2019 GLIAC MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

GLIAC – The 2019 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Men's Soccer awards have been announced after voting conducted by the league's coaches. The awards were presented at a banquet on the campus of University of Wisconsin Parkside on Thursday night prior to the start of the 2019 GLIAC Men's Soccer Tournament semifinals.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR  -  Connor Rutz, Saginaw Valley

Senior midfielder Connor Rutz had a career-high nine goals and five assists in the 2019 campaign for Saginaw Valley, with those nine scores ranking tops in the GLIAC. The 2017 All-Midwest Region midfielder and now two-time All-GLIAC First Team performer had three game-winning goals for Saginaw Valley in leading the Cardinals to a 12-5-1 overall record and ninth straight appearance in the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals. This marks the fourth time an SVSU player has been named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year and the first since 2015. 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Lasse Pico Kjeldsen, Davenport

Lasse Pico Kjeldsen becomes the second Panther to be named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year following in the footsteps of Stephen Carroll who won the award in 2017. Kjeldsen is one of four Panthers to start in all 18 games this season and logged 1,609 minutes to date. Kjeldsen scored two goals this season but both were very important to the team. He scored the game-winner against Saginaw Valley State on October 20 with just under three minutes remaining. He also scored the game-tying goal at Parkside on Nov. 3 in the second half. He led the defense which posted seven shutouts including five straight to begin conference play. In his career, Kjeldsen has played in 69 career games and has 16 points. 

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Ryan Palmbaum, Northern Mich.

Palmbaum was a key proponent to this year's squad as the paced the Wildcats with eight goals and six assists for a total of 22 points. The freshman tallied two game-winning goals and made program history with the fastest hat trick in school history and second fastest in NCAA Division II history by scoring three goals in less than four minutes in a victory over Upper Iowa University.  His eight goals are the second most in a single season in program history while his six assists and 55 shots are both single season school records.  

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR - Juan Gonzalez, Parkside

Since transferring to the program before his junior season, Gonzalez has started in goal for Parkside in all but one game. During his junior year he was named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week three times and led the GLIAC in saves with 78. His senior season was much of the same as he once again led the GLIAC in saves, this time with 82, and won another GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week award. Over his career, he has recorded eight shutouts, and holds a 19-12-3 record.

COACH OF THE YEAR - Jason Zitzke, Parkside

Zitzke started his career as a player from 1995-1998, and rejoined as an assistant coach the following year. It's his 20^th season overall as a member of the coaching staff and his ninth as the head coach for the Rangers. The 2010 Parkside Hall of Fame Inductee has helped Parkside men's soccer reach the NCAA tournament three times (2000, 2004, 2006) while also securing a GLVC Championship in 2000. The 2019 GLIAC regular season championship is his first as a head coach 

A complete list of the 2019 All-GLIAC men's soccer teams is below: