After making his professional debut in April, Giannis Nikopolidis made his MSU Soccer Park debut on May 8 against Sacramento Republic FC.
The first-year goalkeeper recorded a career-high four saves and came up with some key stops in a tightly contested second half.
“I think it was pretty good, but obviously disappointing to not get the win and not to get a clean sheet,” Nikopolidis said. “I think I can definitely build on it and get better.”
The 21-year-old was a four-year standout at Georgetown University where he started 52 matches, posted a 0.69 goals-against average, and tallied 156 saves. He also won the 2019 NCAA Championship while helping guide the Hoyas to NCAA Tournaments in all four years.
“It’s different, but it’s not,” Nikopolidis said. “It’s still the game you play but now it’s on a different level and there’s different stakes. You just got to take it like you do every single game, just one game at a time.”
Nikopolidis will look to continue the momentum into future starts, helping form the group of strong goalkeepers that Red Bulls II has this season.
