To the surprise of very few, Oregon State Beaver Gloire Amanda won the MAC Hermann Trophy Thursday night. Each year, the trophy is given to the country’s best college soccer player, and Amanda was the clear frontrunner in 2021. He defeated Pittsburgh’s Valentin Noel and Indiana’s Victor Bezerra.
Amanda finished the season with 37 points and 15 goals, the most by any player in the country. That scoring powered the Beavers to a 9-5 record, and a 6-4 record in an extremely tough Pac-12 conference. The Beavers advanced to the NCAA Tournament, but fell in the first round against Virginia Tech, 2-1 in overtime.
Amanda signed a professional contract with Whitecaps FC-2, the reserve team of the MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps, in 2017. After that team ceased operations, he decided to develop his game in college, which seems to have been a fantastic decision. He is now one of the most dynamic players to watch in college soccer.