Duluth FC goalkeeper Jan Hoffelner was awarded the 2018 National Premier Soccer League Golden Glove as the league’s top goalkeeper, it was announced Wednesday.
The selection was made after an online vote by teams, media members, supporters, and fans.
“I want to thank coach Flo Liu for having the faith in me to guide me to the U.S. where I have been able to combine my academic studies with playing soccer,” Hoffelner said. “I appreciate Iowa Western for my freshman year there and the work they did for me. I also really enjoyed playing with my teammates at Duluth FC. We achieved so much this season, which nobody really expected from us. My head coach at Duluth FC, Joel Person, believed in me every single minute and gave me a lot of confidence in every match.”
Hoffelner made 17 appearances (16 starts) for Duluth FC, including conference, playoff and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches. He compiled a 0.68 goals-against average and five shutouts after conceding 12 goals.
“My next destination will be Presbyterian College, where I want to continue to improve my goalkeeper skills and defend the conference championship,” Hoffelner said. “Furthermore, I want to thank my family for supporting me from Germany every single day. Without their support I would not be able to be where I am now. It is a pleasure and I am honored to get the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper in the NPSL, and that pushes me even more to achieve further in my still young soccer career.”
The Frankfurt, Germany native is a product of the Eintracht Frankfurt Academy. He came to the U.S. to continue his education as well as pursue a career in professional soccer. At Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he earned a 7-2 record as a freshman starter along with a 0.67 GAA, a save percentage of 0.831 and five clean sheets. This fall Hoffelner will be transferring to Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.
“We are extremely proud to have Jan as a part of the Duluth FC family,” Duluth FC head coach Joel Person said. “He was an integral part of our team all season and definitely deserving of such a prestigious award. He is very talented, has a great work ethic, and most importantly is a great teammate. He is a true testament of the culture that we are continuing to build at Duluth FC.”
The 20-year-old Hoffelner also was involved in organizing and running Duluth FC’s first-ever goalkeeper-specific camps that encouraged and taught the next generation of goalkeepers.
