Teal Bunbury of the University of Akron and Kelley O'Hara of Stanford University display the coveted crystal soccer ball, emblematic of their selection as the winners of the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy. (Photo courtesy of the Missouri Athletic Club.)

Senior forward Kelley O’Hara from Stanford University and sophomore forward Teal Bunbury from the University of Akron are the winners of the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, presented to the top female and male players in NCAA Division I soccer. The winners were decided by a vote of NCAA Division I soccer coaches who are current members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

O’Hara (Fayetteville, Ga.), shattered Stanford season records for goals (26) and points (65) this season while leading the nation in both categories. She also dished out 13 assists in 2009, the third-best mark in school history. The senior captain led Stanford to its first NCAA championship final and its’ best-ever record (25-1).  O’Hara earned Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year and NSCAA first-team All-America honors. She also excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-America honors.

O’Hara completed her collegiate career with 57 goals and 156 points, No. 2 in Cardinal history in both categories. O’Hara is the first player in Stanford history to claim the MAC Hermann Trophy. Last month, she was one of 24 players named to a December training camp for the full U.S. national team. O’Hara has played internationally from the under-17 to the under-23 age groups.

The first runner-up was North Carolina senior midfielder Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, N.J.) and UCLA senior forward Lauren Cheney (Indianapolis, Ind.) was the next runner-up.

Bunbury (Prior Lake, Minn.) led the nation in goals (17), including five game-winners and five assists. He was the 2009 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year. Bunbury is the first player in Akron history and just the third sophomore to receive the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy. Bunbury’s Akron teammate last season, Steve Zakuani, was the 2008 runner-up for the MAC Hermann Trophy.

Bunbury led the top-seeded and undefeated Zips into the College Cup final, where they lost to national-champion Virginia on penalty kicks. In late December, Bunbury decided to enter the 2010 Major League Soccer Super Draft. Teal’s father Alex enjoyed a successful professional career and is a member of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.

The top runner-up was Harvard senior forward Andre Akpan (Grand Prairie, Texas) followed by Wake Forest junior midfielder Corben Bone (Plano, Texas).

The Missouri Athletic Club has been presenting college soccer’s players of the year awards since 1986. The MAC was established in 1903 as an athletic, dining and social club. It has a “Platinum Club of America” status, which is awarded to the top private clubs in the country.

Based in Kansas City, Kan., the NSCAA is the largest coaches' organization in the United States. Since its founding in 1941, it has grown to include more than 26,000 members who coach both genders at all levels of the sport. In addition to a national rankings program for colleges and high schools, NSCAA offers an extensive recognition program that presents nearly 10,000 individual awards every year. It fulfills its mission of coaching education through a nationwide program of clinics and week-long courses, teaching more than 4,000 soccer coaches each year.

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