Advertisement

UCLA’s Leo Stolz named college soccer’s top player

UCLA's Leo Stolz, right, controls the ball ahead of Providence's Dominik Machado during an NCAA semifinal match in Cary, N.C., on Dec. 12, 2014.
(Gerry Broome / Associated Press)
Share

Leo Stolz, who led UCLA to the NCAA men’s soccer final, was named winner of the Hermann Trophy as the nation’s top collegiate player.

Stolz, a midfielder from Munich, Germany, is the third UCLA player to win the soccer equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, joining Sasha Victorine (1999) and Brad Friedel (1992). The winners are chosen in a vote of NCAA Division I soccer coaches along with a weighted fan vote.

Stolz was a finalist for the award last year, but the Bruins’ two-year captain put himself over the top this fall by scoring a team-high nine goals and sharing the team high with six assists. He added two more assists and two more goals -- including an overtime game-winner -- in the postseason.

Advertisement

Stolz, an All-America team selection for a second straight season, finished his three-year UCLA career with 20 goals and 22 assists in 63 appearances. The Bruins made the NCAA playoffs in each of his three seasons in Westwood.

But Stolz was not the team’s only postseason award winner. Sophomore defender Michael Amick was a second-team All-America selection, while forwards Abu Danladi and Seyi Adekoya and defender Chase Gasper were named to the national all-freshman team.

UCLA finished the regular season 14-5-5 before advancing to the national championship game last month, losing to Virginia on penalty kicks.

Advertisement