UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Nittany Lions return four key, upperclassmen to their roster this fall with Kris Shakes, Liam Butts, Alex Stevenson and Owen Elliott coming back for their fifth seasons. Two of the four student-athletes will pursue a second undergraduate degree and the other two will be completing their undergraduate studies.
Professional soccer draftee Butts will finish out his collegiate career during his fifth season this fall. Butts was drafted 33rd overall in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft to the San Jose Earthquakes. The forward has played in 63 games wearing the blue and white and has totaled 22 goals and 50 points. His decorated 2022 season, with a Big Ten and National Player of the Week nod led him to second team All-Big Ten in the postseason. Butts will graduate this summer with a degree in kinesiology and enter the fall semester pursuing a second undergraduate degree in sociology.
"Liam has enjoyed a fantastic career at Penn State so far, this fifth season provides an opportunity for him to establish himself as one of the truly great strikers to every play for the Nittany Lions," said head coach Jeff Cook. "Penn State has enjoyed a long history of highly talented attacking players, I have no doubt that Liam can join that elite list following what we hope will be an outstanding 2023 season."
Elliott will return to the keeper arsenal this fall as well. After utilizing his redshirt year in 2019, Elliott has made seven appearances including six starts throughout his next three seasons. The Pennsylvania native is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and will complete his undergraduate studies this fall with a Bachelor of Science in management.
"Owen has been an incredibly valuable goalkeeper for us throughout his four years, playing in really big games and always performing at a high level when called upon," said Cook. "During the 2023 season, we expect him to make meaningful on-field contributions in addition to providing high quality leadership to our squad."
Shakes, the Nittany Lions starting goalkeeper for the last three year. He will earn his degree in journalism with a sports studies minor and play one more year of Division I soccer. Throughout his career, the keeper played in and started in 54 goals between the pipes. Shakes owns 16 shutouts with a 0.765 saves percentage. The Florida native earned second team All-Big Ten honors his sophomore year and produced a major performance during the 2021 Big Ten Tournament his junior season. Shakes was named the Defensive Player of the Tournament and was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
Cook touched on Shakes' return, "We are very happy to have Kris returning for this upcoming season, his fifth and final year as a Nittany Lion. Kris is one of the best shot-stoppers in collegiate soccer and we are excited for him to have one more season to use his talents towards fulfilling our team goals for 2023."
Key defender Stevenson will return to the backline for his fifth season as well. He has played in nearly every game in his time in Happy Valley with 64 appearances and 52 starts. His efforts on defense in the 2021 season helped the team to seven shutouts, the second most of any Big Ten school. Stevenson's contributions are seen on both sides of the field with his 10 career assists. He earned his degree in computer science this spring but will pursue a second undergraduate degree in recreation, park & tourism management.
"Alex has been one of the most consistent a reliable performer on our team over the course of his career at Penn State," said Cook. "He has the chance to become a dominant defensive force and we will need every bit of his experience as we face the challenges ahead over the entire 2023 campaign."
