2019 Men's Soccer MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Loyola University Maryland seniors Brian Saramago and Barry Sharifi were included among a group of 36 NCAA Division I men's soccer players named to the 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, which was revealed by the Missouri Athletic Club and United Soccer Coaches organizations on Thursday.

The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year in Division I. Loyola is one of just six schools nationally to have multiple players included on the initial watch list.

"Brian and Barry are both well deserving of this honor," head coach Steve Nichols said. "Since joining Loyola they've done everything that we've asked of them and more. They've been instrumental in growing our program into what it is today, and we're excited for them to have an opportunity to showcase their talent against some world-class competition this fall."

Saramago and Sharifi were each chosen as United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Americans last winter after helping the Greyhounds top the Patriot League regular season standings for a second-consecutive season.
 
Saramago, who was also chosen to the Hermann Trophy Watch List in 2018, has led Loyola in scoring in each of his first three collegiate seasons. He totaled eight goals and a conference-high eight assists last fall while earning first team All-Patriot League status for a third-straight year. In three seasons, he has accumulated 26 goals and 14 assists for 66 points. He is tied for 22nd in both goals and points all-time at Loyola.

Sharifi, the two-time defending Patriot League Midfielder of the Year, has also achieved all-conference status in each of his first three seasons at Loyola, landing on the first team in 2017 and 2018. He recorded four goals and four assists last year while starting all 17 contests, and enters his senior campaign with 42 career points (13 G, 16 A). His 16 assists are tied for 18th all-time at Loyola.

The duo have been instrumental in turning around a program that went 2-13-2 in the year prior to their arrival. Loyola improved to 8-6-3 in their debut season and has gone 23-10-2 over the past two seasons combined. In Patriot League play, the Greyhounds are 20-4-3 since Saramago and Sharifi joined the program.

Saramago and Sharifi were teammates at the New York Red Bull Academy during their high school years, and both continued to train with the club as members of the Red Bulls U23 team this summer. Saramago led all scorers with five goals and two assists across 11 appearances, while Sharifi saw action in six contests and supplied a pair of goals.

Loyola accounted for two of the Patriot League's three representatives on the Hermann Trophy Watch List, with Army West Point senior defender Zac McGraw also recognized.

Fifteen semifinalists for the Hermann Trophy will be revealed after the regular season on December 3. Finalists will be selected 10 days later, with the 2019 Hermann Trophy winner set to be announced on Jan. 10, 2020 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.