WESTWOOD, Mass. – Wheaton College (Mass.) women's soccer player Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) was named to the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference First Team, while Maya Thomas (Goffstown, N.H.) was selected to the Second Team, it was announced by the league.
Bandrup becomes the Lyons' first First Team selection since Megan Healy '18, Hannah Lepordo '21 and Leann Wolf '19 were all chosen in 2017. She is also the first All-Conference keeper from Wheaton since Wolf. Thomas is the first Lyon defender tapped by the league since 2019 when Kyla Magalhaes '21 received the nod.
Bandrup capped the regular season by being named the NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week for the third time in her career on November 4. She was one of just two goalies to earn the honor during the season. The junior ranked second among keepers during the season with a .879 save percentage, which also placed her 21st in the nation. To punctuate just how impressive her save rate was, she also stood 41st in NCAA Division III with 123 saves and was fifth in the conference with 6.15 saves per game. A graduate of Poway High School, Bandrup's dependability was undeniable, playing all 1800 minutes during the season for the sixth-highest total in the nation. While between the posts, the Tri-Captain surrendered one or fewer goals in all but three contests to fuel an 0.85 goals against average that slotted her second among conference leaders, while her seven shutouts gave her 0.35 per match to place her fourth in the NEWMAC. Bandrup opened the season by allowing just two goals through the Lyons' first six matches for a miniscule 0.33 goals against mark in 540 minutes of play. She has given up just one marker in her last 270 minutes to close out the regular season.
For her career, the Economics and Italian double major established herself as one of the greatest goalies in school history, standing third with 357 saves and seventh in career minutes played at 4313:38. The West Coast native has played in 49 matches during her career at Wheaton and has nine lifetime shutouts to her credit to stand 10th all time at the Norton school. Bandrup has improved her save percentage every season and boasts a career save mark of .834 to go with a 1.48 goals against average.
Thomas started all 20 matches for Wheaton and played all but 23 minutes on the field for the Lyons. The back was one of the best 1v1 defenders in the league and was named the NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week on September 23 to become the first Wheaton non-goalie to earn the award since 2019. The Goffstown High School product was a key to a defense that posted back-to-back shutouts on two occasions for the Lyons. The sophomore also proved to be a catalyst on the offensive end for Wheaton, registering five points on a pair of goals and an assist. She netted a goal in the team's 2-0 victory over Emerson College on October 12 and scored the Lyons' lone marker at Babson College in the Quarterfinals of the NEWMAC Championship Tournament on November 5.
A Biochemistry major, Thomas has played in 36 career matches for Wheaton, while making 35 starts. She has six points on two goals and a pair of assists.
The Lyons finished the season with an 8-5-7 mark, including 4-2-5 in conference play to garner 17 points to secure the number five seed in the NEWMAC Championship Tournament. Wheaton bowed to Babson, 3-1, in the NEWMAC Tournament. Wheaton's .575 winning percentage was its highest since 2018.
