Lapira, 2006 Hermann Trophy winner, is among '07 candidates

• by Soccer America , Aug 16, 2007

Notre Dame forward Joseph Lapira, the 2006 winner of the Men's Hermann Trophy, is among the 29 players who are included in the 2007 Men's Hermann Trophy watch list released by the NSCAA.

Lapira, a senior forward who played for Ireland's national team in the offseason, was part of last season's landmark sweep of the men's and women's awards by Notre Dame, joining Kerri Hanks, also a forward for the Fighting Irish.

Reigning NCAA Division I national champion UC Santa Barbara -- Andy Iro and Eric Avila -- and Creighton -- Matt Allen and Byron Dacy -- were the only two schools to have multiple players on the watch list.

In November, the list will be narrowed to 15 semifinalists. Three finalists will be named in early December in conjunction with the NCAA Division I College Cup and will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club on Jan. 11, 2008.

MEN'S HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST:
Pos.  Name  Class  School  Hometown
G  Matt Allen  Sr.  Creighton  Omaha, Neb.
M  Eric Avila  Jr.  UCSB  Encinitas, Calif.
D  Rhett Bernstein  Jr.  Brown  San Diego, Calif.
D  Eric Brunner  Sr.  Ohio State  Dublin, Ohio
F  Byron Dacy  Jr.  Creighton  Omaha, Neb.
F  Patrick Figueiredo  Jr.  Adelphi  Compinas, Brazil
F  Kevin Forrest  Sr.  Washington  Edmonds, Wash.
F  Juan Gavaria  Sr.  St. Peter's  Elizabeth, N.J.
M  Tom Gray  Sr.  Monmouth  Middletown, N.J.
M  Bruno Guarda  Jr.  SMU  Piracicaba, Brazil
D  David Horst  Sr.  Old Dominion  Pine Grove, Pa.
D  Andy Iro  Sr.  UCSB  Liverpool, England
F  Saidi Isaac  Sr.  Winthrop  Eldoret, Kenya
M  Dejan Jakovic  Jr.  UAB  Etobicoke, Ont.
D  Julius James  Sr.  Connecticut  Maloney Gardens, Trinidad
F  George Josten  Sr.  Gonzaga  Idaho Falls, Idaho
M  Stephen King  Sr.  Maryland  Medford, N.J.
F  Joseph Lapira  Sr.  Notre Dame  Lake Charles, La.
M  Peter Lowry  Sr.  Santa Clara  Fair Oaks, Calif.
M  Travis MacKenzie  Sr.  Duquesne  Carnegie, Pa.
M  Ryan Maduro  Sr.  Providence  Bristol, R.I.
F  Patrick Nyarko  Jr.  Virginia Tech  Kumasi, Ghana
F  Yannick Reyering  Jr.  Virginia  Mettingen, Germany
M  David Roth  Sr.  Northwestern  St. Louis, Mo.
D  Andre Sherard  Sr.  North Carolina  Greenville, N.C.
M  Eric Sweetin  Jr.  Saint Louis  Kansas City, Mo.
D  Julian Valentin  Sr.  Wake Forest  Lancaster, Pa.
D  Rob Valentino  Sr.  San Francisco  Cave Creek, Ariz.
M  Michael Videira  Sr.  Duke  Milford, Mass.