Kaeppeli named RRAC Defensive Player of the Week after strong performance off bench

WACO – Junior Tyler Kaeppeli knows a goalkeeper's number could be called on at any moment.

That moment came on Saturday when Kaeppeli was called into action 10 minutes into the first half of a 3-0 road win over Wayland Baptist. The Vernon, British Columbia-born goalkeeper replaced starter Eric Thust and proceeded to make six saves to preserve the Jaguars' (2-0-1) clean sheet and keep UHV's unbeaten run going.

"I'm proud of Tyler for securing this honor," said head coach Adrian Rigby. "He was able to step in against Wayland Baptist and gave the team a lot of confidence in front of him. He made the saves he was supposed to and provided leadership needed to secure the result. He and the goalkeepers have worked extremely hard with coach Chase Boulton and it's showing on the field."

With the shutout, Kaeppeli now boasts 15 in his career, just four away from Brian Redmond's career record of 19 set in 2014-16.

Kaeppeli also boasts 91 career saves in 33 matches at UHV, which ranks third all-time in program history.

This is the second-career weekly honor earned by Kaeppeli after he was named the Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9, 2023.

"It's truly an honor to receive this honor, even though it was a joint team effort," Kaeppeli said. "It's a testament for all the hard work we put in together as a team."

The Jaguars are off this week before opening conference play Thursday, Sept. 19, at Texas College.