Rainer Hauss, Ali Alomari honored as Goalkeeper, Rookie of Year for MASL 2
Rainer Hauss of the champion Iowa Demon Hawks and Ali Alomari of the runner-up Rochester Lancers have been names Goalkeeper and Rookie of the Year respectively for the 2023-24 Major Arena Soccer League 2 season.
Hauss started and won all 15 games Iowa played this last season, finishing with a 3.80 goals against average in the regular season, and a saves percentage of .829, best in league playoffs. He was even better in the three-game postseason, posting a saves percentage of .845 to go along with an almost identical 3.83 GAA.
"To not only start but win all 15 games your team plays is a remarkable feat, and testimony to not only his skill but dedication and determination as well," MASL 2 Commissioner Chris Economides said. "Winning championships in the indoor game starts in goal, and there was simply no one better than Rainer this year."
Alomari continues a trend for the Lancers who draw heavily on local talent to supplement a talented roster, and Alomari, who was a graduate of Lackawanna High School in Western New York and played collegiately at Niagara University, is a continuation of that tradition.
"The Lancers are like the old St. Louis Steamers of the early 1980s who featured homegrown stars like Steve Pecher, Daryl Doran and Don Ebert," Economides noted. "No one can find and develop local talent better than Rochester. Ali was a good outdoor player, but making the transition to indoors isn't as easy as he made it look. Scoring 28 goals in a rookie season is pretty amazing, and while there was some other great rookies in the league like Wichita's Caique Trivelato and Joao Vitor of the Demon Hawks, Ali was the clear choice for this award."
Previously announced were MASL 2's first and second team of all-stars, Coach of the Year Jake Schindler of the Lancers, Offensive Player of the Year Thiago Freitas of the Demon Hawks and Kevin Ten Eyck of Wichita as Defender of the Year.
The league's final award -- Most Valuable Player -- will be announced Friday morning. All honorees are selected by league officials in consultation with select team representatives.