DePaul University Athletics
Fuderer and Cruz Earn BIG EAST Regular Season Awards
11/8/2021 12:05:00 PM | MEN'S SOCCER
Fuderer earns second team honors while Cruz named to third team
CHICAGO - A pair of Blue Demons earned BIG EAST regular season awards, as announced by the conference on Monday. DePaul senior defender Jake Fuderer and redshirt goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz were recognized on the All-BIG EAST second and third teams, respectively.Â
"I'm incredibly happy for Jake and Gandhi," said head coach Mark Plotkin. "They both mean a great deal to this program and I felt their play this year is worthy of recognition from the league."
Fuderer, a senior captain who had led the Blue Demons in scoring in each of the last two seasons, transitioned to a defensive role on the 2021 DePaul squad. Fuderer played at the key left-back spot, shutting down opponents on the defensive end while creating chances on the outside for the Blue Demons. Fuderer netted one goal and tallied a team-leading five assists this fall, generating a multitude of dangerous chances via services from the wings. Fuderer was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Oct. 25 after scoring and posting a pair of assists in a BIG EAST road win over Villanova.
"Jake has developed into one of the best players in the conference and he was a huge part of our team growth this year," said Plotkin.
Fuderer earns second team recognition after reeling in third team honors in the spring after scoring four goals during the 2020-21 season. He is the first Blue Demon to earn second team honors or better since Max de Bruijne earned first team recognition in 2019.
Cruz, a redshirt freshman who made his Blue Demon debut this fall, established a consistent reliability in net that kept DePaul in every match this season. Cruz led the BIG EAST with 76 saves and a 4.46 saves per game clip. Cruz's 76 stops rank tenth in the entire nation this season.
"Gandhi stepped up in a massive way this year," said Plotkin. "He was a consistent presence for us. He has a very bright future ahead."
The Aurora, Ill. native earned three BIG EAST Honor Roll recognitions this fall and finished the season by making five or more saves in four of the Blue Demons' last five matches. The redshirt freshman played every minute of DePaul's 17-game slate, logging 1609 minutes in goal.
For all of the latest on DePaul Men's Soccer, stay tuned to depaulbluedemons.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
