Kim Little returned to the NWSL for her second season and had another banner year. The midfielder scored 10 goals and tallied a league high seven assists as Reign FC’s offense, more time than not, started or ended with Little.
Sitting just in front of Little was Beverly Yanez, who always knew how to get into the right place at the right time. Yanez returned to Reign FC after being on loan during the 2014 season and finished the year with 9 regular season goals and adding another during the semi-final. Yanez was a pivotal piece to a Reign FC’s league leading 41 goals scored throughout the regular season.
Lauren Barnes cemented Reign FC’s backline for a third straight season, bolstering a defense that only allowed 21 goals during the regular season. She played every minute for Seattle this season (20 games, 20 starts) for a total of 1800 minutes. Barnes also had an uncanny ability to drop a ball on a dime, as seen in the two assists she provided during the season. Additionally, Barnes also tallied her first NWSL career goal to help Reign FC grab a crucial road point early on in the season.
Keelin Winters continued to be a force for Reign FC as the defensive midfielder’s strong presence on the pitch enabled the team to fire on all cylinders. Paired nicely with fellow midfielder Jess Fishlock, Winters squashed opponents ability to attack while quickly jumpstarting Reign FC’s offense time and time again.
In addition to her team MVP award, Little also earned Goal of the Season for a tally she scored against the Houston Dash on August 21. We’re sure you remember it, but we’ll refresh your memory.
With two goals on the night already, Little received a pass at the top of the box before moving through a swarm of Dash defenders and chipping her shot over the goalkeeper.
Not only did it complete her first-ever NWSL hat-trick, but it was a beauty of a goal that showed once more how good Little is at soccer. ;)
And last but not least, the team also voted on the player who was Best on Social Media and that award went to the one and only Haley Kopmeyer. All season long, Kopmeyer utilized Twitter and Instagram to give fans an inside scoop on the daily. In fact, she was so much fun that we even had her takeover the Reign FC Instagram and Snapchat as well. Here’s one of our favorites on the season.
