University Park, Pa. — Penn State junior goalkeeper Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) has been selected as the American Lacrosse Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. She received the award for the second time this season in recognition of her standout effort in the Nittany Lions’ come-from-behind 10-7 win over No. 18 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore last weekend.
Cahill anchored the Penn State defense versus the Blue Jays, helping the Nittany Lions secure their second road win of the season and the fourth against a top 20 ranked opponent. In the pivotal second half, Cahill recorded seven of her 11 total saves, including several clutch stops late in the game, while limiting Johns Hopkins to just two goals. With the Lions down 7-5 with 15:25 left, she kept JHU off the board for the remainder of the game, as Penn State rallied to score five unanswered goals and claim the victory. Cahill, the team’s leader in ground balls with 44, also collected two in addition to causing one turnover.
In 2011, her first season as a starter, Cahill has blossomed into one of the nation’s top goalkeepers. The centerpiece of a Nittany Lion defensive unit that is ranked No. 13 in the nation in team defense, allowing 8.87 goals per game, Cahill leads in the ALC and is 11th in the NCAA in save percentage (.488).
Cahill also earned the conference award on March 22 following her brilliant play in a 16-7 win over Hofstra and an 11-8 upset of then-12th ranked Vanderbilt.
The Nittany Lions will finish out the 2011 regular season on Saturday when they visit No. 15 Princeton (7-6) for a 1 p.m. non-conference contest.