PODCAST: BYU's Bella Folino on the College Cup, #AwardSZN and her anti-chocolate sweet tooth
FW Bella Folino won the NCAA's Elite 90 award, while MF Brecken Mozingo and DF Laveni Vaka were among the 15 semifinalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy given to college soccer's top player.
The honors keep rolling in for No. 6 BYU women’s soccer team, the top seed in the NCAA Tournament which advanced to its second NCAA College Cup semifinal with a come-from-behind 4-3 win over North Carolina last Friday.
On Wednesday, senior forward Bella Folino was honored as the NCAA’s Elite 90 award winner, given to the College Cup player with the highest cumulative grade-point average. The senior with nine of her 37 career goals coming in 2023 holds a 4.0 GPA as she approaches the midway point of her Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) degree from BYU’s prestigious Marriott School of Business.
It’s the latest in an #AwardSZN for BYU, the No. 6-ranked team in the country in the last United Soccer Coaches’ poll and one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Earlier Wednesday, midfielder Brecken Mozingo and defender Laveni Vaka were named among the 15 semifinalists for the women’s soccer MAC Hermann Trophy, given annually to the top player in college soccer by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
Three finalists for the award will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 6 before the annual MAC Hermann Trophy banquet held Jan. 5, 2024 in St. Louis.
Here’s a full list of semifinalists, as unveiled by the United Soccer Coaches:
Jasmine Aikey, MF, Stanford (So.)
Hannah Anderson, D, Texas Tech (Gr-Sr.)
Eleanor Dale, F, Nebraska (Sr.)
Jordynn Dudley, FW, Florida State (Fr.)
Onyi Echegini, FW, Florida State (GR-Sr.)
Emily Gaebe, FW, Saint Louis (Jr.)
Eva Gaetino, DF, Notre Dame (Sr.)
Josefine Hasbo, MF, Harvard (Jr.)
Julia Leas, DF, Georgetown (Gr-Sr.)
Lexi Missimo, MF, Texas (Jr.)
Brecken Mozingo, MF, BYU (Sr.)
Brittany Raphino, FW, Brown (Sr.)
Lilly Reale, DF, UCLA (Jr.)
Laveni Vaka, DF, BYU (Sr.)
Madison White, GK, Texas Tech (Gr-Sr.)
In addition to Vaka and Mozingo, who was named the College Soccer News National Player of the Week after the Cougars’ regional wins over USC and Michigan State, Folino was also named the CSN National Player of the Week following her brace in the 4-3 win over North Carolina.
Mozingo, though, is special, Folino admits.
“She’s been huge,” Folino said. “The team’s thing is, if you give the ball to Brecken, she’s going to score. She always finds herself in great position to take a touch and she has a rocket of a foot, left and right. She’s always been great at the corner.
“I feel like I’ve played with Brecken forever, and we play well together. I find myself in places, she knows I’m going to be there, and she just plays me the ball and we’ll find it in the back of other net.”
Folino caught up with Salt City FC during a recent segment on ESPN 960 radio in Utah County to talk about awards, qualifying for the NCAA College Cup semifinals for the second time in three years, and why she loves candy — but hates chocolate.
Listen to interview in the podcast segment below, or in the Salt City FC feed on your pod-catcher of choice.