By Stretch Jenkinson
17-year-old Crew Academy player signs MLS NEXT Pro Professional Contract
September 7, 2023
COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew 2 has signed Crew Academy goalkeeper Stanislav “Stas” Lapkes to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
“Stas is a promising young goalkeeper who has made great progress with the Crew Academy and with Crew 2. We are excited to sign him to his first professional contract and look forward to seeing his continued development within our organization,” said Columbus Crew 2 General Manager Corey Wray. “Stas’ progression and personal dedication to improving is another example of our commitment to fostering an environment that allows young players to continually grow and offer them opportunities to advance through the player pathway.”
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Lapkes joined Crew 2 on an amateur agreement in May of 2022. This season, Lapkes made his professional debut and earned the shutout in a 3-0 victory over New England Revolution II on April 16, 2023. He has started in a total of 11 games thus far this season, tallying 35 saves en route to three clean sheets. Lapkes notched a career-high seven saves against Huntsville City FC on May 5, 2022.
A member of the Crew Academy since 2019, Lapkes helped the Under-17s reach the 2022 MLS NEXT Cup final. For his efforts, Lapkes was named Best Goalkeeper of the U-17 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and was selected to participate in the 2022 MLS NEXT All-Star Game.
Lapkes joins Aidan Wolf, Zion Scarlett, Taha Habroune, and Cole Mrowka as the five Crew Academy players to sign professional contracts with Crew 2.
Crew 2 return home to host NYCFC II at Historic Crew Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8 [7 p.m. ET / MLS Season Pass on Apple TV]. Tickets for the match can be purchased here.
TRANSACTION: Columbus Crew 2 signs goalkeeper Stanislav Lapkes to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract on Sept. 7, 2023.
Name: Stanislav “Stas” Lapkes Pronunciation: stahs LAHP-kiss Position: Goalkeeper Date of Birth: March 3, 2006 Hometown: Minsk, Belarus |
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ABOUT COLUMBUS CREW 2 Website: ColumbusCrew.com/Crew2 | Twitter: @ColumbusCrew2 | Instagram: @ColumbusCrew2 | Stadium: Historic Crew Stadium | Training Facility: OhioHealth Performance Center |
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