Syracuse midfielder Julian Buescher was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, an award given to the nation’s top player, on Tuesday. His 27 points lead the Orange and his 11 assists rank seventh in the country.

Last year, former Syracuse goalie Alex Bono was named one of three finalists for the award.

Buescher, a sophomore, recorded the game-winning assist for Syracuse against Dartmouth on Nov. 22 in the second round of the NCAA tournament and tallied another assist against Seattle on Saturday to help the Orange (15-5-3, 3-4-1 Atlantic Coast)  to its first Elite Eight appearance in program history.

He is just one year removed from a freshman season in which he failed to score a goal and registered only five assists.

Syracuse will host Boston College at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The winner will advance to the College Cup for the national semifinals and, potentially, championship round in Kansas City, Kansas from Dec. 11 to 13.