There have been dozens of elite goalkeepers in the 25 seasons of the Ocean City Nor’easters. However, none of them have ever won the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Until now.

Felix Schafer (Santa Clara / Berlin, Germany) was named the USL League Two Golden Glove winner as the top goalkeeper in the league. The award is based on statistics like goals allowed and save percentage.

It was a historic year for Schafer who broke the club record for goals against average with a 0.55. He just barely edged out Pat Hannigan’s 2004 mark of 0.56. Schafer was a big reason why the Nor’easters finished with the club’s first undefeated regular season since 2004. He finished the regular season with a 10-0-2 record and five clean sheets, which is one shy of the club record set in 2007 (Adam Edwards). He helped Ocean City close out the unbeaten regular season strong with four straight clean sheets (3-0-1), finishing the season with a 409-minute personal scoreless streak, which is approaching the club's regular season record.

“The club has a long history of successful goalkeepers and we knew that we added another quality group but Felix has exceeded our expectations,” said Nor’easters head coach Kevin Nuss. “In addition to a great player, he has be one  the many great people we have on our roster and is a great example of what this club stands for.”

Schafer joined the Ocean City Nor’easters as one of the most well-traveled players of the 2022 roster. The Berlin, Germany native moved from the FC Hertha Berlin youth academy to the United States where he enrolled at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. Schafer came to the Jersey Shore to play with the Nor’easters this summer, and then after the season is over, he will head to the opposite coast where he will play his junior season at Santa Clara University. Santa Clara, a program with a rich history that qualified for the NCAA tournament last year.

Last season at Grand View, he was an all-conference selection after earning seven shutouts and finishing ranked 24th in the nation in goals against average with a 0.79. Schafer was also the conference player of the week three times. He also shined in the classroom, earning a 3.94 GPA.

“Being out in Iowa [as head coach of Indian Hills Community College], Felix was on my radar from day one and I knew he was a top goalkeeper," said Nuss. "But when I got a phone call from Eric Klenofsky (former Nor’easters goalkeeper and professional player at D.C. United and Toronto FC) and heard his recommendation, I knew it was a no brainer to get Felix to join us.”

In addition to getting experience training with Saint Louis FC (USL Championship) during his time at Grand View, Schafer also suited up last month for the Des Moines Menace in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Schafer started and played all 90 minutes in Des Moines’ 4-2 home win over Minneapolis City in the opening round of the 107th edition of the tournament.

It's been a strong year for Felix, we had very good competition in net this season and he showed consistent progression throughout to win the job,” said Nor’easters assistant coach Matt Perrella. “Working with him we've taken the details about our group and the scenarios Felix would face most and made that the focus in training. He's responded well and I know he will be a great pro one day. It's a well-deserved honor for such a hard working player and person.”

Since 2003, 17 Ocean City goalkeepers have moved on to play the game at the professional level, including Tyler Miller (Minnesota United FC), John McCarthy (LAFC), Jahmali Waite (Pittsburgh Riverhounds) and Logan Ketterer (CF Montreal).