Soccer America WomenÆs MVPs
M Yael Averbuch (North Carolina)
D Marian Dalmy (Santa Clara)
M Christina DiMartino (UCLA)
F Kerri Hanks (Notre Dame)
D Ali Krieger (Penn State)
D Stephanie Lopez (Portland)
G Jillian Loyden (Villanova)
D Kasey Moore (Texas)
F Heather OÆReilly (North Carolina)
F Ashlee Pistorius (Texas A&M)
F India Trotter (Florida State)

YAEL AVERBUCH (North Carolina). For North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance, womenÆs soccer has always been a game of power. ''In the womenÆs game,'' he says, ''if you can kick the ball like a mule, youÆre going to be lethal.'' Dorrance was talking about Averbuch, his 5-foot-10 sophomore from Upper Montclair, N.J. In the second week of the season, Averbuch scored a goal from 55 yards four seconds into UNCÆs game against Yale — the fastest goal in NCAA history. At the WomenÆs College Cup, she showed off her power to different effect. Averbuch fired a long ball across the field to streaking freshman Casey Nogueira, who scored the goal that broke a scoreless deadlock against UCLA. Minutes later, Averbuch was at it again, feeding Heather OÆReilly for the second goal in the Tar HeelsÆ 2-0 semifinal victory. Averbuch finished the season with a team-high 16 goals, including a hat trick against UNC Asheville in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

MARIAN DALMY (Santa Clara). DalmyÆs career at Santa Clara ended in disappointment when the No. 1 seed fell in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tournament, losing, 1-0, to USC on a late goal. She earlier had crashed a penalty kick off the left side of the crossbar — almost the same spot that former SCU star Brandi Chastain had missed a penalty in the final game of her career 16 years earlier. But that doesnÆt take away from what was a huge senior season for Dalmy, who joined the likes of former Bronco stars Aly Wagner and Leslie Osborne to earn WCC Player of the Year honors. A product of the Colorado Girls Soccer Academy, Dalmy was one of the nationÆs most dangerous defenders coming forward and led all WCC defenders with six goals and six assists.

CHRISTINA DIMARTINO (UCLA). In Danesha Adams and Lauren Cheney, UCLA has two of college soccerÆs best strikers, but DiMartino stood out this year as the genius of the Bruin attack. What the 5-foot-2 New Yorker lacks in size she makes up for with skill, savvy and guile. She ranked third, behind Cheney and Adams, with 17 points and led the Bruins with seven assists. DiMartino had a big NCAA Tournament, scoring the winning goal in the round-of-16 victory over Florida and going down for the penalty that decided the quarterfinal game against Portland. DiMartino is the oldest in American soccerÆs best sister act. Sister Gina scored 13 for Boston College and is a member of the 2006 Soccer America All-Freshman Team. Victoria plays on the U-15 national team, and Jaclyn, the youngest, is a budding club player.

KERRI HANKS (Notre Dame). Few collegians are consumed by soccer quite like Hanks, the first sophomore to win the WomenÆs Hermann Trophy. When she isnÆt playing soccer, sheÆs watching it. She grew up in Allen, Texas, following Tottenham, like her English-born father, and often spends her free time at Notre Dame in front of a TV screen viewing EPL games. In 2006, Hanks scored 22 goals — the same number as boyfriend Joseph Lapira, the Soccer America MenÆs Player of the Year and MenÆs Hermann Trophy winner — and added 22 assists. Mia Hamm, another Texas-bred player, and Hanks are the only women to lead the nation in both goals and assists in the same season. Hanks caught fire midway through the season after Brittany Bock returned from the U-20 World Championship. Hanks, Bock and Freshman of the Year Michele Weissenhofer formed the Irish attack that combined for 52 goals and 46 assists.

ALI KRIEGER (Penn State). The Lions advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament — quite an accomplishment considering their graduation losses and injuries. Early-season injuries forced Penn State coach Paula Wilkins to move Krieger, a first-team All-American last year as a midfielder, to the backline, where she showcased her versatility and work ethic. KriegerÆs outstanding season was all the more remarkable considering she was coming off a broken fibula suffered on the eve of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. The senior from Dumfries, Va., scored two goals and added five assists this season, giving her 12 goals and 19 assists for her career.

STEPHANIE LOPEZ (Portland). Considered one of the best outside backs to ever come through the U.S. national youth team system, Lopez split time between college action with the Pilots and international duty — first at the Under-20 World Championship, where she captained the U.S. team, and later with the senior national team preparing for the Gold Cup. In all, she missed 10 college games but returned to lead the unseeded Pilots through to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Tournament. The junior from Elk Grove, Calif., is the lone player to repeat as a Soccer America WomenÆs MVP.

JILLIAN LOYDEN (Villanova). The junior goalie from Vineland, N.J., had a big part in the WildcatsÆ record-setting season during which they won 16 games (most in program history) and allowed only 11 goals (fewest ever). Loyden also broke a Villanova record in recording a 0.45 goals-against average. She had a streaks of seven consecutive shutouts and 737 minutes without allowing a goal. She was named the Big East Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight year and became the first Villanova player to earn first-team NSCAA All-American honors.

KASEY MOORE (Texas). Moore was one of the most dynamic defenders in an exceptionally strong year for defenders in the college game. She helped lead the Longhorns to the Big 12 title and their first top seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Laguna Hills (Calif.) Eclipse product scored the most important goal of the regular season, which came in a 1-0 upset win over archrival Texas A&M, and added goals in UTÆs first two NCAA Tournament games.
HEATHER O'REILLY. Her college career ended as it started — with a national championship. After starting as a freshman on one of the great North Carolina teams in history three years ago, she was the senior leader on a freshman-dominated team that won 27 straight games to claim the Tar HeelsÆ 18th national championship. OÆReilly didnÆt put up the numbers some of the other contenders for Player of the Year honors did — she finished with a respectable 12 goals and 14 assists — but she saved the best for last. OÆReilly scored the insurance goal in CarolinaÆs 2-0 victory over UCLA in the semifinals of the WomenÆs College Cup and chipped the ball over Notre Dame keeper Lauren Karas for the first goal in the HeelsÆ 2-1 victory in the final. A regular on the U.S. national team since before she enrolled at North Carolina, OÆReilly has admitted that her national team responsibilities distracted her at times, but she says her senior season in Chapel Hill was special. ''ItÆs truly an honor to play for the U.S., of course, to play for your country and score for your country,'' she said after the final. ''But thereÆs something special about playing for the University of North Carolina — the tradition involved, the dynasty that weÆre now proving that weÆre continuing.'' OÆReilly, who finished her career with 59 goals overall and 15 in the NCAA Tournament (tied with Mia Hamm for third all-time), says she loved the daily routine of college life spent with her teammates. ''TheyÆre your best friends on and off the field,ö she says. ''ThereÆs something special about college soccer and the way that we train every day after school at 2:30. I havenÆt found another training environment quite like that.''

ASHLEE PISTORIUS (Texas A&M). Pistorius came to College Station as a two-sport star. She played soccer and basketball her freshman year before deciding to concentrate on soccer for the Aggies. It was Pistorius whose golden goal gave the Aggies a 1-0 victory over North Carolina before an NCAA regular season record-setting crowd of 8,204 on the opening day of the season. Unfortunately, Pistorius suffered a concussion in the rematch and was sidelined for the end of CarolinaÆs thrilling comeback victory in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. She finished with 15 goals and five assists. In three seasons at A&M, Pistorius already ranks third on the A&M career list in goals (56) and game-winning goals (19).

INDIA TROTTER (Florida State). It wasá a big year for Trotter. She earned her first cap for the USA, playing at the Four Nations Tournament in China in January 2006, and helped Florida State return to the WomenÆs College Cup, where she was selected to the all-tournament team for the third time in four years. Earlier in her college career, Trotter had turned down trips with various youth national teams — she admits she was reluctant to give up her free time with friends — but sheÆs now one of the top national team prospects. She showed her versatility throughout her college career, starting out in midfield, moving to the frontline as a junior and even starting at right back in the WomenÆs College Cup semifinals. With FSU trailing Notre Dame, 2-0, Trotter returned to the attack and scored the SeminolesÆ lone goal. ''SheÆs a handful,'' Notre Dame coach Randy Waldrum said afterward. ''SheÆs the only one I was really worried about up top.''