Nov. 28, 2007

DALLAS - SMU midfielder Bruno Guarda has been named a semifinalist for the 2007 Hermann Trophy by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Missouri Athletic Club.

The junior from Piracicaba, Brazil is one of 15 to be named to list and among three on the list for the second year in a row. Others include Notre Dame forward Joseph Lapira, who won the award last year, and Grand Prairie, Texas native Andre Akpan, a forward at Harvard.

For Guarda, being named a semifinalist for college soccer's most prestigious award is a logical addition to his long line of accolades. He has been named the Player of the Year for Conference USA in each of the last two seasons, was an NSCAA All-America honoree last year and was named National Player of the Week by the NSCAA and by collegesoccernews.com earlier this year after scoring back-to-back game-winning goals in SMU's victories over South Carolina and Memphis.

Guarda leads the Mustangs in scoring this year, with 23 points on eight goals and seven assists. Included among his scores this year is the game-winning goal in last Saturday's 1-0 win over Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.