ORLANDO, Fla. – For the first time in his career, Saint Leo men's soccer goalkeeper, James Knudson was named the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Defensive Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.

This past week, Knudson went 1-1 in goal as he helped guide the Lions clinch a conference postseason tournament berth for the first time in 10 years. On Saturday at Tampa, he registered his third shutout of the season in the 1-0 victory while recording two saves and faced seven shots. On Wednesday against Rollins, he posted a trio of saves and faced nine shots in the complete-game effort.

Knudson is the first Lion to garner the award since September of 2023.

Saint Leo returns to action on Wednesday, November 5 as it takes on Florida Southern in a non-conference away bout, starting at 7 p.m.