WOMEN’S NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: USC’s Rodriguez wins UMBRO Award

USC’s Amy Rodriguez has been named the UMBRO/Soccer News Net Women’s College Player of the Year.

Rodriguez was named the winner of the national award after also capturing the UMBRO/LASoccerNews.com Women’s Player of the Year Award. The national award was selected based on on-line fan voting (40%) and the votes of the editorial staffs of the six sites in the Soccer News Net (including Big Apple Soccer), as well as from sponsor Umbro.

Rodriguez, a junior forward who is currently with the U.S. Women’s National Team in China, led the Trojans to their first-ever NCAA Championship in 2007.

Rodriguez scored 10 goals and added 3 assists for 23 pts in 2007, leading USC to a 6-2-1 record in the Pac-10 Conference and a 20-3-2 record overall.

It was in the NCAA tournament that the native of Lake Forest, Calif. really shone through, scoring a goal in the first round win over Creighton, then adding two more in the 2-1 win over cross-town rival UCLA in the semifinal.

Rodriguez was named the offensive player of the tournament, and also was a first team All-America selection by the NSCAA.


REGIONAL WINNERS:
New England Soccer News: Meghan Schnur, Connecticut
Big Apple Soccer (NY/NJ): Sue Weber, Hofstra
Philly Soccer News: Jillian Loyden, Villanova
Chicagoland Soccer News: Cynthia Morote-Arzia, Loyola
Dallas Soccer News: Ashlee Pistorius, Texas A&M
LA Soccer News: Amy Rodriguez, USC