UVA senior midfielder Morgan Brian (St. Simons Island, Ga.) was named one of the three women’s finalists for the 2014 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced on Friday. It marks the third consecutive year that Virginia has had a finalist for collegiate soccer’s most prestigious award.
Brian, the reigning MAC hermann trophy winner, joins Dagny Brynjarsdottir of Florida State and Sam Mewis of UCLA as this year’s women’s finalists. Alex Bono of Syracuse, Andy Craven of North Carolina and Leo Stolz of UCLA are the three men’s finalists.
The finalists will be honored and the men’s and women’s winners will be announced at the hermann trophy banquet on January 9 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
Brian had 10 goals and 14 assists this season, appearing in 18 games as the Cavaliers reached the NCAA final for the first time. The first three-time NSCAA first-team All-American in Virginia history, she was named the 2014 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year. Brian missed eight games this season because of international duty as she was the only collegiate player on the United States Women’s National Team for the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying tournament in October. Upon her return to the lineup, she was the leading scorer in this year’s NCAA Tournament with four goals and nine assists, including tying the NCAA Tournament single-game record with five assists in the 8-0 first-round victory over high point.
If Brian wins the 2014 award, she would become the fourth women’s player to be honored in consecutive years. Mia Hamm of North Carolina won the hermann trophy in 1992 and 1993, Cindy Parlow of North Carolina won the award in 1997 and 1998 and Christine Sinclair of Portland won the award in 2004 and 2005.
The hermann trophy is voted upon by NCAA Division I coaches who are NSCAA members. In addition, an online fan vote contributed to the selection process.
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Chris Graham
