For a second-straight season, North Carolina defender Boyd Okwuonu has been identified as a potential candidate for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy as announced on Wednesday.

The reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Defender of the Year has anchored a Tar Heel defense that has ranked first and sixth, respectively, over the last two years in goals-against-average in the nation.

Okwuonu, a senior from Edmond, Okla., has been recognized already by TopDrawerSoccer.com on its preseason Best XI list.

The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in NCAA soccer presented annually to one male and one female athlete. The winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 9, 2015, at the trophy presentation banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

Near the end of the collegiate regular season, NCAA Division I coaches that are NSCAA members will vote on their top choices and the lists will be narrowed down to the top 15 players. College soccer fans will also have the opportunity to participate in the selection process, by voting for their favorite semifinalist in November at the MAC Hermann Trophy website, managed by LockerDome.

From that pool of 30, six finalists (three men, three women) will be chosen for the award. The winners will be announced in January.

For more information about the history of the MAC Hermann Trophy and a list of past winners, visit the MAC Hermann Trophy information page at the NSCAA website.

For more information about the history of the MAC Hermann Trophy, and news and video from previous MAC Hermann presentations, visit lockerdome.com/machermanntrophy.

Carolina opens its exhibition schedule with home matches against Gardner-Webb on Friday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m and versus the Carolina Railhawks on Monday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. The Tar Heels will also face ACC rival Wake Forest in an exhibition on Aug. 23 in Winston-Salem, N.C., at 7 p.m.

The regular season opens with a pair of powerhouse programs traveling to Chapel Hill over Labor Day weekend to take part in the annual Carolina Nike Classic. The Tar Heels will take on No. 7 California on Friday, Aug. 29 and No. 4 UCLA on Sunday, Aug. 31. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m., at Fetzer Field.

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