Jan. 5, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Sophomore standout Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.) will be in St. Louis on Friday evening for the presentation of the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, presented to the most outstanding soccer player of the year. Hayes is one of three finalists along with national champion Stanford's Teresa Noyola and Lindsay Taylor.
The NSCAA All-America First Team honoree and Big Ten Forward of the Year, Hayes has reaped the rewards of scoring a nation-leading 31 goals and 70 points in 2011. Hayes represents the seventh time a Nittany Lion has had the chance to win the Hermann Trophy, joining Christie Welsh (2000, 2001, 2002), Tiffany Weimer (2004, 2005) and Joanna Lohman (2003). Welsh is PSU's lone Hermann winner, earning the trophy in 2001.
Hayes has garnered national attention for her historical and record-breaking year. Her point total of 70 ranks her 20th all-time in NCAA history and broke the Big Ten and Penn State single-season mark. Moreover, her 31 goals tied her for ninth all-time in NCAA single-season history with Abby Wambach's 2001 season. The goals and points mark were the most since 2005 when Christine Sinclair tallied 39 goals and 88 points en route to the Hermann Trophy.
On the Penn State ledger, Hayes broke the Penn State sophomore goals record by 10, the points record by 19 and scored nine game-winners, two better than Katie Schoepfer (2007) and Welsh (2000). On the career charts, Hayes sits ninth all-time at Penn State in goals (36) and 10th in points (81).
After the presentation in St. Louis, Hayes will journey to Chula Vista, Calif. for the first of many stints with the U.S. U-20 National Team. Before entering her junior year on the field, Hayes will take part in U-20 play, including the CONCACAF Championship hosted by Panama in March. Should the U.S. qualify out of that competition, Hayes and the Americans will take part in the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup set for August, hosted by Japan.
Head coach Erica Walsh and assistant coach Ann Cook will be in St. Louis with Hayes during the event. Follow the twitter feed of Penn State women's soccer (@PSUWomensSoccer) for updates and photos.
For complete coverage of Penn State women's soccer, please visit http://www.GoPSUsports.com/sports/w-soccer.
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Twitter: @PSUWomensSoccer
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PSUWomensSoccer
--NITTANY LIONS--