Kerri Hanks (Notre Dame/Allen, Texas), the 2006 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy recipient, and Yael Averbuch (North Carolina/Upper Montclair, N.J.), a 2006 finalist for the award, are among the 15 semifinalists for 2007. The list was announced by the Missouri Athletic Club and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Considered to be college soccer’s version of the Heisman Trophy, the winner is selected by NCAA Division I coaches who are current NSCAA members.

With 13 goals and 18 assists this season, Hanks becomes only the third woman in Division I history to tally 50 goals and 50 assists before her senior season. Averbuch has started all 24 games for the Tar Heels this season and has scored six goals, four of which were game-winners.

Hanks is one of three Irish players on the list, joined by Brittany Bock (Naperville, Ill.) and Amanda Cinalli (Maple Heights, Ohio). No. 1-ranked UCLA also placed three on the list: Danesha Adams (Shaker Heights, Ohio), Lauren Cheney (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Christina DiMartino (Massapequa, N.Y.). Averbuch was joined by fellow Tar Heel Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, N.J.). Five players are making repeat appearances as semifinalists: Adams, Averbuch, Hanks, Stephanie Lopez (Portland/Elk Grove, Calif.) and Ashlee Pistorius (Texas A&M/Bloomington, Ill.).

Three men’s and three women’s finalists will be announced on Friday, Dec. 14, in conjunction with the semifinal rounds of the 2007 NCAA Men’s College Cup. The winners will be announced at a banquet at the MAC in St. Louis, Mo., on Friday, Jan. 11, where they will be presented the prestigious crystal soccer ball that has come to symbolize the highest level of individual achievement in intercollegiate soccer.

An exhibition featuring the current and past winners of the MAC Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y.

2007 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Women’s Semifinalists

Danesha Adams, M, Sr., UCLA, Shaker Heights, Ohio
First-team All-Pac-10 selection…second in the league in scoring with 34 points (13 goals, eight assists)…ranked 19th in the nation in points per game (1.7)…her 136 career points rank second in school history…holds the school record for career starts…has 25 career game-winning goals…the all-time Bruins leader in NCAA Tournament scoring (37 points, 17 goals, three assists).

Yael Averbuch, M, Jr., North Carolina, Upper Montclair, N.J.
Returns to the MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalists list after being named one of three finalists in 2006…started all 24 games for the Tar Heels this season…has 18 points on six goals and as many assists…four of her goals were game-winners…earned two caps with the U.S. Women’s National Team earlier this year.

Ashley Banks, F, Sr., West Virginia, Annandale, Va.
Big East Co-Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Big East…leads the conference in goals with 15…first-team Academic All-America…her 38 points and 15 goals are school single-season highs…her hat trick against Georgetown was the second in her career and ninth in school history…2006 NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-Region…junior season was cut short due to injury…second-team All-Big East her first two years at WVU.

Stacy Bishop, F/M, Sr., Florida, Land O’Lakes, Fla.
Two-time All-Southeastern Conference first-team selection…led the Gators in goals (10), assists (10) and points (30) this season…has led the team in goals and points each of the past two years…candidate for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award…third-team NSCAA/adidas All-America as a junior…an All-SEC second-team pick in 2004 while playing at LSU, where she earned team MVP honors.

Brittany Bock, M/F, Jr., Notre Dame, Naperville, Ill.
Big East Co-Offensive Player of the Year…led the league with 10 goals in regular-season play…earned NSCAA National Player of the Week honors Oct. 7…second-team Academic All-America…her position change from midfield to forward has been a catalyst in Notre Dame’s late-season dominance…has career marks of 39 goals and 19 assists…NSCAA All-Region and second-team All-Big East as a sophomore.

Lauren Cheney, F, So., UCLA, Indianapolis, Ind.
Ranked second nationally in goals per game (1.05)…leads the Pac-10 in every major statistical category, including points (55), goals (22), assists (11) and game-winning goals (nine)…rewrote the UCLA single-season scoring record by scoring the game-winner and logging an assist in the NCAA Tournament win over No. 7 Virginia…NSCAA National Player of the Week on Oct. 24…one of five finalists for U.S. Soccer’s Young Female Athlete of the Year.

Amanda Cinalli, F/M, Sr., Notre Dame, Maple Heights, Ohio
Has appeared in 19 of 24 games this season despite battling a hamstring injury…has three goals and five assists this season…two-year starter with the U.S. U-20 and U-21 national teams…has 34 goals and 31 assists for her career…All-Big East selection in each of her first three seasons…her eight goals in NCAA Tournament play rank fourth in school history…her 98 career games rank 10th at Notre Dame.

Christina DiMartino, M, Jr., UCLA, Massapequa, N.Y.
First-team All-Pac-10 selection…started all 22 matches for the Bruins…tied for the conference lead in assists (11) and tied for fifth in scoring with 23 points…one of five finalists for U.S. Soccer’s Young Female Athlete of the Year…had three assists in a 6-0 win over Hawai’I and a pair of two-assist games in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Kerri Hanks, F, Jr., Notre Dame, Allen, Texas
The 2006 MAC Hermann Trophy recipient, becoming the youngest player, male or female, to claim the award…one of only four players this season to reach double digits in both goals (13) and assists (18) this season and was the first to reach the landmark…her 22 goals and 22 assists in 2006 made her the second player (along with Mia Hamm) to lead the nation in both categories…the third women’s Division I player to reach 50 goals and 50 assists before her senior season.

Tobin Heath, M, So., North Carolina, Basking Ridge, N.J.
Started 21 of 23 matches for the Tar Heels…has logged 1,927 minutes this season…logged nine points on two goals and five assists…an NSCAA/adidas All-Region selection as a freshman…a member of the 2007 U.S. Pan American Games team that claimed the silver medal in Brazil…currently a member of the full national team and the U-20 National Team.

Stephanie Lopez, D, Sr., Portland, Elk Grove, Calif.
Missed the team’s first 10 games while playing in the Women’s World Cup…the team was 10-0 with nine shutouts since her return…started all six matches for the U.S. at the World Cup…has two goals and two assists…a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award…third-team NSCAA/adidas All-America as a junior after claiming first-team honors as a sophomore…has 28 caps for the full U.S. team.

Kelley O’Hara, F, So., Stanford, Fayetteville, Ga.
A two-time All-Pac-10 first-team selection…played 17 games, starting 15…had a pair of two-goal games in three matches (v. Arizona and Washington)…added another against Sacramento State…a finalist for U.S. Soccer’s Young Female Athlete of the Year…trained with the U.S. national team in April and the U-20 Pan American Games squad in June.

Ashlee Pistorius, F, Sr., Texas A&M, Bloomington, Ill.
Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year…four-time All-Big 12 selection, including three consecutive first-team honors…started 90 consecutive matches for the Aggies…career highs of 12 shots and four goals against Baylor and a hat trick against Kansas…had seven game-winning goals this season…holds conference records for goals (81) and points (194)…leads the nation with 25 goals scored…second-team NSCAA/adidas All-America as a junior.

Mami Yamaguchi, F, Jr., Florida State, Tokyo, Japan
Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year…the only player to rank in the top 10 in points (3rd), goals (4th) and assist (7th)…set FSU records for points (62), goals (23) and assists (16) this season…her seven-game goal-scoring streak is a school record…recorded five multi-goal performances this season, including three hat tricks…first in school history in career assists (28) and second in goals (31) and points (90).

Claire Zimmeck, F, Jr., William and Mary, Fairfax, Va.
Two-time Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year…led the league in virtually every statistical category, including goals (16) and points (32)…closed the regular season sixth in goals scored (0.842/game)…her 42 career goals are fourth on the William and Mary list…scored the game-winning goal over No. 2 North Carolina…NSCAA/adidas All-Region selection as a junior.

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