KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oakland men's soccer student-athlete
Noah Jensen has been named one of 15 men's soccer national semifinalists for the United Soccer Coaches Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy, the highest individual award presented to a player in intercollegiate soccer, announced by the national office on Tuesday.
Jensen, a senior from Courtice, Ontario, Canada and 2019 All-Horizon League second team selection, was named 2021 Horizon League Player of the Year and earned All-Horizon League first team honors. Jensen leads the nation in assists (14) and assists per game (1.56) and ranks sixth in the nation while leading the Horizon League in points (22) and third in the country in points per game (2.44). He also ranked third on the team in goals (4) with three coming off penalty kicks. Jensen earned TopDrawerSoccer.com Men's DI Player of the Week honors and was one of 11 student-athletes named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Men's DI Team of the Week after having a hand in all four of Oakland's goals scoring the game-winner in the 74th minute while assisting on the other three totaling five points in the thrilling 4-3 win over Milwaukee (3/12). He also recorded three assists against Robert Morris (2/4) and at Green Bay (4/5).
History
In 1967, Robert Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the NPSL's successor, the North American Soccer League, established a trophy to annually recognize the top men's collegiate soccer player. The trophy, named the Hermann Trophy, has been awarded each year since 1967. In 1988, a second Hermann Trophy was inaugurated to recognize the top women's collegiate player of the year.
In 1986, the Missouri Athletic Club began naming an annual player of the year as a rival to the Hermann Trophy. Then in 1996, the NSCAA initiated its own annual player of the year award. These three competing awards began merging three years later when the NSCAA and MAC agreed to cooperate on naming a combined collegiate player of the year. Finally, beginning in 2002, the NSCAA, the Missouri Athletic Club and the Hermann Trophy merged to create a unified award for the top college soccer player of the year. The original Hermann Award Trophy is on display in the Hermann Atrium located in the McDonnell Athletic Center at MICDS in Ladue, Mo.
Selection Process
Today, the process of selecting a winner begins at the start of the college soccer season when a list of potential nominees is compiled by a nominating committee. Near the end of the collegiate regular season, 15 players whom the committee considers the best in Division I soccer are announced as semifinalists for the award. That list is then voted on through an online voting process by men's and women's Division I soccer coaches whose teams are current United Soccer Coaches College Services members.
The top three vote-getters for both the men's and women's trophy are announced as finalists for the award. These six individuals are invited to an annual banquet held at the Missouri Athletic Club of St. Louis. That evening, the winners of the two awards are announced and receive a 10-pound crystal replica soccer ball made by Tyrone Crystal of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
20-2021 United Soccer Coaches Men's MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists
| Name |
Class |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Gloire Amanda |
Jr |
F |
Oregon State |
Edmonton, Alb., Canada |
| Victor Bezerra |
So |
F |
Indiana |
Chicago, Ill. |
| Noel Caliskan |
So |
M |
Loyola Marymount |
Cologne, Germany |
| Vitor Dias |
Jr |
M |
Marshall |
Brasilia, Brazil |
| Bridger Hansen |
Sr |
D |
New Hampshire |
Cottonwood Heights, Utah |
| Kyle Hiebert |
Sr |
D |
Missouri State |
La Salle, Man., Canada |
| Noah Jensen |
Sr |
M |
Oakland |
Courtice, Ont., Canada |
| Thomas Judge |
Sr |
D |
James Madison |
Freehold, N.J. |
| Jasper Loeffelsend |
Sr |
D |
Pittsburgh |
Cologne, Germany |
| MD Myers |
So |
F |
High Point |
Delran, N.J. |
| Valentin Noel |
So |
F |
Pittsburgh |
Niort, France |
| Dante Polvara |
So |
M |
Georgetown |
Pleasantville, N.Y. |
| Zach Ryan |
Jr |
F |
Stanford |
Chatham, N.J. |
| Lukas Sunesson |
Jr |
F |
Marquette |
Taby, Sweden |
| Dylan Teves |
Jr |
M |
Washington |
Kailua, Hawaii |
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