The University of Akron Athletics
Zakuani Named to Hermann Trophy Semifinalist List
November 30 | Men's Soccer
University of Akron sophomore Steve
Zakuani, the nation's leading scorer and 2008 Top Drawer
Soccer Player of the Season, was among 15 semifinalists named
for the men's
2008 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy.
Zakuani, who was also named the 2008 Mid-American Conference
Player of the Year, currently leads the nation with 20 goals and 47
points in 22 games. The second-year striker and Soccer
America preseason All-American leads the Zips (17-1-4) with
seven game-winning goals this season, including the decisive score
in double overtime to lift UA past Northern Illinois in the MAC
Tournament championship game on Nov. 16.
Zakuani has blossomed under the pressure of being one of the
nation's top performers. He
recorded at least one goal in five straight games from Sept. 19 to
Oct. 8 and recorded the first two hat tricks of his young career in
2008. In all, Zakuani has scored in 13 of 22 games entering
Sunday's NCAA Tournament game vs. Northwestern and recorded at
least one point in 14.
In addition to the aforementioned player of the year honors, the
native of London, England was a two-time national player of the
week by Top Drawer Soccer (Oct. 6, Oct. 10) and was named
to 12 national teams of the week by three different publications,
including Top Drawer Soccer, Soccer America and
College Soccer News. Additionally, he was named MAC Player
of the Week six times, a new league record.
Zakuani was the only underclassman to make the first 48-player
watch list, released by the Missouri Athletic Club in mid August.
If he were to win the award, considered college soccer's top
individual honor, Zakuani would be just the third sophomore to do
so. Recently graduated Notre Dame standout Joseph Lapira was the
most recent sophomore to accomplish that feat in 2006.
Joining Zakuani on the prestigious list of semifinalists are a trio
of players from Wake Forest – Cody Arnoux, Sam Cronin and
Marcus Tracy – and
2007 Hermann Trophy winner Brian O'White from the University of
Connecticut.
Division
I college head coaches who are current members of the National
Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) will vote to
determine the 2008 MAC Hermann Trophy recipient. Three finalists
for the award will be announced on Friday, Dec. 12. They will be
invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis for a news
conference on Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, where the winner will be
announced. A dinner and formal presentation of the award will
follow the news conference that evening.
For the complete Hermann Trophy list of semifinalists, please visit
NSCAA.com.
