Monday, August 24, 2026

SAGINAW — What began as another August afternoon on the soccer schedule ended with Carter Stapleton rewriting the Frankenmuth record book.

The senior striker scored four times Monday against Saginaw Valley Lutheran, becoming the Eagles' all-time leader in both career points and career goals as Frankenmuth pulled away for a 5-0 victory over the Chargers.

With the win, the Eagles improved to 3-0 on the young season. But on a warm, sun-soaked afternoon in Saginaw, the final score became only part of the story.

Stapleton entered the match within striking distance of two of the program's most significant offensive records. By the time he left the field, both belonged to him.

It certainly didn't look like a record-breaking afternoon early.

Valley Lutheran opened in an aggressive defensive formation and frustrated Frankenmuth for much of the first 20 minutes. The Chargers were content to absorb pressure and counterattack, preventing the Eagles from settling into the possession-oriented attack that had helped them win their first two matches.

For nearly half the opening period, it worked.

Then Frankenmuth found a crack.

Senior Brayden Karwat battled for possession in the defensive half and used his speed to turn the play immediately into an attack. Karwat sent the ball through the middle to senior Landon Jacobs, who drew a defender and opened space on the right side. Jacobs slipped the ball into that space, where Stapleton finished the sequence with a simple tap-in.

After waiting 20 minutes for their first goal, the Eagles needed only two more to find another.

Junior Aiden Trudell delivered a towering cross from the right wing into the penalty area, where Stapleton attempted an acrobatic bicycle kick. The effort was deflected, but the ball dropped conveniently alongside him. Stapleton quickly got back to his feet, turned and fired from 15 yards, sending the shot through a crowd of four defenders and into the net.

Just like that, it was 2-0.

“I figured if I could get a cross into the box, the guys would know what to do with it,” remarked Trudell.

With less than five minutes remaining before halftime, history arrived.

Sophomore midfielder Jack Muller wrestled the ball away from two defenders and looked upfield, where Stapleton was waiting to make his run. Muller lofted a ball over the Valley Lutheran back line, and Stapleton brought it under control with one touch before calmly placing his shot into the side of the net.

Frankenmuth led 3-0.

More importantly, Stapleton had reached 122 career points, moving him past Matt Hinds' previous Frankenmuth record of 121, set from 2011-13.

One record down.

One to go.

Valley Lutheran emerged from halftime with renewed energy and again managed to slow the Frankenmuth attack. For the opening 15 minutes of the second half, the Chargers kept the Eagles off the scoreboard.

Then Muller helped unlock the defense again.

The sophomore gained possession in the middle of the field and spotted Jacobs moving into space. Jacobs carried the ball toward the 18-yard box before laying it off to Stapleton, who wasted no time. He struck a quick left-footed shot into the back corner.

The scoreboard changed to 4-0.

The record book changed with it.

It was the 80th goal of Stapleton's Frankenmuth career, moving him past Kendall Morris, who had held the school record since 2022.

In the span of one afternoon, Stapleton had become Frankenmuth's career leader in both points and goals.

Yet when asked about the individual milestones, Stapleton immediately pointed elsewhere.

“Anything that goes on that record board is really a team record. It’s a reflection of how hard the team works, and nobody works harder than this group of guys.”

There was still time for one more Eagle to get involved in the scoring.

Minutes later, sophomore Christian Kuck fired a shot that the Valley Lutheran keeper managed to deflect. Sophomore Nolan Joyce was waiting for the rebound and deftly chipped the ball over the goalkeeper to give Frankenmuth its fifth and final goal.

The Eagles walked away with a 5-0 victory and their second consecutive shutout.

Frankenmuth finished with an 11-6 advantage in shots on goal and earned all three of the match's corner kicks. More importantly, the Eagles again showed an ability to adjust when an opponent made things difficult. Valley Lutheran's defensive approach kept Frankenmuth quiet for long stretches, but once the Eagles found openings, they were ruthless in taking advantage of them.

For Stapleton, four of those openings resulted in goals.

Two resulted in history.

The Eagles (3-0 overall, 0-0 conference) now turn their attention to conference play. Frankenmuth returns home Wednesday to face John Glenn in its Tri-Valley Conference opener.