California Golden Bears Athletics

BERKELEY – Cal senior defender Indigo Gibson has been selected as a semifinalist of the 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy, the United Soccer Coaches and Missouri Athletic Club announced on Tuesday. Gibson is one of 15 semifinalists for the award, presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year as voted upon by NCAA Division I soccer coaches.

The most prestigious individual award in college soccer, Gibson is the first Cal player to be selected as a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist since Alex Morgan was a finalist for the award in 2010.

"We are thrilled for Indigo to get this level of recognition for all the hard work and dedication to her player development during her time here at Cal," said Golden Bears head coach Neil McGuire. "Her progress as a defender from outside back to central defender has allowed her to create a complete game, which in turn has set her up for a bright future."

A First-Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2017, Gibson played every minute for the Golden Bears during the regular season. The senior defender led Cal to a 13-6-1 record while directing a backline that ranked among the best in the nation, finishing 15^th in Division I in goals against average (0.54) and sixth in save percentage (0.885). Gibson was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on September 19 and helped Cal to a streak of five consecutive shutouts in Pac-12 play. The Las Flores, California native spurred the Bears to 10 clean sheets this year and Cal was one of only three teams in all of Division I to hold opponents to one goal or fewer in every game during the regular season.

A member of the Under-23 United States Women's National Team, Gibson made a total of 69 starts and 83 appearances during her Cal career, helping the Golden Bears to 39 shutouts and 53 wins over that span. Gibson has also spent time with the United States and Canadian youth national teams and tallied a total of nine assists in her collegiate career. 

Three men's finalists and three women's finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy will be named on December 8 in conjunction with the Men's College Cup semifinals in Philadelphia. The 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on January 5, 2018 to formally announce this year's winners.

For updates and more information, follow the Golden Bears throughout the year on Twitter (@CalWSoc), Instagram (@CalWSoc), and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWSoc).

2017 Women's MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists
Name                           Yr.          Pos.       School                                Hometown                                          
Michaela Abam            Sr.          F            West Virginia                     Houston, Texas
Rachel Corboz             Sr.          M           Georgetown                       Green Brook, N.J.
Tierna Davidson           So.         D           Stanford                             Menlo Park, Calif.
Imani Dorsey                Sr.          F            Duke                                 Elkridge, Md.
Grace Fisk                    So.         D           South Carolina                  Bromley, England
Jessie Fleming             So.         M           UCLA                                 London, Ont.
Indigo Gibson               Sr.          D           California                           Las Flores, Calif.
Vanessa Gregoire        Sr.          M           Princeton                           Beaconsville, Que.
Catarina Macario          Fr.          F            Stanford                            San Diego, Calif.
Hallie Mace                   Jr.          F            UCLA                                Ventura, Calif.
Savannah McCaskill     Sr.          F            South Carolina                  Chapin, S.C.
Casey Murphy               Jr.          K            Rutgers                             Bridgewater, N.J.
Rebecca Quinn             Sr.          M           Duke                                 Toronto, Ont.
Andi Sullivan                 Sr.          M           Stanford                            Lorton, Va.
Brianna Visalli               Sr.          M           Pepperdine                        San Jose, Calif.