April 4, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following the top-ranked Penn State men's lacrosse team's 9-4 win over then-No. 5 Ohio State, sophomore defender Chris Sabia and freshman goalie Colby Kneese took home three of the Big Ten's four weekly awards on Tuesday afternoon, as announced by the league office.
Sabia was named Defensive Player of the Week, while Kneese earned both Specialist of the Week and Co-Freshman of the Week honors.
In addition to his pair of Big Ten weekly honors, Kneese is one of four nominees for the Alpha Lacrosse National Player of the Week. Fans can vote for him here until 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Penn State players have made up 14 of the 39 total Big Ten weekly honors distributed this season, the most of any team in the conference.
Sabia garnered Defensive Player of the Week honors following a stellar performance, forcing a game-high three turnovers for Penn State. Sabia spearheaded the Nittany Lion's defense, holding Ohio State to just four goals despite 35 shots.
Sabia has started in every game of his career for Penn State and has logged 24 career caused turnovers, the most of any player on the active roster.
Chris led the way on defense with 3 of #PSUMLAX's 12 takeaways against the Buckeyes. He's this week's #B1GLax Defensive Player of the Week. pic.twitter.com/6cUVidI2Oh
-- Penn State Lacrosse (@PennStateMLAX) April 4, 2017
Kneese earned his pair of weekly plaudits following an impressive 13-save performance against the Buckeyes. The rookie form Dallas, Texas let in a season-low four goals, marking the fewest goals allowed since 2014, in a 8-1 win against Towson. Kneese's .765 save percentage was the best of his rookie season.
Kneese has started the last nine games and enters Saturday's contest with a 10-0 record.
13 saves and only four goals allowed against a top-five opponent? Better believe Colby Kneese is #B1GLax Specialist and Freshman of the Week pic.twitter.com/gJMbCRN4Bj
-- Penn State Lacrosse (@PennStateMLAX) April 4, 2017
No. 1 Penn State (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) will have another top-10 showdown on Saturday, facing No. 6/8 Maryland (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland. The first faceoff is set for 1 p.m. Fans can follow along live with the BTN2go live stream and coverage on Twitter before the game airs on tape delay on the Big Ten Network at 6 p.m.
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