Kentucky soccer junior forward JJ Williams was named one of 15 semifinalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy, based on voting by NCAA Division I soccer coaches, the United Soccer Coaches announced on Tuesday.
The MAC Hermann Trophy, presented by World Wide Technology, is the top individual award in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1967.
Williams is in the midst of a prolific season as the Wildcats’ co-captain has led the line throughout UK’s 19-1-1 season to date with an Elite Eight match coming up on Friday.
He ranks third national in total goals (18), second in game-winning goals (9), third in total points (44) and 28th in total assists (8).
He was also named C-USA Player of the Year and Offensive MVP in 2018.
Williams has scored huge goals on the biggest stages this season, scoring twice in 3-0 regular-season wins against NCAA Tournament No. 4-seed Louisville, No. 2 Indiana – a game in which he assisted the third goal. He also scored a brilliant 1-0 game winner in the C-USA Tournament final against USC No. 14 Charlotte just after halftime to go along with an NCAA Tournament second-round brace against USC No. 21 Portland.
Three men’s finalists and three women’s finalists will be named on Dec. 7 in conjunction with the Men’s College Cup semifinals in Santa Barbara, California. The winners will be announced at the Hermann Trophy banquet at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 4, 2019.
The Wildcats will host No. 11-seed Maryland in the Elite Eight at The Bell on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
2018 Men’s MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists
| Name | Class | Pos. | School | Hometown |
| Giuseppe Barone | Jr. | M | Michigan State | Grandville, Mich. |
| Tanner Beason | Jr. | D | Stanford | Winston-Salem, N.C. |
| Tucker Bone | Jr. | M | Air Force | Granite Bay, Calif. |
| Alex Comsia | Sr. | D | North Carolina | North Vancouver, B.C. |
| Omir Fernandez | So. | F | Wake Forest | Bronx, N.Y. |
| Andrew Gutman | Sr. | D | Indiana | Hinsdale, Ill. |
| Jack Hallahan | Jr. | F | Michigan | Redditch, England |
| Cal Jennings | Jr. | F | UCF | Roswell, Ga. |
| Bruno Lapa | Jr. | M | Wake Forest | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Callum Montgomery | Sr. | D | Charlotte | Victoria, B.C. |
| Trey Muse | So. | K | Indiana | Louisville, Ky. |
| Daniele Proch | Jr. | F | Duke | Riva Del Garda, Italy |
| Camden Riley | Sr. | M | Pacific | Dallas, Texas |
| Andre Shinyashiki | Sr. | F | Denver | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| JJ Williams | Jr. | F | Kentucky | Montgomery, Ala. |
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Jake Most
