Ben Sippola Named Herman Trophy Semifinalist

Butler senior Ben Sippola has been named to the list of semifinalists for the 2010 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy.  He’s one of 15 candidates for the most prestigious award in intercollegiate soccer.

The 2010 Horizon League Player of the Year, Sippola is the lone player from the Horizon League and one of just two players from Indiana on the list of semifinalists.  Others selected to the list of candidates are Will Bruin of Indiana, Tony Cascio of Connecticut, Michael Farfan of North Carolina, Ethan Finlay of Creighton, Corey Hertzog of Penn, Antoine Hoppenot of Princeton, Arthur Ivo of SMU, Matt Kassel of Maryland, Ryan Kinne of Monmouth, Darlington Nagbe of Akron, Colin Rolfe of Louisville, Kofi Sarkodie of Akron, A. J. Soares of California and Andrew Wenger of Duke.  Kinne and Rolfe both were semifinalists for the award a year ago.

Sippola led Butler to a 16-1-3 season, regular season and tournament championships in the Horizon League and a berth in the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship.  The Bulldogs, who were ranked fifth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) national soccer poll prior to the NCAA Tournament, completed the regular season as one of just two unbeaten teams in the nation.  Sippola, who led the Bulldogs in goals (8), assists (9) and points (25), was chosen as the Horizon League’s Offensive Player of the Year, and he was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championship.  He also was named first team Academic All-America.

Head coaches of Division I programs with current membership in the NSCAA will vote to determine the 2010 MAC Hermann Trophy recipient.  Three finalists for the award will be announced on Friday, Dec. 10.  They will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis for a news conference on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011, where the winner will be announced.  A dinner and formal presentation of the award will follow the news conference that evening.