CARY, N.C. – Carolina RailHawks captain Brad Rusin has been named the NASL Defensive Player of the Week for Week 13, the league announced on Tuesday.

This is the third time this season Rusin has earned the award.

“I couldn’t be happier to receive this award,” Rusin said. “I want to thank my teammates and coaches who made it easy for me to perform. I give all the credit to them.”

Rusin led a defensive effort in Sunday's 2-0 win over Montreal that held the Impact to just three shots on goal en route to the team’s fifth shutout of the season. With the clean sheet, the RailHawks lowered their league-leading goals against average to 0.786.

“Brad has consistently performed at a high level since he’s been with us, and Sunday’s game was just another example of that,” said RailHawks coach Martin Rennie. “He’s a tremendously gifted defender and I am happy that does not go unnoticed."

The first-place RailHawks (12-1-1) lead the NASL by 13 points. They are on the road for their next two matches – at Minnesota on Saturday and at Edmonton on July 13 – before returning home to WakeMed Soccer Park on July 23 to face Edmonton at 7 p.m.