UC Santa Barbara men's soccer senior midfielder Luis Silva was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer.

Silva is the third Gaucho to be named a semifinalist, joining Chris Pontius (2008) and Andy Iro (2007).

The 2011 Big West Midfielder of the Year, Silva enjoyed a stellar season in which he led the conference in goals (17) and points (44), while posting a league-high tying 10 assists.  He had at least one point in 14 of UCSB's 23 games, helping guide the team to a 15-7-1 record and the program's 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

In addition, Silva's exploits placed him in the Big West single-season and career record books.  His 17 goals tied him for eighth all-time in a season.  The 44 points tied him with former Gaucho Rob Friend (2002) for the UCSB record and fifth on the Big West list.  Silva took 79 shots this season for the seventh-most all-time in Big West history.

For his career, Silva finished with 28 goals and 23 assists for 79 points, putting him in the Big West career top 10 in all three categories.  He finished his career tied for ninth in goals, tied for seventh in assists and in sole possession of seventh in points.

Silva is joined on the list of semifinalists by Ashton Bennett (Coastal Carolina), Dom Dwyer (South Florida), Ethan Finlay (Creighton), Evans Frimpong (Delaware), Chandler Hoffman (UCLA), Brian Holt (Creighton), Enzo Martinez (North Carolina), Darren Mattocks (Akron), Billy Schuler (North Carolina), Mark Sherrod (Memphis), Yannick Smith (Old Dominion), Casey Townsend (Maryland), Andrew Wenger (Duke) and Gyasi Zardes (Cal State Bakersfield).

The MAC Hermann Trophy recipients are selected by head coaches of NCAA Division I programs who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association.  Three finalists will be announced on Friday and will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis for a news conference on Jan. 6, 2012, where the winner will be revealed.