ROSEMONT, Ill.- Penn State men's soccer's Kris Shakes is named the first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week as announced by the conference Tuesday evening. Shakes' performance across the Nittany Lions' first two games of the season earned him the conference nod.
The fifth-year keeper held the number five team in the country scoreless throughout 79 minutes of play and made four crucial saves to keep the lead with Penn State. Three saves on corner kicks and a diving, over the shoulder snag led the goalie to a solid performance.
The Florida native's clean sheet during his time in goal coupled with a perfect, four-for-four save percentage against the Dolphins, led the Nittany Lions to a 4-0 shutout win. He is now five saves away from moving into the top-5 in all-time career saves at Penn State.
Shakes leads the Big Ten in saves after week one with eight across just two games and ranks third in save percentage (.889).
The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week along with the rest of the Nittany Lions are back in action on Friday, Sept. 1 when they host the defending National Champions in a nationally televised match.
