UP Gazette

The Northern Michigan University men's soccer team received both Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) weekly awards for week six, with junior forward Luca Rosen and redshirt junior goalkeeper Asaf Kristal recognized by the conference.

Rosen, from London, England, was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals over the weekend. He extended his goal-scoring streak to three games and scored the game-winning goal against No. 17 Saginaw Valley State. Rosen added another goal in a 1-1 draw with Davenport. Over the past six games, he has scored five goals and three game-winners, leading the conference in these categories as well as in shots and shots on goal.

Kristal, a transfer student from Tel Aviv, Israel, earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after helping NMU secure four points at home. He recorded a season-high 12 saves and kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory over Saginaw Valley State—marking NMU's first win over SVSU in Marquette. Kristal also made double-digit saves in back-to-back matches for the first time this season while facing challenging wind conditions. In six conference matches so far, he leads all GLIAC goalkeepers in goals against (5), goals-against average (.833), save percentage (.868), shutouts (3), and ranks second in saves per game (5.50). These statistics also place him atop conference rankings when non-conference games are included.

"Very happy for both Asaf and Luca," said head coach Alex Fatovic. "They are top players and have fit right in with this program."

"Asaf was huge in both games again, coming up with Timely saves and leadership, while Luca was dangerous every single time he touched the ball. He netted two, but could have had five, while working hard for everything. It's great to be recognized, but it will mean nothing if we don't follow this up with another huge weekend of conference play on the road. Well done, lads!"

NMU currently holds a 3-2-1 record in conference play with 10 points, trailing only one win behind the GLIAC leaders.

Recent GLIAC Players of the Week from NMU include Owen Rutledge for defensive honors in week two; Rosen and Kristal were both honored in week six.