Dec. 11, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Wake Forest’s Corben Bone was recognized on Friday as one of three finalists for the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The finalists were determined in voting by Division I men's soccer coaches who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Bone, a junior midfielder from Plano, Texas, scored two goals and added 13 assists for 17 points, earning ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors. He notched an assist in Wake’s 2-0 NCAA quarterfinal victory over UCLA to help the Demon Deacons advance to their fourth straight College Cup appearance. In 2007, he was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, and currently ranks second on Wake’s career assists list with 38.

As a finalist, Bone joins Harvard’s Andre Akpan and Akron’s Teal Bunbury, and will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 8, for a news conference, where the winner of the award will be revealed (approximately 7 p.m. ET). A banquet at the Club that evening will feature the formal presentation of the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy to the winner.

The ACC has won the Hermann Trophy 15 times, dating back to 1982, while the 2009 honor marks just the second time it has gone to a Demon Deacon and the second time in as many years. Last season, Bone led the nation in assists and was teammates with 2008 MAC Hermann Trophy winner Marcus Tracy.

The MAC has honored the top player in collegiate soccer since 1986. Some of the biggest names in soccer, such as Mia Hamm and Claudio Reyna, have won the award. For a complete list of past winners, go to www.mac-hermann-trophy.org. An exhibition featuring the current and past recipients of the MAC Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y.

The Demon Deacons, who were picked fourth in the ACC’s preseason poll, earned a share of the conference’s regular season title with North Carolina. The regular season championship is the second consecutive for Wake Forest and the sixth in program history.

No. 2 Wake Forest and third-ranked Virginia meet for the third time in the 2009 season later today when the two teams meet in the national semifinals at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. First touch is scheduled for 5 p.m. (ET) and the game will be shown live on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com.