UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; September 19, 2006 - Penn State junior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his standout performance in the Nittany Lions' 3-1 victory over Michigan State on Sun., Sept. 17 at Jeffrey Field. The conference honor is the seventh of his Penn State career.
Taylor recorded a season-high nine saves en route to his 24th career victory and the Nittany Lions' ninth consecutive win against a conference opponent. No save was more impressive and, perhaps, more important than the one he registered early in the second half. With Penn State holding a tenuous 1-0 lead, Spartan forward Doug DeMartin got behind the Lion defense with the ball, setting up a one-on-one chance with Taylor. Charging out to meet DeMartin, Taylor slapped away a sure goal with his right hand, preserving the advantage.
A first-teamer since the opening game of his freshman season, Taylor has started 51 consecutive games and played every available minute between the pipes over that span. He has already placed himself among the Penn State netminding greats with his brilliant play throughout his first two-plus seasons in Happy Valley. Entering the 2006 season, Taylor was second all-time in career goalkeeping with a 0.90 career goals against average and fifth in career shutouts with 18. A year ago, he tied the Penn State record for shutouts in a season, collecting 10.
The week ahead for Penn State features two challenging road trips. Tomorrow evening, the Nittany Lions will be in College Park, Md. to face defending national champion Maryland in a 7:30 p.m. contest. The No. 6-ranked Terrapins will likely have revenge on their minds after Penn State upset them last year in University Park, 1-0. On Sunday, Sept. 24, the Nittany Lions will return to the place where they captured the 2005 Big Ten Championship, Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill., to take on Big Ten foe Northwestern in a 12:30 p.m. match-up. The Wildcats are off to a fast start in 2006, posting a 6-1-0 record (1-0-0, Big Ten) and earning the No. 23 ranking in the Soccer America poll.
