ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The United Soccer Coaches and Missouri Athletic Club named senior goalkeeper Vera Varis to the 2018 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List on Thursday.
The MAC Hermann Trophy, presented by World Wide Technology, is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year.
A native of Vantaa, Finland, Varis becomes the first Knight since Marissa Diggs in 2013 to earn a spot on the Watch List. She is just the fourth Knight overall to earn the nod and is the second goalkeeper, joining Aline Reis (2009).
On Aug. 7, Varis was selected as The American Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and earned a spot on the league’s preseason all-conference squad on Aug. 7.
Varis allowed just four goals in 2017 for a 0.27 goals-against average that ranked third nationally. She became the first Knight since 2014 to earn United Soccer Coaches Association All-America accolades.
A two-time Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, Varis conceded just one goal in over 740 minutes last season in The American. The Vantaa, Finland, native was named the American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year as she tallied five shutouts with just one goal allowed in nine league matches.
This year’s MAC Hermann Trophy winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. Varis is one of two players from the American Athletic Conference to earn a spot on the watch list, joining South Florida's Evelyne Viens.
UCF will host Wyoming in an exhibition contest tonight at 7 p.m. and officially kicks off the 2018 campaign on Aug. 19 when the Knights welcome FGCU to the UCF Soccer Complex.
DON'T MISS OUT
The UCF women's soccer team is set for its sixth season under head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak and will welcome five teams from the 2017 NCAA Tournament to the UCF Soccer Complex in 2018. Click here or call (407) 823-1000 for ticket information.