Dec. 18, 2008

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Junior forward Casey Nogueira of the University of North Carolina women's soccer team was named Thursday as the recipient of the Honda Sports Award for Soccer after turning in a brilliant 2008 season. Following a nationwide ballot sent to the senior women's administrators at the more than 1,000 NCAA member institutions, Nogueira was voted the top women's collegiate player in soccer and became recipient of the Honda Sports Award for that sport. It is the third national player of the year accolade she has claimed so far this year.

Nogueira's selection marks the 10th time in the 20-year history of the award that the recipient has been from North Carolina. The Tar Heel program has had 19 nominees for the award in its 20-year history.

Nogueira becomes a nominee for The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and The Honda-Broderick Cup that is awarded annually to the nation's Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. The Cup ballot listing all 12 sport winners will be sent to NCAA-member schools the beginning of June 2009 with votes tabulated within a few days to determine the Final Five. Honda Broderick Cup nominees have now been named in three sports for 2008-09 as Nogueira joins Maryland's Susie Rowe (field hockey) and Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego (cross country) as sport winners.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. will donate $5,000 to the women's athletic program at the University of North Carolina in honor of Nogueira winning the award.

Nogueira is the first UNC player since Mia Hamm in 1992 to meet the seven criteria of being a national player of the year selection, a first-team All-America, the ACC Player of the Year, the ACC Tournament MVP and the NCAA Tournament MVP while leading the nation in both goals and points in the same season.

A junior from Raleigh, N.C. and a 2006 alumna of Broughton High School, Nogueira scored two second-half goals to help the Tar Heels post a 2-1 upset win over Notre Dame in the NCAA championship match. Nogueira was named the NCAA Tournament Offensive MVP in the process. Nogueira led the nation in 2008 in goals with 25 and points with 58. She also led the Tar Heels in game-winning goal with seven. In 2008, she had one four-goal game, one three-goal game and six other games with two goals.

Read more from www.tarheelblue.com