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Men's Soccer All-GLIAC

Men's Soccer Braden Golisek - Assistant Director of Sports Information

Cano Castro named GLIAC Freshman of the Year, seven earn All-GLIAC accolades

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. -- The 2026 men's soccer All-GLIAC teams have been announced today by the conference, with a multitude of Wildcats earning honors.

Freshman forward Sergio Cano Castro was honored as GLIAC Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-GLIAC First Team along with standout forward Luca Rosen and shutdown defender Marcos Gallardo Rozano.

Midfielder Xhoel Lutaj, defender James Carr, and goalkeeper Asaf Kristal earned spots on the All-GLIAC Second Team, and breakout defender Davian Gumbs landed on the All-GLIAC Honorable Mention team.

A first-year forward from Cudillero Oviñana, Spain, Cano Castro was one of the big offensive drivers for the Wildcat attack, as he paced the GLIAC with six assists in 12 conference games played. He notched a career-best three assists in the 4-0 Wildcat win on October 16, and followed that up by scoring the opening goal in the 2-1 win over Roosevelt just two days later. In 12 conference games, Cano Castro led the GLIAC in assists, was T7 in points with eight, and T6 in shots with 12. Across all competitions, Cano Castro's 10 assists are good for T3 in the country, and he became the first player in NMU men's soccer history to record 10+ assists in a single season.

Earning his second consecutive season on the All-GLIAC First Team is senior captain Rosen. In 12 conference matches, Rosen notched eight goals and five assists for 21 points from 54 shots and 26 on target, including three game-winning goals. Rosen's three game-winning goals paced the GLIAC; his 21 points matched the conference lead, and his eight goals and five assists were both second in the GLIAC slate. In the season as a whole, Rosen's 16 goals is two shy of the national lead, and his 38 points are fifth across all of DII men's soccer.

Freshman defender Gallardo Rozano made an immediate impact in his first season as a member of the green and gold, starting in every match he was available for and logging the fourth-most minutes among field players. Gallardo Rozano added two goals and an assist in the GLIAC campaign, including playing the full 90 minutes and taking over with an assist and the game-winning goal in the 2-1 win over Roosevelt late in the season. The defender played the full 90 minutes in eight of the 11 conference games he appeared in.

Midfielder Lutaj added a steady presence and workhorse mentality in the middle of the park, starting in all 12 conference games and logging the second-most minutes among field players for the 'Cats. Along with controlling the middle of the pitch, Lutaj added two assists in the GLIAC campaign and played less than 80 minutes only twice.

In the same vein as Lutaj, all the same can be said about right back James Carr, who brought a consistent and steady presence to the Wildcat back line. Carr played all field players in minutes, playing all but 33 minutes of the GLIAC slate of matches. On top of his presence in the back line, the senior tacked on two goals and two assists, including the game-winning goal against St. Cloud State.

Senior captain, goalkeeper Asaf Kristal, returned to All-GLIAC recognition as a member of the second team. Kristal played every minute of conference play for the 'Cats, posting a 7-3-2 record and a 0.92 GAA and 0.814 SV% with four shutouts and 48 saves on 145 shots faced. Kristal will depart the Wildcats as the program leader in every major goalkeeper statistical category.

Senior defender Davian Gumbs earned his first All-GLIAC honor as a member of the honorable mention team. Gumbs had a breakout season as a senior, transitioning from wingerto left back and starting in every match he's appeared in for the Wildcats, playing the full 90 minutes on six separate occasions and not playing less than 74 minutes in any conference competition.



 
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Players Mentioned

James Carr

#2 James Carr

D
5' 8"
Senior
Davian Gumbs

#15 Davian Gumbs

D
5' 8"
Senior
Asaf Kristal

#1 Asaf Kristal

GK
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
Xhoel Lutaj

#8 Xhoel Lutaj

MF
5' 9"
Junior
Luca Rosen

#10 Luca Rosen

F
5' 7"
Senior
Marcos Gallardo Rozano

#3 Marcos Gallardo Rozano

D
6' 0"
Freshman
Sergio Cano Castro

#7 Sergio Cano Castro

F
5' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

James Carr

#2 James Carr

5' 8"
Senior
D
Davian Gumbs

#15 Davian Gumbs

5' 8"
Senior
D
Asaf Kristal

#1 Asaf Kristal

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
GK
Xhoel Lutaj

#8 Xhoel Lutaj

5' 9"
Junior
MF
Luca Rosen

#10 Luca Rosen

5' 7"
Senior
F
Marcos Gallardo Rozano

#3 Marcos Gallardo Rozano

6' 0"
Freshman
D
Sergio Cano Castro

#7 Sergio Cano Castro

5' 4"
Freshman
F