Cortland senior defender Dylan Pederson (Surrey, England/Reigate) has been chosen as the Spry State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week for the week ending Oct. 18.
 
Pederson led the Red Dragons defensively in a pair of SUNYAC wins last week, while also providing an assist for the Cortland offense. He started and played the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 shutout win over Fredonia on Wednesday, leading the Cortland defense that did not allow a shot on target and gave up just two shots overall. Pederson then started in a 5-1 win over Potsdam on Saturday, tallying an assist and helping the Cortland defense allow only two shot attempts for the game.

Pederson has started all 14 games for Cortland this season and ranks third on the team with 10 points (four goals, two assists).

Cortland (11-2-1, 6-0 SUNYAC) is ranked 19th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division III national poll. The Red Dragons will host Morrisville Wednesday at 4 p.m. and travel to Plattsburgh for a 1 p.m. game Saturday in league play to wrap up the regular-season schedule.