Dec. 3, 2001
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Santa Clara University junior midfielder Aly Wagner was named one of four finalists for the Hermann Trophy, announced today by collegesoccer.com, the presenting sponsor of the prestigious player of the year award. The trophy will be presented by Robert R. Hermann at the winning player's school sometime tomorrow.
Joining Wagner is North Carolina's Jena Kluegel, Florida's Abby Wambach, and Penn State's Christie Welsh. The players were the top four vote-getters out of the 15 Hermann Trophy semifinalists, which also included Bronco senior defender Danielle Slaton.
The Hermann Trophy, soccer's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, has been given annually since 1967 to the nation's best male college soccer player. The women's award has been presented each year since 1988. The Hermann Trophy is named for Robert R. Hermann, the former Chairman of the Executive Committee of the old North American Soccer League and one of that groundbreaking league's founders.
Wagner, a San Jose, Calif., native, has led Santa Clara to a 21-2 record and a berth in the College Cup semifinals for the second time in her three seasons. She has scored 16 goals and assisted on 18 others for 50 points. Additionally, she was named one of five finalists for last year's honor.
Mandy Clemens became the first Bronco to be honored with the Hermann, when she was announced as the 1999 winner. Clemens was only the second SCU player to capture the title of national player of the year. Former standout Brandi Chastain earned postseason honors following the 1990 season as she was named the 1990 ISAA Player of the Year.
The Broncos will face Wambach, a senior forward from Pittsford, N.Y., in this Friday's semifinal. She is the nation's leading scorer with 31 goals and 13 assists for 75 points and has led Florida to a 21-3-1 record.
Kluegel, a senior midfielder from Mahtomedi, Minn., is third on the team in scoring with eight goals and eight assists for 24 points. She has helped North Carolina to a perfect 23-0 record and a place in the College Cup semifinals.
Welsh, a junior forward from Massapequa Park, N.Y., led Penn State and the Big Ten in scoring with 25 goals and 18 assists for 68 points. Her team reached the Elite Eight in this year's championship and finished the season with a 21-4-1 record.
Santa Clara will face the Florida in the second semifinal of the 2001 College Cup. Friday's match will begin at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Top-seeded and undefeated North Carolina (23-0) will face fourth-seed Portland (20-3), a West Coast Conference opponent, in the other semifinal at 3 p.m., making the final four teams the same lineup as when Florida claimed the NCAA title in 1998. The winners will meet for the national championship title on Sunday, December 9 at 1 p.m.
ESPN2 will air the first semifinal tape-delayed on Saturday at 9 a.m. PT, followed by the second semifinal on Sunday at 9 a.m. The title game will air twice on ESPN, live on Sunday at 1 p.m. and rebroadcast on Dec. 11 at noon.
TEAMtalk Media Group plc, the parent company of collegesoccer.com, is a world leader in custom content and professional services. Among the customers U.S.-based TEAMtalk, Inc. currently serves are The West Coast Conference, the Women's United Soccer Association, the Atlanta Beat, Washington Freedom, New York Power, Bay Area CyberRays, Amoco Racing, M&Ms Racing, and US Youth Soccer.
