UW-Milwaukee’s Jake Kelderman impresses in his final season
MILWAUKEE — UW-Milwaukee’s soccer season ended about a month ago, but not before defenseman Jake Kelderman could leave his mark.
It almost seems like Kelderman was destined to play soccer for the Milwaukee Panthers. He was born in Florida but grew up in Glendale, Wisconsin (about 25 minutes north of Milwaukee). He played high school soccer for Nicolet High School for all four years and was a first team All-North Shore Conference player as a senior.
Kelderman chose to play soccer at Milwaukee because of their strong soccer program and quality academics. Here is the twist, though. His father, Kris, is the head coach for the Panthers. I do not know if that influenced his decision, but I would bet it played some role in his decision to play soccer there.
Kelderman was redshirted his freshman season but came ready to play as an academic sophomore. He began the season off the bench but finished with 12 starts in 15 games. He started the final 11 games of the season and finished the season with one goal. He was part of a solid defensive line that shut out many teams, and his performance did not go unrecognized. He was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman team and Horizon League academic honor roll.
Kelderman’s strong play continued into his redshirt sophomore season. He started the whole season and helped his defense shut out five separate opponents. The Milwaukee defense only gave up 1.1 goals per game, and he was a significant part of that. He was again named to the Horizon League academic honor roll.
Kelderman became known as soccer Iron Man in his junior season. He was one of only three players to start all 20 games and was a big part of an impressive defense. The Milwaukee defense only gave up one goal and shut out their opponents eight times. Kelderman was named second team All-Horizon League for the first time and Horizon League academic honor roll for the third time.
Kelderman’s senior season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Milwaukee only played 13 games, but Kelderman was the only player to play every minute of those games. He was named the team captain and to the Horizon League first team, Horizon League All-Tournament team and Horizon League academic honor roll.
Kelderman’s college soccer career just ended, but not before a strong final season. He was part of a defense that only gave 1.6 goals a game, and he scored one goal and had two assists this year. Unfortunately, Milwaukee failed to make the postseason, but Kelderman can finish with his head held high. He completed his final season with first team All-Horizon League honors and top-five in school history in games played (81) and games started (78).
Kellerman’s college career may not have ended on a high, but I would not be surprised to see him in the MLS next season.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
