AACHEN, Germany — After finishing his collegiate career as one of the best goalkeepers in UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer history, Leroy Zeller has begun his professional career in his native Germany, signing with Alemannia Aachen in the Regionalliga West. He is one of three goalkeepers currently on the roster.
 
Zeller is the latest to join the ranks of Gaucho keepers to go pro, alongside the likes of Justin Vom Steeg, Kyle Reynish and the legendary Dan Kennedy. In his three seasons with the Gauchos, Zeller made a legend for himself as well, finishing his career with more appearances between the posts (60) than any Gaucho other than Kennedy. His 20 shutouts and 210 saves both rank sixth on the UC Santa Barbara career leaderboards, and his nine-shutout campaign in 2021 ranks the same on the Gauchos' single-season charts. Elsewhere in the record books, Zeller owns the seventh and eighth-best seasons in program history by goals-against-average, posting a 0.80 GAA in 2021 and a 0.78 in 2022, when he earned Big West Goalkeeper of the Year and All-Far West Region honors.
 
The Zülpich native now embarks on his pro career close to home; Aachen sits on Germany's western border with Belgium, just under 50 kilometers from Zeller's hometown. He joins an Alemannia side which currently sits in second place in the Regionalliga West, the fourth tier of the German soccer pyramid. The club's history dates back to 1900, and includes three DFB-Pokal Final appearances, two stints in the Bundesliga (most recently in the 2006-07 season), and an appearance in the 2004-05 UEFA Cup, where they reached the Round of 32. Notable players from the club's history include Torsten Frings, who represented Germany at two FIFA World Cups, and current Arsenal midfielder Kai Havertz. Fans can follow Alemannia Aachen on Instagram @alemanniaaachen.