WILLIAMTOWN, Mass. — Senior back and captain Lilly Wellenbach of West Bath has been named the National Defensive Player of the Year by D3Soccer.com and to the All-American First Team.

Junior midfielder Mai Matsuyama earned recognition as a Third Team All- American.

Wellenbach and Mitsuyama were key figures in leading Williams College to a 21- 2-1 record and a second-place finish at the NCAA Division III championship — the highest finish in school history and a school record for wins in a season.

In her first appearance as a D3soccer.com All-American, Wellenbach earned the D3soccer.com Defender of the Year award.

With Wellenbach anchoring the backfield, Williams limited opponents to 3.2 shots-on-goal per game. The Williams defense logged 17 shutouts, fifth most nationally, and allowed just 10 goals in 24 matches, which translated to a 0.40 goalsagainst average, 10th-best nationally.

“It is so wonderful to see Lilly recognized by those outside our program this year as being as impactful as we’ve always known her to be,” said Eph head coach Michelyne Pinard. “In addition to being one of the best pure athletes we’ve ever had, she has been an invaluable tactician for our team, with her ability to be a coach on the field and problem solve in the moment.”

Wellenbach and her teammates on the Eph backline did not allow a goal in 200 minutes of play in the NCAA Division III semifinals and the championship match against high-scoring Johns Hopkins University and Lynchburg College.