BAY CITY, Mich. – Roosevelt freshman goalkeeper Cedrik Strupler highlighted the six Lakers who earned all-conference honors from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Thursday.
The Lakers placed a league-best four players on the first team with one honoree in each of the four position groups. Strupler was the first-team goalkeeper and was named the GLIAC's Goalkeeper of the Year, marking the third straight season a Roosevelt player has earned a major award from the conference. Fynn Mewes repeated as a first-team selection this season while Matthew Goulding and Noah Vasilev were both upgraded after being second-team picks last season.
Strupler is on pace to re-write the Lakers record book in his first season with the Green and White. He leads the league with eight shutouts this season and a 0.688 goals against average, which ranks 13th nationally. Strupler also is 20th in the country with his .802 save percentage, including stopping both penalty kicks he has faced this season.
The Bern, Switzerland native is the first Roosevelt goalie to earn all-conference recognition since 2015.
"I'm proud of the impact Cedrik made right away in his first season with us," Roosevelt head coach Paddy Hoepp said. "He brought calmness and composure to our team. His shot-stopping and command of the box on set pieces stand out, but his quality on the ball has been just as valuable to how we play. It's well deserved."
Vasilev was a three-time second-team all-conference pick for the first three years of his career, but his defensive prowess was finally honored this year. In his third year as a captain, the Wurzburg, Germany native scored a goal and added an assist while providing a vital link between Roosevelt's stout defense and its attack. He has started all 17 games this season for Roosevelt and is scheduled to make his 70th start for the Lakers on Friday in the GLIAC semifinals.
"Noah has been the anchor of our program for years," Hoepp said. "He doesn't always show up on the stat sheet, but he does the dirty work and connects our entire team, and this year he played out of position at times when the team needed it. After two straight second-team selections, I'm extremely happy to see him recognized on the first team."
Mewes was again a first-team forward for the Lakers with a team-best nine goals and five assists. The graduate student from Bielefeld, Germany scored in each of the Lakers' first six games and was part of 14 of Roosevelt's 18 goals this season. Four of his nine goals were game-winners and he put nearly half of his 47 shots on target for the Lakers.
"Fynn has been one of the best players in this conference two years running," Hoepp said. "His finishing and his goal contributions set him apart, and he's always there in the moments we need him most. I'm really proud he's getting the recognition he deserves."
Goulding rounds out the first-team list after a stellar season at center back for Roosevelt's defense. He was the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 14 and he helped the Lakers keep eight clean sheets this season. The Bath, England native was a captain and anchor of the Lakers defense, and headed home the winning goal on Oct. 9 against Davenport.
"Matthew leads our back line with his voice and his presence," Hoepp said. "He was a big reason we were one of the best defensive teams in the conference this year, and he's only a sophomore. Going from second team last year to first team this year shows how much he has grown."
The Lakers also had two honorable mention selections in center back Matti Pickel and winger Rafael Rios. Pickel played in all 17 matches with 14 starts as a key member of the Roosevelt backline and also scored a goal at St. Cloud State this season. Rios started all 17 games and scored one goal with two assists from his roving position at wing back or winger for the Lakers.
Roosevelt's season continues Friday at 10 a.m. against top-seeded Saginaw Valley State in the GLIAC semifinals in University Center, Mich. If the Lakers win Friday, they would play in the GLIAC title game for the second time in three seasons against the winner between Purdue Northwest and Northern Michigan.
