COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- For the third week in a row, senior Megan Taylor was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday.

In two wins over No. 8 Penn and Ohio State, Taylor posted 21 saves to only nine goals allowed, a .700 save percentage. In the Big Ten opening win over Ohio State, Taylor led a Maryland defense that shut out the Buckeyes in the first half, notching eight saves on 11 shots and not allowing a goal. Taylor helped lead No. 8 Penn to their lowest goal total of the year (nine) and held them to only four goals in the first half with nine saves, a .692 save percentage and had 13 saves in all in the top-10 contest. 

Taylor now leads the NCAA with a .583 save percentage, having saved 77 shots to only allowing 55 goals. The senior also leads the Big Ten in goals against average and has the fifth best mark in the country at 8.14 goals. Taylor and Maryland have the fifth best scoring defense in the country, only allowing 7.50 goals per game. 

With her 600th career save in this past weekend's game against Ohio State, Taylor is also the current NCAA save leader, having the most in her career of any goalkeeper in the country.

This Big Ten weekly honor marks Taylor's third in a row, as over that five game time frame, Taylor has 44 saves to only 26 goals allowed, a .629 percentage. Taylor now has earned 11 Big Ten weekly honors over her four year career. This marks the first time a player has won a Big Ten weekly award three weeks in a row since Kali Hartshorn earned Freshman of the Week honors three weeks in a row in April of 2017. Megan Taylor won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week three weeks in a row earlier in that 2017 season also. 

Taylor and the Terps will play two top-25 road games this week, first at No. 23 Penn State on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. on ESPNU, before traveling to No. 7 James Madison on Sunday at 12:30 on NBC Sports Washington.