Indiana University Athletics
Hermann Trophy Candidates Lead Hoosiers into Matchup with Penn State
9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The two-time defending national champion Indiana men's soccer team and its trio of Missouri Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Hermann Trophy candidates will be on display on national television Friday night against Penn State. Senior Brian Plotkin and juniors Jacob Peterson and Jed Zayner will lead the Hoosiers against the Nittany Lions at 7 p.m. on Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium. The Big Ten tilt will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel as the College Game of the Week.
Click HERE Brian Plotkin's National Player of the Year Flyer in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
ClickHEREJacob Peterson's National Player of the Year Flyer in PDF FormatDownload Free Acrobat Reader
ClickHERE Jed Zayner's National Player of the Year Flyer in PDF FormatDownload Free Acrobat Reader
The Hoosier-Nittany Lion tussle is sure to be a competitive contest. Each of the last five matches between the two schools have been decided by one goal or ended in a tie. Last season, then-No. 6 IU defeated then-No. 3 Penn State, 2-1, at University, Pa., thanks to first-half goals from Mike Ambersley and Peterson.
Plotkin, Peterson and Zayner were all named to the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List early this season. The list was comprised of the top-25 returning players in college soccer according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Last season, Danny O'Rourke became the first Hoosier to win the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy. The M.A.C. Award and Hermann Trophy were merged into one award prior to the 2002 season. Before that, the honors were both given out as national player of the year awards. The merge of the two honors completed a process of combining the three top honors in collegiate soccer. In 1999, the M.A.C. and NSCAA came together to create a single award to recognize the top Division I player.
On five previous occasions, a Hoosier won the Hermann Trophy and on three occasions, a Hoosier won the M.A.C. Player of the Year Award. The list of Hermann Trophy winners includes: Angelo DiBernardo (1978), Armando Betancourt (1981), Ken Snow (1988, 1990) and Brian Maisonneuve (1994). The list of M.A.C. Award winners includes Snow (1988, 1990) and Todd Yeagley (1994). O'Rourke became the first to win the merged honor.
A list of 15 semifinalists for the award will be announced in early November, with the three finalists announced in December. The final three will be invited to St. Louis, Mo. for a news conference and dinner held at the Missouri Athletic Club on Jan. 6, 2006, where the winner of the award will be revealed. The winner is determined through voting of NCAA Division I members of the NSCAA.
The first 2,000 fans into Armstrong Stadium for the IU-PSU match will receive an IU soccer poster compliments of adidas. The evening will also mark Youth Soccer Night with youth teams from around the area and state in attendance.
