Jake Stevens, Saam Olexo earn ACC Player of the Week honors

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Syracuse midfielder Jake Stevens and long pole midfielder Saam Olexo have been named Atlantic Coast Conference Players of the Week for their performance in SU’s upset win over then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins. Stevens earned Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Olexo took home the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week.

Stevens had his best game since transferring to SU against JHU. He tallied a hat trick, which included two crucial goals to help the Orange keep the Blue Jays at bay to close out the victory. Stevens showcased his versatility as well, picking up three ground balls from the wing to help Syracuse win the faceoff battle 22-9 over Johns Hopkins. On one of his two late goals, Stevens scooped a ground ball to give Syracuse a faceoff win and scored an unassisted goal on the other end to put the Orange up 13-10.

In what was a physical battle, Olexo stood out for the Orange defensively. He was the primary defender on JHU’s Russell Melendez, who was forced into just one shot on the evening with zero goals or assists. Olexo also contributed to Johns Hopkins’s clearing woes. JHU went just 11-for-17 on clears, including the final play of the game where a failed clear sealed an SU win.

This is the third and fourth weekly ACC honors given out to Syracuse players this season. Joey Spallina (Offensive Player of the Week) and Mason Kohn (Defensive Player of the Week) were both previously awarded on Feb. 13.