No conference boasts more student-athletes on the list, as three Big 12 soccer standouts have been named semifinalists for the 2015 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Janine Beckie of Texas Tech and West Virginia’s Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence were recognized.
The award is college soccer’s version of the Heisman Trophy and represents the highest level of individual achievement in the sport. The trio are three of 15 student-athletes selected as semifinalists by a committee of Division I coaches who are NSCAA members. West Virginia is one of two schools (Florida) with multiple players on the list. It is the first time in Mountaineer history that two student-athletes have been tabbed as semifinalists in the same season.
Beckie is the two-time defending Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. She led the Big 12 lead in shots (114), points (33) and goals (14). In conference play, she topped the Big 12 in all three categories with seven goals, 14 points and 52 shots. During her time in Lubbock, she was named to the All-Big 12 First Team all four years.
Buchanan anchored a Mountaineer back line that recorded 15 shutouts this season, a program record, and allowed a program-low 11 opponent goals. The three-time reigning Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Buchanan and the back line also put together a program-record nine-match shutout streak this season. She has been part of the All-Big 12 First Team three times.
Lawrence is a three-time All-Big 12 First Team honoree. She finished 2015 ranked third on the team and fifth in the Big 12 Conference with 18 points (5 G, 8 A), a career single-season high. Lawrence paced the Mountaineers with eight assists, the second-best Big 12 total, and ranks No. 11 in the WVU record book with 19 career assists. Additionally, her five goals were the third-best team total, and she helped the Mountaineers tally a program single-season best 61 goals.
NSCAA Division I coaches who are NSCAA College Services members may vote for their top choices in the coming weeks. Soccer fans also can vote for their favorite player on the MAC’s web site, hosted by LockerDome, starting today.
The top three vote-getters from the combined NSCAA coaches and weighted fan votes will be announced as finalists on Dec. 11. The announcement of the winner will follow at a banquet in January.
2015 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Women’s Semifinalists
Rebecca Wilson, Sr., F, Cal State Fullerton
Rachel Hill, Jr., F, Connecticut
Savannah Jordan, Jr., F, Florida
Christen Westphal, Sr., D, Florida
Megan Connolly, Fr., M, Florida State
Leah Galton, So., F, Hofstra
Raquel Rodriguez, Sr., M, Penn State
Tyler Lussi, Jr., F, Princeton
Rachel Daly, Sr., F, St. John’s
Andi Sullivan, So., M, Stanford
JANINE BECKIE, Sr., F, Texas Tech
Emily Sonnett, Sr., D, Virginia
ASHLEY LAWRENCE, Jr., M, West Virginia
KADEISHA BUCHANAN, Jr., D, West Virginia
Rose Lavelle, Jr., M, Wisconsin