The Big Ten Forward of the Year, the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year and the Pac-12 Player of the Year comprise the three finalists for the 2011 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The finalists were determined in voting by Division I women's head coaches at institutions who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Maya Hayes from Penn State and Teresa Noyola and Lindsay Taylor from Stanford are the three finalists for the award. The trio will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 6, for a news conference, where the winner of the award will be revealed (approximately 7 p.m. EST). A banquet at the Club that evening will feature the formal presentation of the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy to the winner.

Hayes, a sophomore forward from West Orange, N,J., earned Big Ten Forward of the Year honors after leading the nation in scoring. Starting all 26 games, she scored 31 goals and tallied 70 points. Her nine game-winning goals ranked second in the nation. She is the first Nittany Lion to be named a finalist for the award since Tiffany Weimer, who achieved the honor in 2004 and 2005.

Noyola, a senior midfielder from Palo Alto, Calif., propelled the Cardinal to their first NCAA title with her goal in the 1-0 championship win over Duke. The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, she had nine goals and 15 assists, good for 33 points. A three-time All-Pac 12 selection, she was both the NSCAA’s High School Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2007.

Taylor, a senior forward from Los Altos, Calif., was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year after scoring 20 goals and adding six assists for 46 points. She is the third different Stanford player in as many years to score 20 goals; the other two went on to receive the Hermann Trophy (Kelley O’Hara in 2009 and Christen Press in 2010). No school has had three different players win the award in three consecutive years. North Carolina won the award four years in a row (1991-94), but Mia Hamm took the honors twice in that time (1992 and 1993).

The MAC has honored the top player in collegiate soccer since 1986. Some of the biggest names in soccer, such as Hamm and Claudio Reyna, have won the award. For a complete list of past winners, go to www.mac-hermann-trophy.org. 

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