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Aug. 22, 2000
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia men’s soccer soccer players Kyle Martino (Westport, Conn./Staples) and Ryan Trout (Media, Pa./Strath Haven) have been selected as two of 15 finalists for college soccer’s most prestigious honor – the Hermann Trophy – as announced by the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The Hermann Trophy is awarded to college soccer’s top player.
Martino, the 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-ACC selection, was spectacular in his first season at Virginia. The second-year midfielder from Westport, Conn. started all 23 games he participated in and finished third on the team with 21 points on seven goals and seven assists (second on the squad). Martino displayed dazzling ball handling skills and was a dual-threat to either set up a goal or score himself. He was instrumental to UVa’s success late in the season after he recorded three goals in the Cavaliers final four contests, including markers in Virginia’s 2-1 win over Princeton and 3-1 victory over Brown in the NCAA Tournament. Martino scored goals in back-to-back games four times last season.
Trout, a senior midfielder from Media, Pa., enters the 2000 season as Virginia’s top returning player in points, goals and assists recorded. He led the Cavaliers in all three categories after posting 28 points on 10 assists and nine goals. His prolific attack earned him NSCAA Third Team All-American honors en route to being tabbed a Second Team All-ACC selection. Trout became the 44th Cavalier to post a hat trick and only the eighth player ever at Virginia to score four goals in a single game when he did so in an 8-1 rout over Appalachian State (9/8/99). He elevated his game and overshadowed his competition in the ACC Tournament by scoring three goals (two game-winners) in Virginia’s 2-0 win over Maryland and 2-1 victory over Wake Forest. Trout scored both of UVa’s goals in the WFU contest.
A selection board comprised of college coaches from each region of the country participated in picking the finalists, who will now be listed on official ballots that will go out to all coaches and selected media on Sunday, October 15. A write-in allowance is included on final ballots, which will be due Monday, November 27. The winners of the 2000 Hermann Trophy will be announced Saturday, December 9 at a reception ceremony in Charlotte, N.C., in conjunction with the Men’s 2000 College Cup.
Martino and Trout are two of four ACC players up for the Hermann Trophy. Ali Curtis from Duke, the 1999 Hermann Trophy winner, and Nick Downing from Maryland, round out the conference’s nominees. The ACC had more student athletes nominated for the award than any other conference in the country. The Big Ten had the second most nominees with three.
Here is a look at the field of Hermann Trophy Finalists:
| Name | School |
| Carl Bussey | SMU |
| Conor Casey | Portland |
| Ali Curtis | Duke |
| Nick Downing | Maryland |
| Mohammed Fahim | SMU |
| Chris Gbandi | UCONN |
| Cory Gibbs | Brown |
| T.J. Hannig | Indiana |
| Ryan Mack | Indiana |
| Kyle Martino | Virginia |
| Lee Morrison | Stanford |
| Brent Rahim | UCONN |
| McKinley Tennyson | UCLA |
| Ryan Trout | Virginia |
| Ricardo Villar | Penn State |