ROSEMONT, Ill.- Penn State men's soccer claims both Big Ten weekly awards for the second time in just four weeks. Peter Mangione and Kris Shakes earn Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week. The Nittany Lions own the most weekly nods than any team in the Big Ten, receiving six out of the 10 honors so far this season.
The senior forward Mangione earns his first conference weekly accolade of the season after offensive contributions in both of Penn State's wins last week. He scored the lone goal in the Nittany Lions 1-0 shutout over Maryland, the first since 2005. Mangione also fed an assist to teammate Quentin Flowers to secure an insurance goal in the 2-0 win at UNC Greensboro. Although this is Mangione's first weekly Big Ten award of the season, he is no stranger to the conference spotlight, winning the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year title in 2021.
Out of four weeks in the 2023 campaign so far, Shakes has been the Defensive Player of the Week three times. His two clean sheets in Penn State's games total four on the season for the keeper and ranks him ninth nationally in shutouts. The Florida native also sits at six in the country in save percentage (.872) and is at the top of the Big Ten in that category. Shakes moved into third all-time at Penn State in career saves on Sept. 9 and now totals 243 career saves.
Mangione and Shakes along with the rest of the team return to Jeffrey Field on Wednesday, Sept. 27 for a midweek, non-conference match up against Howard.
