Cano Castro leads Wildcats in GLIAC men’s soccer awards
Northern Michigan University’s Sergio Cano Castro reacts after he scored a goal during a GLIAC men’s soccer game played against Roosevelt at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette on Oct. 18. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Sergio Cano Castro, left, reacts to scoring a goal during a GLIAC game played against Roosevelt at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette on Oct. 18. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Sergio Cano Castro reacts after he scored a goal during a GLIAC men’s soccer game played against Roosevelt at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette on Oct. 18. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Sergio Cano Castro, left, reacts to scoring a goal during a GLIAC game played against Roosevelt at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette on Oct. 18. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
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MARQUETTE -- A first-year player at Northern Michigan University earned the Wildcats' top honor when conference men's soccer honors were announced on Thursday by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Freshman Sergio Cano Castro of Cudillero Ovinana, Spain, a 5-foot-4 forward, was named GLIAC Freshman of the Year and also won a spot on the GLIAC First Team alongside senior captain Luca Rosen and defender Marcos Gallardo Rozano.
Another four NMU players also earned honors -- junior Xhoel Lutaj, senior James Carr and senior Asaf Kristal earned GLIAC Second Team, while senior Davian Gumbs won a spot on the Honorable Mention list.
The runner-up Northern team finished the regular season at 10-5-2 overall and 7-3-2 in the league, good for 23 points and just two points behind champion Saginaw Valley State.
The Wildcats were at the SVSU field in University Center this weekend for the GLIAC Tournament semifinals and finals. On Friday, No. 2 seed NMU was facing No. 3 Purdue Northwest and No. 1 SVSU was taking on No. 5 Roosevelt, with those winners reconvening at 1 p.m. Sunday for the championship match and automatic berth into the NCAA Division II tournament.
Cano Castro was cited as a big offensive driver for Northern, according to an NMU Sports Information news release about the honors. He was second on the team in scoring with 14 points on two goals and 10 assists, with his assists leading the league; also his six assists in GLIAC games tied for the conference lead.
Included in his total was a three-assist game in a 4-0 Northern win over St. Cloud State on Oct. 16, then the opening goal of a 2-1 win over Roosevelt two days later.
In all games among GLIAC players, he was sixth with 14 points and tied for ninth with 14 shots on goal.
Nationally, his assists tied for third as he set the team record for assists in a season.
Rosen, a 5-7 forward from London, England, earned GLIAC First Team honors for the second straight season. He by far led the Wildcats -- and also was No. 1 in the GLIAC -- in scoring with 38 points, goals with 16, game-winning goals with six, shots with 76, and shots on goal with 40.
Rosen also finished just two goals out of the national lead, while his points were fifth.
Gallardo Rozano, a defender from Madrid, Spain, made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season, starting every game he was available and logging the fourth-most minutes among non-goaltenders. He had two goals and two assists for six points from the backline, and he played all 90 minutes in eight of 11 GLIAC games he appeared in.
Lutaj, a midfielder from Fier, Albania, started all 12 conference contests and had the second-most minutes of field players. He tallied two assists while controlling from the middle of the pitch, and played less than 80 minutes in just two GLIAC games.
Carr, a defender from Hull, England, was also a consistent and steady presence for NMU, leading all field players in minutes as he was off the field for just 33 minutes among the dozen GLIAC games. He also had two goals and two assists for six points, including the game-winner vs. St. Cloud State.
Kristal, a goalkeeper from Tel Aviv, Israel, played every minute in the Wildcats' conference games, posting a 7-3-2 record, 0.92 goals-against average, .814 saves percentage and four shutouts. His overall numbers were a 9-5-2 record, 1.19 goals-against and .784 saves percentage.
He leaves the program as its netminding leader in every statistical category.
Gumbs, a defender from downstate Rockford, earned his first GLIAC honor, breaking out after moving from winger to left back this season and starting every game he appeared in. He played the full 90 minutes in six conference matches, never playing less than 74 minutes, and chalked up one assist.
Story contents based on a Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the honors. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.