Aug. 8, 2007
MISSION, Kan. – Joseph Lapira (Lake Charles, La./Saint Louis Catholic), a senior forward on the Notre Dame men’s soccer team, has been named to the 2007 Missouri Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Hermann Trophy Watch List. The trophy is presented annually to the top men’s soccer player in the United States. Lapira won the award last season as he led all NCAA Division I men’s players with 22 goals and 50 points.
A panel of coaches from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) compiled the 29-man M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List. Lapira will try to become the first back-to-back recipient of the most prestigious award in college soccer since Virginia’s Claudio Reyna took home the Hermann Trophy in 1992 and 1993.
In November, the list will be narrowed to 15 semifinalists. Three finalists will be named in early December in conjunction with the NCAA Division I College Cup and will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club on Friday, January 11, 2008. The winner of the 2007 award will be announced during a nationally-televised news conference that evening.
The Hermann Trophy dates back to 1967 and it was merged with the M.A.C. Player of the Year in 2002 to create the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy. Lapira became the first Notre Dame men’s player to capture the award. The Irish made it a clean sweep last season as Kerri Hanks received the women’s Hermann award. That was the first time that both the male and female winners came from the same school in the same year. Hanks, a junior forward, is on the 2007 women’s watch list.
This marked the fourth straight season that Notre Dame has placed at least one student-athlete on the men’s Hermann watch list. Midfielder Greg Dalby was named to the list in both 2005 and 2006. In 2004, Irish goalkeeper Chris Sawyer and defender Jack Stewart were tabbed with the honor.
The 2006 campaign was one to remember for Lapira and the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals and Lapira became the program’s first unanimous first-team All-American.
Lapira returns to Notre Dame for his senior season after a busy summer, which included a stint with the Ireland National Team. He trained with the squad for a week and earned his first cap in a match against Ecuador on May 23 in Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The forward was able to play with the Ireland team because his mother is a native of the country. Lapira also spent time training with Derby County of the English Premier League and the Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Premier League.
The Irish feature a solid veteran lineup that will be supplemented with some incoming talent. Freshmen Matt Armstrong (Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon) and Josh Thiermann (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton) have also earned preseason honors. The Notre Dame duo has been listed among the `100 Freshmen To Watch’ according to College Soccer News. Both Armstrong and Thiermann were high school All-Americans.
Notre Dame is ranked 11th in the College Soccer News preseason poll. The Fighting Irish open the regular season on Friday, Aug. 31 with a showdown against No. 1 UCLA in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. The Irish will battle No. 9 Maryland on Sunday, Sept. 2 during the final day of the event.
2007 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch ListAs selected by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)
Pos. Name Cl. School HometownG Matt Allen Sr. Creighton Omaha, Neb.M Eric Avila Jr. UCSB Encinitas, Calif.D Rhett Bernstein Jr. Brown San Diego, Calif.D Eric Brunner Sr. Ohio State Dublin, OhioF Byron Dacy Jr. Creighton Omaha, Neb.F Patrick Figueiredo Jr. Adelphi Compinas, BrazilF Kevin Forest Sr. Washington Edmonds, Wash.F Juan Gavaria Sr. St. Peter's Elizabeth, N.J.M Tom Gray Sr. Monmouth Middletown, N.J.M Bruno Guarda Jr. SMU Piracicaba, BrazilD David Horst Sr. Old Dominion Pine Grove, Pa.D Andy Iro Sr. UCSB Liverpool, EnglandF Saidi Isaac Sr. Winthrop Eldoret, KenyaM Dejan Jakovic Jr. UAB Etobicoke, OntarioD Julius James Sr. Connecticut Maloney Gardens, TrinidadF George Josten Sr. Gonzaga Idaho Falls, IdahoM Stephen King Sr. Maryland Medford, N.J.F Joseph Lapira Sr. Notre Dame Lake Charles, La.M Peter Lowry Sr. Santa Clara Fair Oaks, Calif.M Travis MacKenzie Sr. Duquesne Carnegie, Pa.M Ryan Maduro Sr. Providence Bristol, R.I.F Patrick Nyarko Jr. Virginia Tech Kumasi, GhanaF Yannick Reyering Jr. Virginia Mettingen, GermanyM David Roth Sr. Northwestern St. Louis, Mo.D Andre Sherard Sr. North Carolina Greenville, N.C.M Eric Sweetin Jr. Saint Louis Kansas City, Mo.D Julian Valentin Sr. Wake Forest Lancaster, Pa.D Rob Valentino Sr. San Francisco Cave Creek, Ariz.M Michael Videira Sr. Duke Milford, Mass.