White Wins Hermann Trophy

UConn Forward Takes Nation's Top College Soccer Honor

January 12, 2008

SAINT LOUIS, Mo. -- UConn men's soccer forward O'Brian White became the third Huskie to win the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, given annually to the nation's top collegiate soccer player.

White beat out Virginia Tech junior forward Patrick Nyarko and last year's winner, Joseph Lapira of Notre Dame for the award, announced Friday by the NSCAA.

UConn's O'Brian White won the 2007 MAC Hermann Trophy. (Stephen Slade/UConn Athletic Communications)

White, the third UConn player to receive the Hermann Trophy after Joe Morrone Jr. ('80) and Chris Gbandi ('00), led all NCAA Division I men's scorers in points with 53 and goals with 23, including six in postseason play. He also notched seven assists on the season. White was selected as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and was also a unanimous choice on the all-conference first team after earning conference Player of the Week honors five times this season.

"There are so many people who have contributed to my success as a student-athlete and I would like to acknowledge them and share this award with them tonight," White said at the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy ceremony. "There are just so many people who have contributed to my success as a student-athlete and I would like to acknowledge them and share this award with them tonight. Without their support, I would not be the player or student I am today."

He had seven multi-goal efforts this season, including three hat tricks. White became the first player in UConn history to tally back-to-back hat tricks, as well as three in a career. He now holds the UConn record for goals in a season, bypassing the mark set by Morrone in 1979. White is eighth all-time at UConn with 101 career points (40g, 21a).

"We are extremely proud of O'Brian's accomplishment tonight," said UConn coach Ray Reid. "He deserves this award as he had an outstanding junior season and it is a great testament to the rest of the players on the team, who were able to put him in good spots to score goals time and time again. As O'Brian approach his senior year, he has three simple goal - to graduate, to win the national championship and become the first back-to-back Hermann Trophy winner since Mike Fisher (Virginia, 1995 & 1996). This could not have happened to a finer young man, he has all the right values and priorities."

Morrone was the 1980 recipient of the award after guiding his team to the NCAA Quarterfinals, while Gbandi took home the trophy in 2000 following UConn's second NCAA national championship.