Two C-USA Men’s Soccer Players Named to Hermann Trophy Watch List

By the C-USA
Posted Tuesday, August 19, 2008

IRVING, Texas – Tulsa’s Chris Clements and Kentucky’s Barry Rice were both among the 48 players named to the 2008 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy National Player of the Year Watch List, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced today. Earlier in the week, both players garnered C-USA preseason all-league accolades.

Clements is a three-year letterwinner and starter who registered two goals, coming from his defender position as a junior. He helped TU tally eight shutouts last year and has been instrumental in 16 shutouts in his career. Clements earned C-USA first team and all-tournament team honors and was selected to the NSCAA All-Midwest team in 2007. He also became just the fourth Tulsa men’s soccer player to receive All-America honors as he was named to the NSCAA/adidas NCAA All-America third-team.

Rice, the 2007 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, returns as an important team leader of the Wildcats. The coaches’ selection as the 2008 C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Rice led UK in nearly every category in 2007, including goals (7), points (15) and game-winners (3). Rice, who started 18 games and played 1642 minutes in 2007, scored six of his seven goals off headers, with his seventh goal coming off a free kick. A native of Parma, Ohio, Rice led the conference in game-winning goals in 2007.

Considered the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer, the recipients of the MAC’s Hermann Trophy are selected by Division I head coaches who are current members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. A list of 15 semifinalists is selected by a coaches committee in November, with three finalists announced in early December. That trio will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., for a news conference on January 9, 2009, where the winner will be announced, with a presentation banquet following.

2008 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List
Andre Akpan, Harvard
Calum Angus, Saint Louis
Cody Arnoux, Wake Forest
Alejandro Bedoya, Boston College
Rhett Bernstein, Brown
Joshua Boateng, Liberty
Graciano Brito, Quinnipiac
Jovan Bubonja, Illinois-Chicago
Nick Cardenas, San Diego State
Chris Clements, Tulsa
Sam Cronin, Wake Forest
Byron Dacy, Creighton
Chris DeAbreau, St. Peter’s
Kyle Evans, Lehigh
Michael Ferguson, Loyola-Chicago
Stefan Frei, California
Michael Fucito, Harvard
Omar Gonzalez, Maryland
Andrei Gotsmanov, Creighton
Mike Grella, Duke
George John, Washington
Cameron Keith, Binghamton
Yan Klukowski, Central Connecticut State
Milos Kocic, Loyola (Md.)
Stephen McCarthy, Santa Clara
Tennant McVea, Loyola (Md.)
Patrick Murray, Furman
Kyle Nakazawa, UCLA
Kevon Neaves, South Florida
Conor O’Brien, Bucknell
John Pardini, Fordham
Liam Parrington, Hartwick
Kyle Patterson, Saint Louis
Brad Peters, Eastern Illinois
Chris Pontius, UC-Santa Barbara
Akeem Priestley, Connecticut
Daniel Revivo, Winthrop
Barry Rice, Kentucky
Brad Ring, Indiana
Toni Stahl, Connecticut
Eric Sweetin, Saint Louis
Alex Torda, Dayton
Marcus Tracy, Wake Forest
David Tyrie, Central Connecticut State
Collen Warner, Portland
O’Brian White, Connecticut
Kareem Yearwood, College of Charleston
Steve Zakuani, Akron