Jan. 10, 2013
ST. LOUIS – Twenty years after Mia Hamm visited the Missouri Athletic Club to receive the Collegiate Soccer Player of the Year Award, one of the most famous soccer players in U.S. soccer history is returning to the MAC as the featured speaker of the Hermann Trophy Banquet.
This Friday, Jan. 11, the MAC will present the crystal soccer ball trophy to the top male and female collegiate soccer players in the country. The MAC Hermann Trophy represents the highest individual achievement in the sport. In addition to two-time MAC Hermann winner Mia Hamm, some of the biggest names in American soccer including Kristine Lilly, Claudio Reyna and Alexi Lalas have also won the award.
The finalists for the 2012 men’s MAC Hermann Trophy are Ryan Finley (Notre Dame), Jose Gomez (Creighton) and Patrick Mullins (Maryland). The finalists for the women’s award are Crystal Dunn (North Carolina), Caroline Miller (Virginia) and Christine Nairn (Penn State). The winners will be announced at a press conference at the MAC from 5:45-6 p.m. (CST). The finalists and their coaches will be available for interviews following the announcement. A live stream of the press conference will be carried on the MAC Hermann Trophy website.
Finley (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley/Duke) played in all 22 matches this season and ranked second nationally in goals (21) and points (46). The senior forward led the BIG EAST with 12 goals in league play and was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. He also was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America First Team.
Finley had six game-winning goals, including two golden goals. He scored the golden goal in the title game of the BIG EAST Championship, a 3-2 double-overtime victory over Georgetown. He had six multiple-goal games, including one hat trick. His 21 goals rank fifth in Notre Dame history for a single season.
The winners and finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy are determined by a vote of Division I coaches who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Also, an online fan vote (the equivalent of one coach’s vote) is factored into the final vote total.
The Missouri Athletic Club has been honoring the top players in college soccer since 1986. For more about the MAC Hermann Trophy, visit machermanntrophy.lockerdome.com.
About the Missouri Athletic Club
The Missouri Athletic Club has been presenting college soccer player of the year awards since 1986. The MAC was established in 1903 as an athletic, dining and social club. It has “Platinum Club of America” status, which is awarded to the top private clubs in the country. To learn more about the Missouri Athletic Club, go to mac-stl.org.
About the NSCAA
Founded in 1941 and based in Kansas City, Kan., the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to educate coaches, encourage excellence and serve the soccer community.
The NSCAA is the world’s largest soccer coaches’ organization with members at every level of the game. The membership is primarily made up of coaches, but also includes administrators, referees and others in the soccer industry. The NSCAA provides its members ways to enhance the game of soccer by providing a national education program, interaction and networking opportunities, and membership benefits.
For more information about the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, visit NSCAA.com.
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