KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri State men's soccer senior forward Jesus Barea has been named one of 15 semifinalists for the 2024 Men's MAC Hermann Trophy, the Missouri Athletic Club and United Soccer Coaches announced on Wednesday.

The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1967. 

Barea (Cádiz, Spain) was named the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Player to become the first Bear to win the award twice (2022). He was also named the league's Forward of the Year for the first time in his career. The senior is tied for fourth in Division I in goals (15), which is tied for the second-most in Missouri State program history. His 34 points accumulated across his 15 goals and four assists in 2024 were tied for the third-most in a Bears season.

Barea leads DI in shots on goal per game (2.78). He is also third nationally in shots per game (4.50), fourth in points per game (1.89) and fifth in goals per game (0.83). Barea scored at least one goal in 11 of Missouri State's 18 matches and opened the 2024 campaign with eight goals in five games. He earned a brace in four matches this season, including consecutive outings against Pacific (Aug. 26) and Kansas City (Sept. 2). 

He became the program's all-time leader in shots taken (261) after taking 81 this season. He is also second in program history in career starts (85), tied for second in career goals (34) and third in career points (87). Yesterday, Barea was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® second team. He was also announced as one of 44 invitees to the 2024 Major League Soccer College Showcase which begins today in San Diego and concludes on Dec. 14.

Barea led Missouri State to a 12-4-2 record, including a 7-0-1 conference record to secure an undefeated MVC regular season championship. The Bears earned a national seeding in the NCAA Tournament and a first-round bye for the second time in team history. 

In Barea's time in Springfield, Missouri State won four regular season conference championships and three conference tournament titles, making the NCAA Tournament each year. He played a role in Missouri State's six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, one of only seven DI teams to make each tournament since 2019.

The nomination marks the fourth time a Missouri State Bear has been named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. Matthew Bentley was nominated in 2019 and Kyle Hiebert was named a semifinalist in consecutive seasons (2020-21, 2021).

Three men's finalists will be named for the MAC Hermann Trophy on Wednesday, Dec. 18 after voting by NCAA Division I coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches. The 2024 MAC Hermann Trophy winner will be announced at a press conference at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 3, 2025.

This year, fans are encouraged to vote for semifinalists to boost them to become finalists. Go to machermanntrophy.com for more information and click here for the men's semifinal ballot.

2024 Men's MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists
Michael Adedokun - Senior, Midfielder - Ohio State
Jesus Barea - Senior, Forward - Missouri State
Sam Bassett - Senior, Midfielder - Denver
Ulfur Bjornsson - Senior, Forward - Duke
Kyle Cusimano - Graduate, Defender - Bowling Green
Joran Gerbet - Graduate, Midfielder - Clemson
Alex Harris - Sophomore, Forward - Cornell
Emil Jaaskelainen - Graduate, Forward - Akron
Siggi Magnusson - Graduate, Defender - Ohio State
Taimu Okiyoshi - Senior, Midfielder - Marshall
Sergio Ors Navarro - Graduate, Forward - West Virginia
Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos - Senior, Forward - Marshall
Bailey Sparks - Senior, Midfielder - SMU
Wessel Speel - Graduate, Goalkeeper - Duke
Casper Svendby - Junior, Defender - Pittsburgh