Marquette, MI – September 10th, 2026 – This past weekend, Northern Michigan University men’s soccer goalkeeper Asaf Kristal etched his name into the program’s history books. Despite the Wildcats falling 4-1 to No. 6 Saginaw Valley State in Saginaw, Michigan, Kristal reached a major career milestone, recording the 125th save of his collegiate career to become Northern Michigan’s all-time leader in saves.
With the regular season still underway and conference and postseason opportunities ahead, Kristal will have the chance to continue adding to that total and further cement his place in NMU men’s soccer history. But reaching the top of the program’s record book is just the latest chapter in a collegiate career that has taken Kristal across the country and included plenty of adversity along the way.
From Tel Aviv to the United States
Born June 13, 2001, to parents Galit and Roi Kristal, Asaf grew up in Tel Aviv, Israel, alongside his siblings Yuval, Hillel, Amalia and Hanoch. Kristal attended Tichon Hadash Tel Aviv, where he competed in more than 40 matches during his high school career.
The school has produced several notable alumni, including NBA player Deni Avdija, who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers and was named an NBA All-Star for the first time this past season. Other notable alumni include Ada Yonath, the 2009 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry; Amir Pnueli, the 1996 Turing Award winner in computer science; and Roni Milo, a former mayor of Tel Aviv and Israeli government minister.
Kristal would eventually catch the attention of West Texas A&M, earning the opportunity to continue his soccer career at the collegiate level.
Building a Career at West Texas A&M
Kristal spent his first two collegiate seasons with the Buffaloes, quickly establishing himself as one of the program’s top goalkeepers. Across 31 appearances, he posted an 11-8-11 record with a 1.05 goals-against average, a .717 save percentage and 10 shutouts. His performances earned him conference recognition in both of his first two seasons.
His accolades at West Texas A&M included:
- 2023 CSC Academic All-District
- 2023 Third Team All-Conference
- 2023 LSC Academic All-Conference
- 2022 Second Team All-Conference
- 2022 LSC All-Freshman Team
- Three-time LSC Goalkeeper of the Week
After two seasons at West Texas A&M, Kristal decided to take his career in a different direction, transferring to the University of Illinois Chicago for his junior season.
While he did not appear in a game during his time at UIC, Kristal remained determined to continue his collegiate career. He returned to the transfer portal and eventually found his way to Marquette, Michigan, joining Northern Michigan University for his redshirt junior season. That move would prove to be a turning point.
Making History in Marquette
Kristal’s impact was felt immediately after arriving in Marquette. During the 2025 season, he started all 20 games in net and helped lead the Wildcats through one of the most successful seasons in program history. NMU captured its first GLIAC Championship and earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. Individually, Kristal rewrote nearly every major single-season goalkeeping record in the NMU record book.
He set program single-season records for:
- Games played — 20
- Games started — 20
- Minutes played — 1,818:17
- Saves — 104
- Save percentage — .852
- Goals-against average — .891
- Shutouts — 8
- Wins — 9
- Ties — 6
His performance also earned him 2025 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention honors and a spot on the 2025-26 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. One of Kristal’s biggest performances came during Week 6 of the season when he was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week after making 22 saves across two games, including 12 saves in a shutout victory over then-No. 17 Saginaw Valley State on October 10, 2025.
Adding Another Chapter
With one final season of eligibility remaining, Kristal returned to the Wildcats in 2026 looking to build on a historic first year in Marquette. Through the opening four games of the season, Kristal has continued to be a major part of the Wildcats’ defense. He has recorded 21 saves on 53 shots faced, along with a .724 save percentage and a 2.04 goals-against average. His season-highs have both come against Lake Erie, where he faced 17 shots and recorded seven saves.
Then came Saturday’s trip to Saginaw Valley State. While the Wildcats ultimately fell 4-1 to the sixth-ranked Cardinals, Kristal’s performance carried historic significance. With his 125th career save, he officially moved into first place on the NMU men’s soccer all-time saves list.
What started with a goalkeeper from Tel Aviv making his way to the United States has now become one of the most accomplished goalkeeping careers in Northern Michigan history. And Kristal’s story is not finished yet. With the remainder of the regular season still ahead, followed by any GLIAC and NCAA postseason opportunities the Wildcats earn, the new NMU all-time saves leader will have more chances to add to his record.
Northern Michigan currently sits at 2-2 on the season and will return home Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Wildcats host the University of Jamestown at the NMU Soccer Field. For Kristal, the chase for 125 is over, now, the question is just how high he can take the record.
