GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro seniors Randi Patterson and Scott Jones are among 25 players named to the watch list for the 2006 Hermann Trophy.
The only school to have multiple players on the pre-season watch list both last year and this year, UNCG is one of three teams to have multiple players on this year’s watch list. Clemson and North Carolina are the other two.
The Hermann Trophy is College Soccer’s National Player of the Year award, the sport’s version of the Heisman Trophy if you will. It is presented by the Missouri Athletic Club each year to the top player in men’s and women’s soccer.
The winner of the M.A.C.’s Hermann Trophy will be determined in voting by National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division I member coaches. A list of 15 semifinalists will be announced in early November, with three finalists announced in late November. They will be invited to St. Louis on Saturday, Dec. 2, for the announcement of the winner at a press conference to be held in conjunction with the Men’s College Cup. Both the men’s and women’s winners will be presented the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy at a banquet later that evening.
Jones and Patterson were also on the preseason list last year, the first time a Spartan had been recognized for the prestigious honor. Patterson later advanced to the semifinal list of 15, but was not among the final three. Maryland’s Jason Garey won the award last year.
Patterson is one of three players on the list who were among the 15 semifinalists for the award last fall. He is joined by junior midfielders Greg Dalby (Poway, Calif.) of Notre Dame and Michael Videira (Milford, Mass.) of Duke.
With key players leaving school early to compete professionally, either in Major League Soccer or overseas, the talent is spread geographically, by position and by class. There are 13 seniors, nine juniors and three sophomores on this year’s list.
An exhibition featuring the current winners and past winners of the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Museum in Oneonta, NY.
AGATE
Hermann Trophy Watch List
Ryan Anderson, F, Jr., Missouri State, St. Charles, MO
Andrew Boyens, D, Sr., New Mexico, Dunedin, New Zealand
Byron Dacy, F, So., Creighton, Omaha, NE
Gregory Dalby, M, Sr., Notre Dame, Poway, CA
Charlie Davies, F, Jr., Boston College, Manchester, NH
John DiRaimondo, M, Sr., Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO
Willy Guadarrama, F, Jr., Campbell, Cedar Park, TX
Tally Hall, K, Jr., San Diego State, Gig Harbor, WA
Michael Harrington, D, Sr., North Carolina, Greenville, NC
Rodrigo Hidalgo, F, Jr., South Florida, West Palm Beach, FL
Justin Hughes, K, Sr., North Carolina, Wake Forest, NC
Andy Iro, D, Jr., UC-Santa Barbara, Liverpool, England
Julius James, D, Jr., Connecticut, Maloney Gardens, Trinidad
Scott Jones, M, Sr., UNC Greensboro, Dallas, TX
Stephen King, M, Jr., Maryland, Medford, NJ
Phil Marfuggi, K, Sr., Clemson, Manalapan, NJ
Jay Needham, D, Sr., SMU, Fort Worth, TX
Josh Tudela, M, Sr., Indiana, Evansville, IN
Simon Omekanda, F, Sr., Penn State, Rochester Hills, MI
Randi Patterson, F, Sr., UNC Greensboro, Hackensack, NJ
Yannick Reyering , F, So., Virginia, Mettingen,
Germany
Dane Richards, F, Sr., Clemson, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Sinisa Ubiparipovic, F, Sr., Akron, Mentor, OH
Michael Videira, M, Jr., Duke, Milford, MA
Sal Zizzo, M, So., UCLA, San Diego, CA
- UNCG -