CARY, N.C. – Carolina RailHawks forward Etienne Barbara and defender Brad Rusin have been named the NASL Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for Week 8, the league announced Monday.

Barbara had two assists in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Atlanta at WakeMed Soccer Park, while Rusin led the backline to its second straight shutout.

“Saturday was a good team performance,” said RailHawks coach Martin Rennie. “It’s good for Etienne that he’s being recognized for his contributions and the two assists that helped us win the game. And Brad was instrumental along with the rest of the players in securing our second clean sheet in a row. Both Brad and Etienne, along with everyone in the team, are competing at a high level and it’s encouraging to see them get rewarded for it.”

This is the fourth time this season Barbara has been selected as Offensive Player of the Week, and the second time for Rusin as Defensive Player of the Week.

Though Barbara’s eight-game goal scoring streak ended on Saturday night, he set up both of the RailHawks goals. He floated a ball through the area in the 81st minute for Pablo Campos to finish with a diving header, then spotted Allan Russell streaking through the area for the insurance goal in stoppage time. 

Barbara leads the league in goals (11), assists (five) and points (27).

Rusin anchored a RailHawks defense that gave Atlanta little opportunity to score a goal. Outside of looks in the fifth and 16th minutes, the Silverbacks were unable to find a way through. After missing the season opener, Rusin has played every minute of the RailHawks’ last eight matches and helped it post a 0.88 goals against average.

With Saturday’s win, the RailHawks (7-1-1) opened up a nine-point lead in the NASL table. They are unbeaten over their last eight matches and have won a franchise record five straight. They have scored a league-best 20 goals while conceding only eight, tied for second fewest in the league.

The RailHawks are away from WakeMed Soccer Park the next two weeks, with trips to Tampa Bay on Saturday and Edmonton on June 10. They’ll return home on June 18 to face Tampa Bay at 7 p.m. For ticket information, call the Carolina RailHawks box office at 919-859-5425 or visit CarolinaRailHawks.com.