Penn State field hockey’s week just keeps getting better.

The Nittany Lions goalkeeper Aby Deverka has been named the NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week, the association announced Wednesday.

Deverka earned the national award, along with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, after completely stopping the two-time reigning national champions Northwestern’s offense.

The Nittany Lions ended No. 1 Northwestern’s 35-game conference winning streak thanks to seven saves from Deverka.

Deverka is the first Nittany Lion to earn the award and the first in program history to earn two NFHCA honors in a single season. The Houston native has played in 17 games for Penn State this season, allowing just 19 goals against with a 77.9% save percentage.

Deverka and the Nittany Lions begin their postseason push against Iowa on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio. Folks unable to attend can stream the match on Big Ten Plus.

About the Author

Collin Ward

Collin is a fourth-year majoring in digital/print journalism. He lives in Basking Ridge, New Jersey and enjoys TAYLOR HAM, egg, and cheese. As a New York Giants and Chelsea FC fan you can normally find him yelling at his TV screen on the weekends. Please follow him on X(formerly Twitter) @wardcollinz for Penn State football stuff. You can email him at collin@onwardstate.com.

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