By WESLEY HALLMAN / Sports Editor

Former Oak Mountain High School boys’ soccer standout Chandler Hoffman, a sophomore at UCLA, is a candidate for The Soccer News Net College Boot 2011 men’s college soccer Player of the Year.

Hoffman is one of 37 candidates up for the national award. Fans can vote for Player of the Year at Lasoccernews.com/college/mplayerpoll.php.

Hoffman is currently leading the poll with 46 percent of the votes. Online fan voting accounts for 40 percent of the vote in determining The Soccer News Net Player of the Year. Winners will be announced in January.

It wasn’t the only honor Hoffman has received since the end of the regular season.

Hoffman was also named to the 2011 Pac-12 All-Conference first team. Hoffman, a junior forward, was one of three forwards named to the team.

Hoffman finished second on the team with five goals and 18 points. Hoffman has been on a tear this season, scoring 16 goals in his last 21 matches for the Bruins and leading the team with 34 points. Earlier this year, he tied the UCLA record for consecutive matches with a goal by scoring in five straight games.

Hoffman has now scored an astounding 21 goals in his last 26 matches as a Bruin. In addition, Hoffman leads the Pac-12 with 16 goals, a 0.75 goals per game average, 34 points and a 1.70 points per game average.

Nationally, Hoffman is tied for ninth in goals and points scored and is 15th in points per game and goals per game. Also, Hoffman’s 16 goals are the most by a UCLA player since 1996.

Hoffman, who was also named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Academic team, scored the game-winning goal for the Bruins in a 1-0 win over Deleware in the second round of the NCAA Division I men’s soccer tournament Nov. 20.

Hoffman and his UCLA teammates will face Rutgers in the third round of the NCAA tournament Nov. 27.

Hoffman and his teammates are two wins away from an appearance in the NCAA Division I men’s soccer Final Four, which will be held Dec. 9-11 at Regions Park in Hoover.