Six repeat from last year; North Carolina, Notre Dame and Portland have multiple representatives
Fifteen of the most talented women’s collegiate soccer players in the United States have been selected as semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the official National Soccer Coaches Association of America Player of the Year award for Division I competition. The award is regarded as college soccer’s version of the Heisman Trophy. The 15 candidates were selected by a nominating committee of Division I college coaches. Headlining this year’s list of semifinalists are six players who were on last year’s ballot: Nicole Barnhart, a senior goalkeeper from Stanford; Lori Chalupny, a junior forward from North Carolina; Keeley Dowling, a senior defender from Tennessee; Melissa Tancredi, a senior defender from Notre Dame; Lindsay Tarpley, a junior forward from North Carolina; and Tiffany Weimer, a junior forward from Penn State.

The other nominations on the women’s ballot are: Kristen Graczyk, a senior forward from Connecticut; Lindsey Huie, a junior midfielder from Portland; Natasha Kai, a junior forward from Hawaii; Carli Lloyd, a senior midfielder from Rutgers; Heather O’Reilly, a sophomore forward from North Carolina; Leslie Osborne, a senior midfielder from Santa Clara; Christine Sinclair, a junior forward from Portland; Katie Thorlakson, a junior forward from Notre Dame; and Brittany Timko, a sophomore midfielder from Nebraska.

The winner will be determined in voting by NSCAA Division I member coaches. Three men’s and three women’s finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy will be announced at the 2004 Men’s College Cup in December. The finalists will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 7, 2005, for the announcement of the winner at a press conference. Both winners will be presented with the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy at a banquet later that evening.

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, N.Y.

2005 MISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB HERMANN TROPHY WOMEN'S SEMIFINALISTS

Nicole Barnhart, Sr., Goalkeeper, Gilbertsville, Pa., Stanford
Has allowed only eight goals in 18 games, a sparkling 0.44 GAA…sixth in the nation in goals-against average…has posted eight shutouts and 61 saves this season…earned her first international cap with the U.S. Women’s National Team when they played Mexico in Kansas City Oct. 16, entering the game as a forward in the 81st minute…was a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2003.

Lori Chalupny, Jr. Forward, St. Louis, Mo., North Carolina
Fourth on the team in scoring with 15 points…her six goals rank third for the Tar Heels…has attempted 59 shots, most on the team…earned ACC Player of the Week honors after leading Carolina to back-to-back wins over ranked teams, including a goal and an assist against Virginia Oct. 18.

Keeley Dowling, Sr., Defender, Carmel, Ind., Tennessee
Has earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times this season, including back-to-back honors in the last three weeks of the regular season…is fifth on the team in scoring with nine points…her three goals tie her for fourth among the Lady Vols…scored the game-winning goal with 0:04 on the clock in a 1-0 decision over Kentucky…her defensive work helped Tennessee to a 0-0 tie with North Carolina, the Tar Heels’ only blemish in the past two seasons…making her second appearance on the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy semifinalists list.

Kristen Graczyk, Sr., Forward, Albuquerque, N.M., Connecticut
Leads the Huskies with 27 points and nine assists…her nine goals tie for the team lead…has tallied five game-winning goals this season, including the decider in a 1-0 win over Rutgers in the first round of the Big East Tournament…earned Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors with a nine-point week in matches against Providence (two goals, one assist) and Rutgers (both goals in a 2-0 win)…the 2003 Big East Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in every offensive statistic.

Lindsey Huie, Jr., Midfielder, Mission Viejo, Calif., Portland
Leads the team in assists with 10…second to teammate and fellow M.A.C. Hermann Trophy semifinalist Christine Sinclair in goals (6) and points (22)…member of the U.S. Women’s U-21 National Team that has won the last two Nordic Cup titles…a second-team NSCAA/adidas All-America as a sophomore.

Natasha Kai, Jr., Forward, Kahuku, Hawaii, Hawaii
Leads the Rainbow Wahine in scoring with 12 goals and five assists for 29 points…is tops on the team in all three categories…seven of her 12 goals this season have been game-winners…seeking her third consecutive WAC Player of the Year award…already ranked in the career top five in three WAC statistical categories.

Carli Lloyd, Sr., Midfielder, Delran, N.J., Rutgers
Leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring with 10 goals and one assist (21 points)…has tallied two game-winning goals…holds school records for career goals, game-winning goals, points and shots…a two-time NSCAA/adidas All-America…three-time All-Big East first team selection.

Heather O’Reilly, So., Forward, East Brunswick, N.J., North Carolina
Leads the Tar Heels with 11 goals and 29 points…ranked 25th in the nation in points per game (1.93)…earned ACC Player of the Week honors after racking up six points (two goals, two assists) in a 4-0 win at No. 14 Florida State…also had two-goal games against Miami and Virginia Tech…was the youngest member of the gold-medal winning 2004 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team…her overtime goal against reigning World Cup champion Germany advanced the U.S. to the gold medal match in Athens.

Leslie Osborne, Sr., Midfielder, Menomonee Falls, Wis., Santa Clara
Has seven goals and one assist through 18 games, placing her second on the team in scoring with 15 points…shares team honors for goals scored…leads the team with four game-winning goals…West Coast Conference Player of the Year as a junior.

Christine Sinclair, Jr., Forward, Burnaby, B.C., Portland
Leads the Pilots with 18 goals and 45 points…ranks ninth nationally in points per game (2.37)…second on the squad in assists with nine…West Coast Conference Player of the Week three times this season…redshirted in 2003 to play for the Canadian National Team in the 2003 Women’s World Cup…a member of the Canadian National Team since 2000…2002 College Cup Offensive Most Valuable Player, scoring the overtime goal that gave the Pilots their first NCAA title…two-time first-team NSCAA/adidas All-America.

Melissa Tancredi, Sr., Defender, Ancaster, Ontario, Notre Dame
Has earned Big East Defensive Player of the Week three times this season…two goals and two assists this season…anchors a defense that has posted 11 shutouts this season…second year as a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy semifinalist…was the 2003 Big East Defensive Player of the Year…a member of the Canadian National Team…played for Canada in the qualifying round for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Lindsay Tarpley, Jr., Forward, Kalamazoo, Mich., North Carolina
Has two goals and three assists this season…suffered a fractured right fibula against Virginia Tech on Sept. 26…was a finalist for the M.A.C.’s Hermann Trophy in 2003, when she was edged out by teammate Cat Reddick…a member of the gold medal-winning 2004 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team.

Katie Thorlakson, Jr., Forward, Langley, B.C., Notre Dame
Leads the Fighting Irish in goals (16), assists (15) and points (47)…rocketed to third in the nation in points per game (2.79) after a 10-point outing (four goals, two assists) against St. John’s on Halloween…has more than doubled her career stats for goals and assists in this season (had 14 goals, 14 assists total in her first two years at Notre Dame)…selected to the Canadian U-19 World Championship Team that will play in Thailand Nov. 10-27, she has chosen to forego that competition to remain with the Irish as they enter postseason play.

Brittany Timko, So., Midfielder, Coquitlam, B.C., Nebraska
Tenth in the nation in scoring with 2.26 points per game…her 15 goals and 13 assists lead the Huskers in both categories…has notched three game-winning goals this season, good for a share of the team lead…started all six games for Canada in the 2003 Women’s World Cup…earned Big 12 All-Tournament Team honors as a freshman after scoring the game-winner against Texas A&M.

Tiffany Weimer, Jr., Forward, North Haven, Conn., Penn State
Ranked second in the nation in scoring with 2.94 points per game…tied for second in the nation in total points with 53…her 22 goals ranked are the most in the nation…has six game-winning goals this season…has led the Nittany Lions to their seventh consecutive Big Ten regular-season championship…a six-time Big Ten Player of the Week this season…was a first-team NSCAA/adidas All-America as a sophomore.

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