MARLBOROUGH, 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 Kate Rafferty (Westerly, R.I.), Ali Roche (Maynard, Mass.), Maya Thomas (Goffstown, N.H.) were selected to the Second Team, it was announced by the league.
The number of honorees marks the highest total for the Lyons since 2017 when Wheaton was recognized with five All-Conference selections. Bandrup back-to-back First Team nods mark the first repeat first teamer since since Emily Hough '11 and Alessia Viscomi '11 were both named to the first team four straight years from 2007-2010.
Bandrup was the stingiest keeper in the conference in league matches, posting a .879 save mark to lead the NEWMAC in 11 conference contests. The senior also registered a sparkling 1.19 goals against average in conference games to rank fifth overall and third among keepers with 900 or more minutes played. Bandrup averaged 8.55 saves per outing in league play to place second and recorded four shutouts to stand second in the league in conference play. For the season, against all opponents, the Poway High School product finished just three minutes shy of topping the league with 1674:11, while ranking second with a .864 save mark and third with a 1.23 goals against average. Bandrup recorded five blank sheets for the second-most and stopped 7.68 shots to rank third in the NEWMAC. To punctuate just how difficult it was to score against the Economics and Italian major, Bandrup registered 146 saves to rank 24th in NCAA Division III and, among the 84 keepers in Division III with 100 or more saves, the Quad-Captain had the fifth-highest save percentage in the nation. Bandrup was named NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week twice during the season and recorded double-digit saves on four occasions, including a season-high of 13 twice. She turned in a pair of nine-save shutouts as well during the season.
For her career, the West Coast native became just the second goalie in program history with more than 500 saves with 503, while standing fifth with 5987:49 minutes played, sixth with 14 shutouts, seventh with 27 victories and ninth with a .843 save percentage to go with a 1.41 goals against average in 68 matches.
Thomas earns Second Team accolades for the second straight season. The junior back was extremely versatile for the Lyons, starting all 19 matches in the backfield as well as the midfield. A graduate of Goffstown High School, Thomas ranked fourth on the team with six points, two goals and a pair of assists and was credited with the game-winning tally in a 5-2 win over Springfield College on October 15. The Biochemistry major contributed to a defense that ranked fifth in the conference with a 1.57 goals against average, while limiting opponents to one or fewer markers on 10 occasions.
A team Captain, Thomas has started 54 of 55 games in her three years at Wheaton, while racking up 12 points on four goals and four assists.
Roche enjoyed a breakout season that saw her net 10 goals to place third among NEWMAC leaders, while also placing fourth with 24 total points. The Maynard High School graduate tallied four game-winning strikes to stand second in the league, while starting all 19 games for the Lyons. The Business major was one of the most reliable point-scorers on the team, notching at least one point in more than half of the team's games with either an assist or a goal and netted one or more goals in nine different contests. The Captain strung together a pair of three-game goal-scoring streaks during the season and racked up a career-high five points with two goals and an assist vs. Springfield.
Roche overcame injuries in the early part of her career to become a valuable offensive threat for Wheaton in her final two seasons. The senior finished her career with 17 goals and four assists to give her 38 points, while getting the starting nod in 48 of 64 matches.
Rafferty becomes the first Lyon rookie to earn All-Conference recognition since Hannah Lepordo '21 in 2017. The midfielder was instrumental in Wheaton's success on set pieces as the team's primary server on corner kicks. The Westerly High School product led the team with five assists and ranked sixth among conference leaders in the category. Rafferty started all 19 matches and was counted on to shut down the opponents' top players in the midfield throughout the season. The Elementary Education major's offensive production proved extremely valuable to the Lyons' success, given the team's 4-0 record in matches that she notched at least on point in.
Wheaton finished the season with an 11-8 overall record, including 6-5 in conference play to establish its highest overall victory count since 2018 and the most league wins since 2017. The Lyons captured the number five seed in the NEWMAC Championship Tournament and came away with a 3-1 upset over host and number four seed Babson College on November 4 to advance to the tournament semifinals.
