Yael Averbuch

Position:
Midfielder
Height:
5-10
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Upper Montclair, N.J.
High School:
Montclair

General - One of the nation's premier college players...consensus first-team All-America in both 2006 and 2007...three-time returning letter winner who earned national player of the year honors from Soccer Buzz and Top Drawer Soccer as a sophomore...started her entire freshman year at the holding center midfield position and then moved to the attacking center midfield spot as a sophomore and a junior...current member of the U.S. U23 National Team...has earned a deserved reputation for her deadly free kicks.

National Team Experience - Started this past summer on the U.S. U23 National Team which won the Nordic Cup championship...recorded the assist on the game-winning goal against Germany in the finals...earned two caps in 2007 while training with the full U.S. National Team...previously a member of the U21 and U20 teams...was a member of the U.S. U19 National Team that took third place at the World Championship in Thailand in 2004...played on the U16 WNT in 2002 and U17 WNT in 2003 before joining the U19 WNT later in the 2003 calendar year... earned her way on to the national teams by playing outstanding soccer on the N.J. State ODP teams and Region I ODP squads.

Club Soccer -- Played in the midfield for the World Class Soccer Club for five years before coming to Carolina... after starting on teams in girls youth soccer leagues for two years she played on boys' teams with the U12 and U13 Montclair Mavericks and the U14 Ramapo Wildcats before moving to the World Class club...was the youngest player ever to play with the W-League when she competed with the New Jersey Stallions at the age of 14.

Junior season (2007) - Appeared in and started every game for the Tar Heels... led the team in shots taken with 88... was fourth on the team with 18 points... collected six goals and six assists on the season... picked up her first goal of the season against VCU... followed with goals against San Francisco, Clemson and High Point... recorded her only multi-goal game against NC State... had a key assist in the win over Texas A&M... had assists against Yale, UNC Greensboro, Duke and two against High Point... named to the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team...second-team ESPN The Magazine All-America selection...ACC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's soccer...All-ACC Academic Team selection......first-team All-ACC and All-ACC Tournament selection... finalist for Soccer Buzz Player of the Year... Missouri Club Hermann Trophy semifinalist... made three first-team All-America Teams as named by the NSCAA coaches, Soccer America and Soccer Buzz... Umbro/Soccer News Net Player of the Year Award finalist... Soccer Buzz and NSCAA first-team All-Southeast Region selection...Jewish Sports Review All America...named to ACC Academic Honor Roll and to the Dean's List both semesters.

Sophomore Season (2006) -- Consensus first-team All-America selection... was named the national player of the year by both Soccer Buzz and Top Drawer Soccer...was a finalist for both the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy and the Honda Soccer Award...set an NCAA record for fastest goal scored in a game when she scored four seconds into the match at Yale on the direct kick at midfield to start the game...was Carolina's second-leading scorer with 39 points...led the team in goals with 16...also had the team leadership in game-winning goals with seven...scored two goals at SMU for the first multi-goal game of her career...a week later she had a then career high for points with five against Yale on two goals and an assist...had seven of her 16 goals against ACC opponents...had her first hat trick when she tallied three times against UNC Asheville in the NCAA first round...assisted on both goals against UCLA in the NCAA semifinals...named the ACC's Offensive Player of the Year...Soccer Buzz's Southeast Region player of the year...first-team All-ACC...named to all-tournament teams four times in 2006, including the ACC and NCAA Tournaments...All-ACC Academic for the second straight year...ESPN The Magazine women's soccer third-team Academic All-America.

Freshman Season (2005): Named to the Soccer America and Soccer Buzz first-team freshman All-America teams after notching seven assists and four goals in her first season with the Tar Heels...was also named the Soccer Buzz Southeast Region Freshman of the Year and was tapped for the All-Southeast Region Second Team and Southeast Region All-Freshman Team...recognized by the ACC as an Academic All-Conference player and as a member of ACC All-Freshmen Team...scored on her first collegiate shot on a direct kick from 22 yards out against Tennessee...had one goal and two assists in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against VCU...scored three of her four goals off direct kicks as the team's free kick and corner kick specialist...started all 25 games...named to the Duke adidas Classic All-Tournament Team...named to the 2005-06 ACC Honor Roll ...was chosen for the fall 2005 Dean's List and the spring 2006 Dean's List.

Prep - A June 2005 graduate of Montclair High School...attained High Honor Roll status all four years in high school... did not play high school soccer, concentrating on club soccer ... an NSCAA All-America and USYSA All-America as a sophomore, junior and senior ...a Parade All-America as a junior and senior.

Personal - Given name is Yael Friedman Averbuch...her first name is Hebrew in origin....her middle name is her dad's last name and her last name is her mom's maiden name...is the daughter of Gloria Averbuch and Paul Friedman... born November 3, 1986 in New York City...her mother is the author of nine books, including her first soccer book, "Goal! The Ultimate Guide for Soccer Moms and Dads," which was called "the best introduction to youth soccer to date," by Soccer Jr. Magazine...Gloria also co-authored "Vision of a Champion" with UNC coach Anson Dorrance...both parents are runners... has a younger sister, Shira, 18, who is a youth soccer national team member and a freshman at Stanford...her dad, Paul, ran track and cross country at Rutgers University and was a two-time U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier in 1980 and 1984.

About Yael...
Academic Major: psychology
Career Plans: professional Soccer Player
Hobbies: anything that makes me think or laugh
Athlete I Most Admire: Zinedine Zidane
Biggest Sports Thrill: winning the 2006 National Championship
People with the Greatest Influence on my Athletic Career: my parents
Favorite Book: The Kite Runner
Favorite Food: cereal
Favorite Movie: The Big Green
Favorite TV Show: Law and Order
Favorite TV Show as a Child: Pinky and The Brain
Sport You Would Play Other Than Soccer: tennis
Superpower You Wish You Had: ability to fly
Place You Want To Live For The Rest Of Your Life?: no clue (sorry!)
I Can't Live Without...(i.e. family, cell phone, facebook): a soccer ball, my family

2007-08 YAEL AVERBUCH HONORS
Preseason Accolades
1. M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List
2. Soccer Buzz Elite 18
3. Soccer Buzz Preseason Player of the Year
4. Soccer America Preseason All-America
5. NSCAA Preseason All-America
Academic & Leadership Accolades
1. ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-District III Team
2. ESPN The Magazine Second-Team Academic All-America
3. ACC Women's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year
4. All-ACC Academic Team
5. ACC Academic Honor Roll
6. Fall 2007 & Spring 2008 Dean's List
7. Carolina Leadership Academy Three-Dimensional Leader
Regular Season Accolades
1. Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week--Week 9
Postseason Accolades
1. First-Team All-ACC
2. All-ACC Tournament
3. Soccer Buzz Player of the Year Finalist
4. Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Semifinalist
5. Umbro/Soccer News Net Player of the Year Award finalist
6. NSCAA First-Team All-America
7. First-Team Soccer America MVP
8. Soccer Buzz First-Team All-America
9. Soccer Buzz First-Team All-Southeast Region
10. NSCAA First-Team All-Southeast Region
11. Jewish Sports Review All-America
12. Top Drawer Soccer First-Team College Team of the Season