MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Senior goalkeeper
Rylee Foster of the West Virginia University women's soccer team has been named to the 2019 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List, as announced Thursday by the United Soccer Coaches.
Foster landed on the list for the second consecutive year after also being named to the watch list in 2018. At least one Mountaineer has been named to the award's watch list in each of the last nine seasons, including 2016 Hermann Trophy recipient Kadeisha Buchanan.
The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year.
"It is an incredible honor for Rylee to be a part of this elite list," Mountaineer coach
Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "The Hermann Trophy represents the best in soccer, and this is an incredible honor for her."
A total of 12 different Mountaineers have been named to the watch list a combined 18 times since 2003. WVU has had nine semifinalists, most recently
Michaela Abam in 2017.
A 2018 CONCACAF Female Goalkeeper of the Year finalist, Foster is set to begin her fourth consecutive season as the Mountaineers' starting netminder. Last season, she started all 23 matches in goal and logged 2,134 minutes, which ranked No. 4 nationally and was the third-most in a season in program history.
The Cambridge, Ontario, native made 34 saves in 2018 and earned credit for 11 of WVU's 12 shutouts, ranking No. 6 nationally. She finished the year with a 0.55 goals-against average (GAA), the second-best mark among Big 12 goalkeepers and No. 14 nationally. Foster was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team at season's end.
The MAC Hermann Trophy Watch Lists are compiled by members of the United Soccer Coaches Men's and Women's NCAA Division I All-America Committees. Fifteen semifinalists will be named for both the men's and women's MAC Hermann Trophy near the end of the college season based on voting by NCAA Division I coaches. From those candidates, three finalists will ultimately be placed on the ballot for the coveted award.
The winners will be announced on Jan. 10, 2020.
