Kelly Smith Finishes Third In Hermann Trophy Race
12/11/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Santa Clara's Mandy Clemens was the runaway winner in balloting with 203 points. Defender Lorrie Fair of North Carolina was second with 115 points, followed by Smith with 111.
Smith, the nation's leading scorer, was the runner-up for the Missouri Athletic Club Sports Foundation Collegiate Soccer Player of the Year Award, finishing second to Clemens. She also earned All-America 3rd Team honors for the first time in her career.
Smith, one of the greatest athletes in Seton Hall history, is the nation's leading scorer, a spot she has held for almost the entire season. With 27 goals and 62 points in 19 games, she tops the NCAA in points per game (3.26) and goals per game (1.42). Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year Mandy Clemens of Santa Clara ranked second to Smith with an average of 3.18 points per game.
The senior, who is a member of England's National Team, tallied 66 percent of Seton Hall's goals this season as the Pirates' went 11-9 on the year. She led the nation in scoring for the second consecutive year and was the Most Valuable Player in the adidas Summer League, which featured the nation's top players.
Smith also set two new NCAA career scoring records, for points per game and goals per game.With a total of 174 points, 76 goals and 22 assists in 51 matches, Smith established new marks for career points per game with 3.41 and for goals per game with 1.49. She breaks the points per game record of 3.34 previously held by Carin Jennings of UC-Santa Barbara (264 points in 79 games from 1983 to 1986). Smith also breaks the record of U.S. National Team member Tiffany Millbrett, who averaged 1.39 goals per game while at Portland (103 goals in 74 games from 1990 to 1994).
She ranks 16th on the NCAA all-time list for goals (76) and 21st for points (174), despite playing the fewest number of games among any other player in the top 20.
The senior was named the 1999 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, winning the award for the third season.
