INSIDE
MEN'S SOCCER
BY JEREMY WODAJO
@BADGERMSOCCER
SCHEDULE
HERMANN TROPHY TIMELINE
Dec. 3 Semifinalists announced
Dec. 12 Finalists (3) announced
Jan. 10 Winner announced
Cochran a semifinalist for
Hermann Trophy
Junior vying for top individual soccer honor
n three seasons with the
University of Wisconsin
men's soccer program, junior AJ Cochran has transformed himself from one of
the top players in the Heartland region to a rising star on
the collegiate scene.
After a season in which
he earned Big Ten Defensive
Player of the Year honors
and was named a first-team
I
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VARSITY December 5, 2013
All-Big Ten performer for the
second-straight season, the
St. Louis native is beginning
to move into the ranks of the
elite. He was named Tuesday
a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, an award given
annually to the nation's top
men's collegiate soccer player
by the Missouri Athletic Club.
Cochran is the only Big Ten
student-athlete to appear on
the 15-man list and is one of five juniors
selected as a semifinalist.
The NSCAA will announce the finalists
for the Hermann Trophy on Dec. 12. Fan
voting begins on Thursday, Dec. 5.
Cochran started all 21 matches for the
Badgers this season, guiding the team to
its first NCAA tournament appearance in
nearly two decades.
The two-time first-team All-Big Ten
performer anchored a back line that
earned seven shutouts in 2013, while allowing just seven goals in Big Ten play.
The junior tallied six points on three
goals in 2013, including a pair of game
winners. His most memorable offensive
performance came in a 4-3 comeback
win over defending NCAA champion Indiana on Oct. 11, when Cochran recorded
a pair of goals in the final 17 minutes of
action to lead UW to victory in its conference home opener.
Cochran was named a preseason AllAmerican by both Top Drawer Soccer
and College Soccer News prior to the
start of the 2013 campaign.
Soccer fans can let their collective
voice be heard by voting for their favorite player on the MAC's website hosted
by LockerDome, starting Thursday, Dec.
5.
The top three vote-getters for each
gender from the combined NSCAA
coaches and weighted fan votes will be
announced as finalists on Thursday, Dec.
12, followed by the announcement of the
winners at the banquet, Friday, Jan. 10,
2014.
