ROCK HILL, S.C. — Belmont Abbey redshirt junior goalkeeper Lily Willard was named the South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Week by the league office Tuesday for her efforts in a 3-2 victory over No. 7 Lander Friday.

Willard finished with eight saves and faced 22 shots from the Bearcats on Friday as the Crusaders earned their fifth straight victory and their second win over a ranked program in team history. She has 31 saves made on the season as the Crusaders have improved to 5-1 in league play.

This is also the second straight week that a Crusader has earned Player of the Week honors after Sarah Schumacher was named the Offensive Player of the Week last week.

Belmont Abbey returns to action for a pair of conference road games this week starting with Wingate on Tuesday and Lincoln Memorial on Saturday.