KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three Sun Belt Men’s Soccer athletes earned a spot on the Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List as announced by the Herman Trophy Midseason Watch List Committee and the United Soccer Coaches.
South Carolina’s Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez, West Virginia’s Pablo Pozos and Old Dominion’s Lewis Rourke represent the trio of Sun Belt players named to the coveted list. Pozos was a preseason selection ahead of the 2026 campaign while Velazquez Lopez and Rourke slide into the 30-man listing for the first time.
Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez, South Carolina
(Junior | Midfielder | Knoxville, Tenn.)
Velazquez-Lopez currently leads the ninth-ranked Gamecocks with 12 total points on five goals and two assists. Ten of his 24 shots have been on goal a .208 overall shot percentage and two game-winning goals on the year so far. He has started in all 10 games for South Carolina this season, playing an average of 71.2 minutes per match.
He was named Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1 after tallying seven points over two matches for a total of three goals and one assist. His efforts saw South Carolina win 4-0 over USC Upstate and defeat No. 16 Clemson, 3-2. Velazquez-Lopez is tied for the sixth-most shots per game (2.40), tied for fourth in goals scored (5) and tied for the second-most game-winning goals (2). His 1.20 points per game rank fourth as does his 12 total points.
Pablo Pozos, West Virginia
(Senior | Forward | Madrid, Spain)
The Preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year and 2025 All-Sun Belt First Team selection also earned a spot on the Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List. He paces his No. 15 West Virginia Mountaineers with 10 points thanks to four goals and two assists along with 25 shots and 13 shots on goal, also team-bests.
He earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 15 after an eight-point week with three goals and two assists that saw WVU pick up wins over George Mason and Denver. Pozos currently leads the Sun Belt in shots per game (3.13) and is fifth in shots on goal (13) and tied for eighth in goals scored (4). His 10 points place him tied for seventh while his 1.25 points per game are fourth in the conference.
Lewis Rourke, Old Dominion
(Fourth Year | Forward | Nottingham, England)
Rourke was a member of the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team after his breakout 2025 season saw him finish with 10 goals in 18 matches for Old Dominion. His 17 points are a team-high for the Monarchs this year as are his seven goals and three assists. He has 19 total shots with 15 coming on goal for an average of 78.9 percent of shots coming on target.
He was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8 after netting two gals and two assists in an undefeated week for the Monarchs. His six points came with four against Radford and two more against Bucknell. Rourke owns the second-most goals in the Sun Belt with seven and is third in shots on goal per game
About the Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation’s highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year as determined by voting of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches. It is named in honor of the late Robert Hermann, the legendary Saint Louis, Missouri, businessman and soccer executive who founded the National Professional Soccer League, the first pro soccer league in the United States which became the North American Soccer League. He was inducted in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
The 2026 midseason watch list was compiled by members of the Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List Committee. A total of 15 players will be named 2026 Hermann Trophy semifinalists on December 4 at the conclusion of NCAA Division I All-American voting. From that list, head coaches will cast votes, and three players will be named finalists. The 2026 recipient will be announced January 8, 2027, in a ceremony at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in downtown Saint Louis, Missouri.
2026 NCAA Division I Men's Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List
| Position |
Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| K |
Jonathan Evans |
So. |
SMU |
Collegeville, Pa. |
| K |
Niklas Herceg |
So. |
University of Vermont |
Alsdorf, Germany |
| K |
Andrew Samuels |
Sr. |
Princeton University |
Burlingame, Calif. |
| D |
Harry Bertos |
Jr. |
University of Washington |
Bedford, Mass. |
| D |
Braden Dunham |
Fr. |
Furman University |
Peachtree City, Ga. |
| D |
Dylan Groneveld |
Sr. |
Stanford University |
Coronado, Calif. |
| D |
Noah Holmstrom |
So. |
SMU |
Aalborg, Denmark |
| D |
Tate Lampman |
Jr. |
Georgetown University |
Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| D |
Shakir Nixon |
Jr. |
UCLA |
Cerritos, Calif. |
| D |
Matthew Reed |
Jr. |
Creighton University |
Felton, Del. |
| M |
Ransford Gyan |
So. |
Clemson University |
Sunyani, Ghana |
| M |
Diego Hernandez |
Jr. |
Furman University |
Mesquite, Texas |
| M |
Miles Merritt |
Sr. |
Michigan State University |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| M |
Connor Miller |
Jr. |
Cornell University |
Centennial, Colo. |
| M |
Zach Ramsay |
Jr. |
University of Washington |
Redmond, Wash. |
| M |
Joschi Schelb |
Jr. |
University of North Carolina |
Freiburg, Germany |
| M |
Alejandro Velazquez Lopez |
Jr. |
University of South Carolina |
Knoxville, Tenn. |
| F |
Tomiwa Adewumi |
Fr. |
Marquette University |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| F |
Mitchell Baker |
So. |
Georgetown University |
Melbourne, Australia |
| F |
Mariano Beunza |
GR-5 |
UMKC |
Pamplona, Spain |
| F |
Isaiah Chisolm |
Sr. |
Ohio State University |
Yorktown, Va. |
| F |
Andres Escudero |
So. |
University of Louisville |
San Sebastian de los Reyes, Spain |
| F |
Oliver Moller Jensen |
Sr. |
Indiana University |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| F |
Daniel Lugo |
Jr. |
High Point University |
St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| F |
David Ismail |
GR-6 |
University of Vermont |
Bayreuth, Germany |
| F |
Jaylin Mitchell |
Sr. |
SMU |
La Mirada, Calif. |
| F |
Pablo Pozos |
Jr. |
West Virginia University |
Madrid, Spain |
| F |
Diego Real |
GR-5 |
Missouri State University |
Valencia, Spain |
| F |
Louis Rourke |
Sr. |
Old Dominion University |
Nottingham, England |