INDIANAPOLIS – University of Indianapolis senior forward Alejandro Steinwascher, junior defender Makel Rasheed, and head coach John Higgins, as well Lewis University freshman goalkeeper Sebastian Doppelhofer, have earned major postseason honors for the 2021 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Men’s Soccer season, the league office announced on Friday.
Steinwascher was named Offensive Player of the Year, Rasheed earned Defensive Player of the Year, Doppelhofer was voted Freshman of the Year, and Higgins was dubbed Coach of the Year by his peers. In all, 35 student-athletes garnered All-Conference honors, while 15 were chosen as James R. Spalding Sportsmanship nominees for the sport and Indianapolis was selected as the team sportsmanship award winner.
Steinwascher earns the league’s top offensive honor for the second-straight season after being voted to the same recognition this past spring, notching his fourth All-GLVC selection and second nod to the First Team. He is the third player to win consecutive honors in the category and just the second Greyhound honored after Ngwese Ebangwese was Player of the Year in 2013. The senior, who was also the GLVC Co-Freshman of the Year in 2018, totaled a league-best 23 points and 1.77 points per game with a tie for both the most goals (9) and fourth-most assists (5) in 13 GLVC matches. He also had two game-winning goals and took the most shots per game (3.54) and tied for taking the most total shots (46) among Conference players in GLVC games. The product of Sterling Heights, Mich., was also named GLVC Offensive Player of the Week twice on Sept. 20 and Oct. 11.
Rasheed earns the league’s top defensive honor for the second-straight season after being voted to the same recognition this past spring and is the only Greyhound to win the accolade in the 15 seasons it has been awarded. He is also the only defensive player to win the award twice in a row and just the second to win it more than once, as Quincy’s Chris Garavaglia was the 2012 and 2014 honoree. The defender led a UIndy backline that surrendered the second-least goals in league play (10) and posted the second-most shutouts (6) with the third-best goals against average (0.74). Offensively, the Rockville, Md., native finished the GLVC slate of the regular season with eight points on three goals and two assists. Rasheed also picks up back-to-back All-GLVC first-team laurels.
Doppelhofer is the fifth Lewis Flyers newcomer to be named the Conference’s Freshman of the Year with Sebastian Kierzual winning it most recently in 2009 and Greg Gilsinn winning it first in 1999. Doppelhofer played 1303 minutes between the pipes, earning a 9-3-2 record with five shutouts during the 14-game league schedule. He recorded a 0.83 goals against average and an .800 save percentage, allowing 12 goals and making 48 saves. The goalkeeper’s save percentage ranks second in the GLVC, while his goals against average and total saves are both fifth. The Liebmannweg, Austria, native, was also twice named the GLVC Defensive Player of the Week with the first on Oct. 11 and the final one of the season on Nov. 1, while he also picked up third-team All-GLVC distinction.
Higgins claimed his third GLVC Coach of the Year award with the first in 2013 and the most recent just this past spring. The 12th-year mentor guided the Greyhounds to a 12-1-2 overall record and a 10-1-2 mark in GLVC play this fall to earn the top seed in the GLVC Championship Tournament. UIndy has also been ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll the entire season and was ranked as high as No. 1 on three occasions. Higgins coached a league-high eight All-Conference performers, including senior defender Kendall Allen and senior goalkeeper Dimitrios Karousos, who join Steinwascher and Rasheed on the First Team. Junior forward Cole Rainwater was a second-team pick and three others were named to the Third Team.
Joining UIndy’s four All-GLVC first-teamers is Lewis University graduate forward Jimmy Mwanga and McKendree University senior forward James Stone, who were the two unanimous vote-getters. Mwanga and Stone’s teammates join them, respectively, in senior midfielder Domenic Baumann and graduate midfielder Eddie Davis. Drury University junior forward Jamie O’Brien, as well as Maryville University senior midfielder Mirza Hasecic and senior defender Dom Riggio round out the 11-player team.
The league also recognized 15 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees and one Team award winner: UIndy. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced at the end of the academic year.
A complete list of the 2021 All-GLVC teams and postseason honors can be found below.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Alejandro Steinwascher, Sr., F, Indianapolis
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Makel Rasheed, Jr., D, Indianapolis
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Sebastian Doppelhofer, GK, Lewis
COACH OF THE YEAR: John Higgins, Indianapolis
FIRST TEAM
Jamie O’Brien, Jr., F, DU
Kendall Allen, Sr., D, UINDY
Dimitrios Karousos, Sr., GK, UINDY
Makel Rasheed, Jr., D, UINDY
Alejandro Steinwascher, Sr., F, UINDY
Domenic Baumann, Sr., MF, LEWIS
Jimmy Mwanga, Gr., F, LEWIS #
Mirza Hasecic, Sr., MF, MU
Dom Riggio, Sr., D, MU
Eddie Davis, Gr., MF, MCK
James Stone, Sr., F, MCK #
# Unanimous selection
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SECOND TEAM
Josh Lewis-Evans, Sr., D, DU
Pijus Petkevicius, Jr., GK, UIS
Cole Rainwater, Jr., F, UINDY
Nathaniel Campbell, Sr., D, LEWIS
Justin Darlage, So., D, LEWIS
Aris Oluwatuyi, Jr., MF, LEWIS
Josh Scholl, Jr., F, LWU
Ricardo Andrade, Sr., MF, MU
Arman Kovac, Sr., F, UMSL
Tommy Naumann, Jr., MF, UMSL
Nick Schreiber, Jr., D, UMSL
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THIRD TEAM *
Adem Hamdaoua, So., MF, DU
Eli Dulle, So., MF, UINDY
Patryk Olczyk, Jr., D, UINDY
Vincent Stone, Sr., D, UINDY
Sebastian Doppelhofer, Fr., GK, LEWIS
Matthew Beaulieu, Jr., F, LEWIS
Ben Brodie, Sr., F, MU
Cedric Sengl, Sr., MF, MU
Cole Gerstenberger, Jr., D, MCK
Alsadiq Hasan, R-Jr., MF, QU
Cole Hayes, R-Sr., F, QU
Aubrey Reis, R-Sr., MF, QU
Jack Rhead, R-So., F, QU
* Extra members due to tie
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JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Mitch Stephens, DU
Drew Keller, UIS
Vincent Stone, UINDY
Matt Budreck, LEWIS
Trenton Dietiker, LWU
Cedric Sengl, MU
Matteo Schubert, MCK
Jacob Bandy, S&T
Tommy Nauman, UMSL
Sam Costa, QU
Peter Baker, RU
Justin Faas, USI
Unathi Thango, SBU
Will Clayton, TSU
Sam Wambold, WJC
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM AWARD
Indianapolis