preseason Awards

Preseason Player of the Year - Katie Thorlakson, Notre Dame
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year - Laura Koch, Villanova
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year - Erika Bohn, Notre Dame

Preseason All-Conference Team

Zoe Avner (Sr., M, Rutgers)
Ashley Banks (So., F/M, West Virginia)
Erika Bohn (Sr., GK, Notre Dame)
Jen Buczkowski (Jr., M, Notre Dame)
Candace Chapman (Sr., F/D, Notre Dame)
Jamie Craft (Jr., F, Louisville)
Marisa Kanela (Sr., M, West Virginia)
Laura Koch (Sr., D, Villanova)
Natasha Lee (Jr., F/M, St. John's)
Megan Schnur (So., M, Connecticut)
Julianne Sitch (Sr., M, DePaul)
Katie Thorlakson (Sr., F, Notre Dame)

Big East Coaches Poll

Division A

1) Connecticut (13 First Place Votes; 118 Points)
2) West Virginia (3; 108)
3) Syracuse (80)
4) Marquette (77)
5) St. John's (68)
6) Pittsburgh (51)
7) South Florida (39)
8) Providence (27)

Division B

1) Notre Dame (15 First Place Votes; 120 Points)
2) Villanova (1; 102)
3) Rutgers (93)
4) Georgetown (68)
5) Louisville (62)
6) DePaul (49)
7) Seton Hall (44)
8) Cincinnati (29)