ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University standouts Lyndsey Heckel, Abbie Miller, Emily Puricelli and Caroline Kelly are among 56 NCAA Division I women's soccer players named to the 2023 Hermann Trophy Watch List. The announcement was made Thursday by United Soccer Coaches.
 
The Hermann Trophy, presented by the Missouri Athletic Club, is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding female and male players of the year. This year's winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 5, at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
 
Last November, Heckel was named one of 15 Hermann Trophy semifinalists for the 2022 season despite not being included on the preseason Watch List. She became the first semifinalist for the award in SLU women's soccer history.
 
Heckel (first team), Miller (second team) and Puricelli (third team) are among 17 returning United Soccer Coaches All-Americans. They and Kelly are the only Atlantic 10 Conference players on the Watch List.
 
Heckel has missed just one game during her SLU career and has started all 61 contests in which she has played. She was a consensus All-American last season and made history by becoming the first Billiken women's soccer player to garner first-team All-America plaudits (United Soccer Coaches).
 
Also in 2022, Heckel was a United Soccer Coaches first-team All-Region selection, an Atlantic 10 first-team All-Conference honoree for a third consecutive season, and an A-10 Championship All-Tournament choice for a second straight year, earning tournament Most Outstanding Player accolades. She capped off the year by collecting the Chalupny Award as the female soccer Player of the Year in St. Louis.
 
A center back, Heckel has played a major role in SLU's outstanding defensive performance the past three seasons. The Billikens tied for third nationally in goals against average (0.46) a year ago, and they boast a 0.64 GAA during her career. Heckel also has contributed significantly to the Saint Louis attack, recording 13 goals (including six game-winning tallies) and two assists.
 
Miller begins her final season ranked among SLU's all-time top 10 in four career categories – tied for sixth in game-winning goals (nine), eighth in games played (84), tied for ninth in points (55) and tied for 10th in goals (20). With 15 career assists, she needs just two to break into the Billikens' top 10.
 
Miller gained national attention last year with selections to the United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News All-America second teams. She also landed at No. 60 on Top Drawer Soccer's Postseason Top 100. Miller earned United Soccer Coaches first-team All-Region and A-10 Midfielder of the Year plaudits, both for a second time, and collected A-10 first-team All-Conference accolades for a third consecutive season.
 
In addition, Miller was voted to the Billikens' 25th Anniversary Team in 2021 and to the 2020 (played in spring 2021) A-10 Championship All-Tournament team.
 
Puricelli has started between the posts in all 62 games of her SLU career. She begins her senior season tied for first in wins (48), second in goals against average (0.65) and minutes (5,565), third in shutouts (29) and seventh in saves (170) on the Billikens' career lists.
 
A United Soccer Coaches third-team All-American last season, Puricelli led the nation with 13 shutouts and ranked third with 20 wins, both school records. She also registered a career-best 0.46 GAA, good for fifth nationally.
 
Puricelli is a three-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection, including a pair of first-team nods. She has earned All-Region honors twice, including first-team plaudits in 2022, and was the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman. Puricelli has been chosen to two A-10 Championship All-Tournament teams, is the SLU record holder for goalkeeper minutes in a season (2049:34 in 2021), and co-owns the Billikens' record for saves in a game (14 vs. Rutgers in the 2021 NCAA Championship second round).
 
Kelly enjoyed a breakout season in 2022. She led the Atlantic 10 Conference in points (school-record 32) and goals (school-record-tying 13), earning national rankings of 17th and 15th, respectively. Kelly's team-high five game-winning goals were second in the A-10 and 13th in the nation, and she was third in the league with six assists.
 
Postseason honors were plentiful for Kelly. She was the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, a selection to the All-Region and All-Conference first teams, and the No. 62 player on Top Drawer Soccer's Postseason Top 100. Kelly earned A-10 Championship All-Tournament honors for a second consecutive year.
 
Kelly was the Sept. 12 College Soccer News National Player of the Week. Her goal in a 1-0 win over VCU that clinched the A-10 regular-season title for the Billikens was the team's "Goal of the Year."
 
The MAC Hermann Trophy Watch Lists are compiled by members of the United Soccer Coaches Women's and Men's NCAA Division I All-America Committees. Based on voting by NCAA Division I coaches, 15 semifinalists will be named for both the women's and men's MAC Hermann Trophy in mid-November. From those candidates, three finalists will be placed on the ballot for each of the coveted awards in early December.