UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State men's soccer standout junior goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Atlanta, Ga.) was named NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Great Lakes First Team on Monday (Dec. 9). Wolverton is the first Nittany Lion All-Region honoree since 2010.
Wolverton, who won this year's Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year award and a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team, was phenomenal in net for the two-time reigning Big Ten champions. The 6-6, 222-pound junior from Atlanta posted eight clean sheets and saved nearly 81 percent of the shots he saw.
Wolverton was a game changer for Penn State and was vital on the biggest stages. He made four saves in a crucial 1-1 tie with then-No. 5 Cal on Sept. 13 before stopping all six shots at defending NCAA champion Indiana in a 2-0 win on Oct. 6. That shutout was the first in Penn State history at Indiana.
Wolverton oversaw a stretch of 10 games where Penn State went 9-1-0 and climbed to ninth in the NSCAA polls. His career-high nine-save effort in a 2-1 overtime win over eventual NCAA Quarterfinalist Michigan State on Oct. 20 helped Penn State take control of the Big Ten title race.
He'd make nine more saves in a tough 2-1 loss at Akron as well before posting a shutout streak of 343:37 to start the NCAA Tournament including 1-0 wins over St. Francis Brooklyn and UC Santa Barbara. The victory at UCSB was Penn State's first on the road in the NCAA Tournament since 1998. PSU's run ended in the Sweet 16 with a 2-0 loss at New Mexico, which is currently in the College Cup, as Wolverton kept the Lions in the game with seven saves.
In 21 games played, Wolverton was on the field for all 2,004 minutes and conceded more than a goal just three times the entire season. For his career, Wolverton ranks fourth in the PSU record book with 23 shutouts. Currently, Wolverton has the best goals against average in school history at 0.72.
The last time Penn State earned any representatives on the All-Great Lakes squad was 2010 when Matheus Braga and Corey Hertzog were honored and earned NSCAA All-America Second Team recognition.
Penn State completed the season at 13-6-2 and its first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2010. The Nittany Lions lose just three starters from this year's team directed by two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Bob Warming.