The ACC Offensive Player of the Year, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year comprise the three finalists for the men’s Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The finalists were determined in voting of Division I men’s soccer coaches who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Boston College’s Charlie Davies, Notre Dame’s Joseph Lapira and SMU’s Jay Needham are the three finalists for the award. The trio will be invited to the Busch Center on the campus of Saint Louis University on Saturday, Dec. 2, for a news conference where the winner of the award will be revealed. The announcement will be carried live on ESPNews (6:45 p.m. EST). A banquet at Saint Louis University that evening will feature the formal presentation of the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy to the winner.

Davies, a junior forward from Manchester, N.H., led the Eagles in scoring with a school record of 15 goals and six assists for 36 points. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Davies led the league in seven offensive categories, including points, goals, shots and game-winning goals (six).

Lapira, a junior forward from Lake Charles, La., has played in every match this season for the Fighting Irish. He was selected Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Lapira leads all NCAA Division I men’s scorers with 20 goals and 45 points on the season. Lapira was named Big East Offensive Player of the Week three times during the season. He scored a season high four goals, including the game-winner in overtime, in a 5-4 victory at Indiana.

Needham, a senior defender from Fort Worth, Tex., earned Conference USA Defender of the Year honors in 2006. He also earned first-team all-conference honors. Needham anchored a defense that tied a school record with 14 shutouts on the season. He started every match this season for the Mustangs registering three goals and three assists for nine points.

An exhibition featuring the current and the past recipients of the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. Some of the biggest names in soccer like Mia Hamm and Claudio Reyna have won the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy. For a complete list of past winners, log on to www.mac-hermann-trophy.org.

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