Jan. 8, 2016
ST. LOUIS -- National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar Player of the Year, NSCAA First Team All-American, 2015 national champion and now 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy winner. For the second time in program history, a Nittany Lion has brought home the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy, as senior Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) received the honor Friday night inside the Missouri Athletic Club of St. Louis. Christie Welsh won the MAC Hermann Trophy for Penn State in 2001.
"It is just a huge honor," Rodriguez said. "This trophy is not just mine, it is really the work of so many people, including my coaches, my teammates, my family and friends, but most importantly, God. I understand these blessings come from Him. Aside from that, it is an honor to win this trophy; it is just a prestigious award to receive. I know that there have been so many great soccer players that have won this award. I am honored and very grateful."
The winners and finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy are determined by a vote of Division I coaches who are members of the NSCAA. Also, an online fan vote (the equivalent of one coach's vote) is factored into the final vote total. The Missouri Athletic Club has been honoring the top players in college soccer since 1986.
"On behalf of the Pennsylvania State University, I would like to thank the NSCAA, and the Missouri Athletic Club for hosting and presenting Raquel Rodriguez with the Hermann Trophy honoring the top college soccer player in the country," head coach Erica Walsh said. "Raquel's career at Penn State has been nothing short of remarkable and her impact on this community will be felt for years to come. Raquel's exceptional talent, leadership and drive was pivotal in the winning of our program's first ever national championship this year. After three highly successful years as a starter, her senior year was undoubtedly her best and we're all extremely proud of her exemplary work both on the field and in the classroom. Raquel made everyone a better person a regular basis and we are all truly blessed to have had the opportunity to watch her grow over these past four years. Her future is indeed very bright and the entire Penn State family will surely be following her closely."
During her senior year, Rodriguez started all 27 matches, recorded six goals and six assists. In the national championship match against No. 20 Duke, she scored the game-winning goal in the 72nd minute of play.
Rodriguez' honors this season include: MAC Hermann Trophy winner, Honda Sport Award winner, Most Outstanding Player on Offense of the Women's College Cup, Women's College Cup All-Tournament Team, NSCAA Scholar Player of the Year, NSCAA Scholar First Team All-American, NSCAA All-Great Lakes First Team, NSCAA First Team All-American, All-Big Ten First Team, Academic All-Big Ten, TopDrawerSoccer Best XI First Team and TopDrawerSoccer's Player of the Year.
The MAC Hermann Trophy tops an outstanding Nittany Lion career for Rodriguez. During her time at Penn State, Rodriguez played in 93 career games, which included 90 starts. Rodriguez finished her career with 23 goals, 28 assists and 74 points. Nine of her 23 career goals tallied a victory for the Blue and White.
In the Penn State record books, Rodriguez ranks 16th in points (74), 18th in goals (23), T-15th in game-winning goals (nine), T-8th in assists (28), 12th in shots attempted (187), 10th in shots on goal (77) and T-17th in games started (90).
Not only did Rodriguez excel on the pitch, she also succeeded in the classroom. For her hard work in the classroom, Rodriguez was named to the 2015 College Sports Information of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Two first team.