Gaylord soccer's Noah Fitzgerald signs with D2 Lewis University
GAYLORD ― The past fall in Gaylord was centered around the football team; American football, to be precise.
With all the hype that came with an undefeated season, a program-defining postseason run and everything else the GHS football team accomplished, there wasn't exactly the same momentum behind the young, growing Gaylord soccer team.
However, one veteran of the Gaylord soccer team was quietly making name for himself, going from a key role player to one of the best players at his position in Northern Michigan. And, like so many of the talented athletes in his class, goalkeeper Noah Fitzgerald is taking his talents to the next level, signing his National Letter of Intent to NCAA Division II Lewis University in Illinois on Wednesday, Feb. 7 as part of Gaylord's 2024 National Signing Day event.
Fitzgerald was considering some D3 offers, but the level of competition at the D2 level is something that really interests him, and that helped make the decision easier once Lewis and Coach Evan Fiffles came calling.
"It was the huge level of competition coming from a D3 offer to a D2 offer," Fitzgerald said about his decision. "I mean, the people that I met there were great, I love all of them."
Fitzgerald is relatively new to the goalkeeper position, only starting to learn and play during the summer before his sophomore season. He gave credit to the Gaylord coaching staff and head coach Brandon Contreras for helping him pick up the position quickly and play at a high level.
"These past few years, getting to learn under coach Contreras and being in the Gaylord program, it was great, it meant a lot to me," said Fitzgerald.
The senior keeper was leaned on more than most goaltenders as the Gaylord roster went over a bit of an overhaul from 2022 to 2023. That meant a lot of shots on net for opposing teams, and that allowed the senior to stand out as his saves kept the Blue Devils in plenty of games they probably shouldn't have been in, most notably in a scoreless draw with Petoskey in early December.
"He's vocal, he's very calm and composed, and he knows how to do his job and know how to organize his defense," Gaylord head coach Brandon Contreras said of his senior keeper during the season.
His breakout senior season helped Fitzgerlad earn first-team All-Big North honors and, now, a chance to take his talents to the next level.
Lewis was one of the top teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference last season, finishing with the second-best conference record (9-2-2) and overall record (13-4-6). They eventually made a run in the NCAA D2 National Soccer Tournament, advancing to the Final Four before falling to the top seed and eventual National Champions, Franklin Pierce University.
Fitzgerald is one of many talented members of the Gaylord Class of 2024, now up to 12 seniors signed to play a sport in college with more to come.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord soccer's Noah Fitzgerald signs with NCAA D2 Lewis University
