Butler's David Goldsmith, Providence's Julian Gressel and Georgetown's Rachel Corboz were named MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists.
NSCAA Announces MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The MAC Hermann Trophy men’s and women’s semifinalists were announced on Tuesday, with Butler’s David Goldsmith, Providence’s Julian Gressel and Georgetown’s Rachel Corboz making the cut.
The MAC Hermann Trophy is the highest individual intercollegiate award administered by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), and presented annually at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. This year’s trophy presentation and banquet will take place Friday, Jan. 6.
The three men’s and three women’s finalists will be named on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
Last year, the BIG EAST men’s soccer boasted two of the three finalists with Creighton’s Fabian Herbers and Georgetown’s Brandon Allen.
The Missouri Athletic Club has been presenting college soccer’s player of the year awards since 1986. For more information on the history of the MAC Hermann trophy, visit
www.MACHermannTrophy.org.
A look at the BIG EAST Semifinalists:
On the men’s side, both Goldsmith and Gressel were added to the list of 15 men’s semifinalists after not being on the initial watch list which was released in late summer. The pair shared 2016 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors and were both unanimous selections to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
Gressel, who will be playing on Friday in the NCAA Men’s Soccer Quarterfinals against North Carolina, currently has 36 points on 15 goals and six assists. Overall, Gressel is a three-time All-BIG EAST selection (First Team, 2016; Second team, 2014 and 2015). The senior has played in 83 career games for the Friars and owns 86 career points on 30 goals and 26 assists. He ranks second all-time at Providence in points, assists and goals. Gressel helped the Friars win their first ever BIG EAST men’s soccer regular season title this November. He ranks sixth in the NCAA’s active career leaderboard for points (86) and third in assists (26).
Goldsmith was the leading scorer for Butler, the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament champions, earning BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player honors as the Bulldogs captured their first BIG EAST title with wins over Villanova and Creighton. The senior finished the season with 12 goals and 28 points and spent much of the season ranked in the Top 10 nationally in scoring. Earlier this season, he was named the National Player of the Week by the NCAA, NSCAA, College Soccer News, and Top Drawer Soccer for his performance in two matches during the Akron Invitational. Goldsmith ranks fifth in the NCAA’s active career leaders for points with 92 on 89 games played. He is third in goals scored for his career with 41.
For the women, junior midfielder Corboz has helped Georgetown to its best season in program history as the Hoyas will play Southern California in an NCAA College Cup Semifinal on Friday, Dec. 2 in San Jose, Calif. An All-BIG EAST First Team selection, Corboz leads the team in scoring with 38 points. She is second on the team in goals scored (11) and leads the nation in assists with 16. Her 11 goals this season are tied for the sixth-most in a single season at Georgetown, while her 18 assists are the second-most in a season. For her career, she ranks third all-time in points scored (82), seventh all-time in goals scored (25) and third all-time in assists (32).
This is the third time in the last four years that Georgetown has had a player selected as a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, as Emily Menges was recognized in 2013 and Daphne Corboz was recognized in 2014.