Winthrop men’s soccer goalkeeper Guilherme Avelar, formerly a star at Peninsula College, was named the Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Nov. 4.

Avelar, a junior, tied his career-high of eight saves to record his third shutout of the season and help the Eagles remain in the hunt for a spot in the Big South Conference Championship.

Because of an injury, Avelar had not seen any action since leaving in the first half of the game at High Point on Oct. 19.

He is now 8-3-1 on the year with a 1.10 goals against average, third best in the Big South.