Bacharach Named to MAC Hermann Watch List
8/24/2023 11:10:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON — Senior transfer defender Hugo Bacharach was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List as announced by United Soccer Coaches on Thursday (Aug. 24). The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year.
On Wednesday, Bacharach was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI second team. TDS also ranked him the No. 22-overall player in the country.
Bacharach was a three-time first-team All-Northeast Conference performer at Fairleigh Dickinson which culminated in an NEC Defensive Player of the Year pick as a junior in 2022. This summer, he played for USL League Two's Flint City and garnered the league's defender of the year award after helping the club keep seven clean sheets.
The Spanish center-back joins an Indiana defense that has finished top-11 nationally in shutouts the last seven seasons. IU student-athletes have also won five of the last six Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Indiana student-athletes have won 11 player of the year awards all-time, and Andrew Gutman was the last to do so in 2018. Hoosiers have appeared in each of the last 10 Hermann Trophy Watch Lists, with IU defenders gracing each of the last nine announcements.
Bacharach's fellow seniors Brett Bebej and Joey Maher return after helping IU keep nine clean sheets last season, including four consecutive shutouts in the NCAA Tournament. IU's midfield duo of junior Patrick McDonald and sophomore Jack Wagoner, who started 11 of Indiana's final 12 matches in 2022, also return.
Indiana opens its 2023 season on Thursday (Aug. 24) at Notre Dame. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at Alumni Stadium, and fans can watch the match on ACCNX.
