KANSAS CITY – The United Soccer Coaches and the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) have announced the 15 women’s semifinalists for the 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy, based on voting by NCAA Division I women’s soccer coaches. For the second year in a row, Notre Dame senior defender Eva Gaetino has been named to the prestigious list. She is 1-of-3 returning semifinalists from last season, joining Georgetown’s Julia Leas and Brown’s Brittany Raphino.
The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1967. Most recently, Michelle Cooper (Duke) received the award for outstanding intercollegiate performances last year, edging out Notre Dame’s own Korbin Albert.
In addition, that wasn’t the only major hardware Gaetino earned this week. Also for the second straight year, Gaetino is a First Team All-American.
Gaetino captained the Irish to a 12-4-4 season in 2023, a year in which Notre Dame was ranked within the top-15 for a majority. The Irish went 7-1-2 in ACC play, finishing in second place in the top league in the country. They then earned a top-3 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year.
Gaetino was named the ACC Defender of the Year for the scond straight year, as she became just the third ACC player to win multiple “Of the Year” awards.
The Michigan native anchored the backline in the middle once again in 2023, helping produce six total shutouts with a GAA of 1.11. Yet, it wasn’t just her defense this year, for Gaetino recorded career offensive numbers as well. Gaetino registered career highs in goals (4), assists (3) and points (11), scoring all four of her goals on set pieces.
Three women’s finalists will be named for the award on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 5, 2024, to formally announce this year’s winners.
For more information about the history of the MAC Hermann Trophy, visit MACHermannTrophy.org.
2023 Women’s MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists
| Name | School | Class | Pos | Hometown |
| Jasmine Aikey | Stanford | So. | M | Palo Alto, Calif. |
| Hannah Anderson | Texas Tech | GR5 | D | Plano, Texas |
| Eleanor Dale | Nebraska | Sr. | F | Billingham, England |
| Jordynn Dudley | Florida State | Fr. | F | Milton, Ga. |
| Onyi Echegini | Florida State | GR5 | F | London, England |
| Emily Gaebe | Saint Louis | Jr. | F | Union, Mo. |
| Eva Gaetino | Notre Dame | Sr. | D | Dexter, Mich. |
| Josefine Hasbo | Harvard | Jr. | M | Runstad Kyst, Denmark |
| Julia Leas | Georgetown | GR5 | D | Vienna, Va. |
| Lexi Missimo | Texas | Jr. | M | Southlake, Texas |
| Brecken Mozingo | Brigham Young | Sr. | M | Sandy, Utah |
| Brittany Raphino | Brown | Sr. | F | Randolph, Mass. |
| Lilly Reale | UCLA | Jr. | D | Hingham, Mass. |
| Laveni Vaka | Brigham Young | Sr. | D | Sandy, Utah |
| Madison White | Texas Tech | GR5 | K | Rockwall, Texas |
— ND –