BAY CITY, Mich. – For the second consecutive season, the Roosevelt men's soccer program earned one of the player of the year award from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the league announced Thursday.
 
Fynn Mewes took home the GLIAC's Offensive Player of the Year award and was one of two Lakers to earn first-team honors from the league's coaches. The graduate student from Germany is joined on the first team by Caco Fernandez while three Lakers earned second-team selections. Noah Vasilev is a second-team pick for the second straight year while Matthew Goulding and Valdemar Nambo both earned their first all-conference honors. Eric Carvajal rounded out Roosevelt honorees with an Honorable Mention selection from the league.
 
Mewes was a consensus choice for Offensive Player of the Year after leading the GLIAC with 10 goals and 23 points in his first season with the Lakers. He also led the conference with five game-winning goals, three of which came in conference play. Mewes scored eight goals with two assists in 11 matches against GLIAC foes, and he was held off the scoresheet just twice in 10 full games against conference opposition.
 
"Fynn has been a tremendous addition to our program this year," Roosevelt head coach Paddy Hoepp said. "As a graduate student coming in this fall, he's shown great maturity and quickly established himself as one of the most impactful players in our conference. Fynn has that natural striker's instinct – he knows where to be in and around the box and consistently finds ways to influence games. I'm extremely proud of how he's adapted to our team and the college game and how he continues to help drive our team forward as we compete for a championship this weekend."
 
Fernandez earned first-team all-conference honors in a breakout season that featured three goals and three assists in league play. After dealing with a knee injury for much of last season, Fernandez stayed healthy this season and was an impact player when he was on the field. The native of Ciudad Obregón, Mexico finished with four goals this season, the second-most on the Lakers.
 
The highlight of his season came against Northern Michigan when his bicycle kick goal was the No. 6 play on ESPN and helped the Lakers to an important 1-0 win at home. He also scored big goals against Davenport and Purdue Northwest to help Roosevelt win both of those matches en route to the second seed in the GLIAC Tournament this week.
 
"Caco's story makes this recognition even more special," Hoepp said. "After battling through two major knee injuries earlier in his college career, seeing him now fully healthy and performing at his best this season has been incredibly rewarding. He's a player who wants the ball, influences the game, and creates special moments. Caco has been tremendous for our program – both in his play and his leadership – and I couldn't be happier to see him flourish and earn this honor."
 
Vasilev had the best offensive season of his career this year, finishing with two goals and three assists for seven points. The general in the midfield for the Lakers, he again proved his durability by playing the full 90 minutes 14 times in 16 starts this season. The junior from Wurzburg, Germany has been an all-conference pick in all three years he's played for the Lakers, a nod to his consistency in the midfield.
 
He is joined on the second team by a pair of defensive stalwarts for the Lakers who helped continue on the streak of excellence on the back line. No one played more minutes for the Lakers this season than Nambo, who started 16 matches and played more than 1,450 minutes this year on defense. He picked up an assist against Purdue Northwest and helped keep the Lakers organized on defense in his expanded role.
 
Meanwhile, Goulding played well beyond his freshman status in starting all 16 games he played this year for Roosevelt. After picking up an assist on Fernandez's highlight-reel goal against Northern Michigan, the Bath, England native had a highlight of his own with a strong header to beat Davenport 1-0. Goulding also played the full match on 14 occasions to notch just over 1,400 minutes this year for the Lakers.
 
"I'm really proud of both Matt and Valdemar for earning Second Team All-GLIAC honors," Hoepp said. "They've been two of our most reliable players this season, logging the most minutes on the team and anchoring our back line. Valdemar, as a senior, has been the definition of consistency over the past two years -- steady, composed, and always dependable. Matt, on the other hand, came in as a freshman and immediately showed maturity and leadership beyond his age. The two are very different types of players, but together they've been vital to our defensive structure."
 
Carvajal's honorable mention honors are a fitting exclamation point on a storied career in goal for Roosevelt. He recorded a career-best .775 save percentage this year and kept three clean sheets to claim the all-time record with 16 career shutouts. It is the first time in his career that he's been honored in the postseason awards, but he's been the GLIAC Defender of the Week three times in his career, including twice this season.
 
The Lakers now set their sights on the GLIAC Tournament, which kicks off for Roosevelt on Friday at 1 p.m. against third-seeded Northern Michigan in the semifinals from Saginaw Valley State University. With a win, Roosevelt would advance to Sunday's final at noon, marking the third straight year the Lakers have played for the conference title.