Former Penn State men’s soccer goalkeeper Kris Shakes signed a professional contract with New Mexico United, the club announced Tuesday afternoon. Shakes’ signing comes alongside the signing of teammate Peter Mangione with FC Cincinnati on Tuesday.

Shakes played five seasons at Penn State, where he posted 14 career shutouts with a 1.09 goals against average and a .773 save percentage. Shakes was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore.

“Kris is a terrific, young talent who has been truly impressive in our preseason, and is only going to continue to get better,” New Mexico sporting director Itamar Keinan said in a release. “We’re fortunate to have such a terrific young player joining our team, and can’t wait to see what he’ll accomplish on and off the pitch.”

After leading his team to a share of the Big Ten regular season title in his final season at Penn State, Shakes was passed up on in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, alongside Mangione and now-Houston Dynamo defender Femi Awodesu. However, like the others, Shakes has now found his home with a lower-division side.

New Mexico United begins its season at home against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 9.

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Mitch Corcoran

Mitch is a washed up former football beat writer for Onward State. He also used to cover men's hoops and men's volleyball. To see what he is up to today, check out his twitter (@MitchCorc18) or email him (mitchcorc18@gmail.com).

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