San Diego Wave FC and the National Women’s Soccer League have announced the finalists for the 2023 NWSL Awards, including Most Valuable Player, Defender of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Three members of the team, in fact, are nominated for the same awards they won last year.
The awards are voted upon in two rounds, and fans have the opportunity to participate online through 9 a.m. PST Friday.
Naomi Girma, 23, a finalist for both MVP and Defender of the Year, has been a stalwart on the Wave’s backline in her sophomore campaign. She has started 19 games, while helping the club earn a league-leading nine clean sheets. She is the reigning NWSL Defender and Rookie of the Year.
Kailen Sheridan, 28, the reigning NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, is up for the same award this season. The Canadian national also has started 19 matches this season and finished the regular season with a career-high and league-leading nine clean sheets.
Head Coach Casey Stoney earned Coach of the Year honors last season as San Diego was the first-ever NWSL expansion side to make the playoffs. To follow up the club’s inaugural season records, Stoney led the Wave to the NWSL Shield in 2023, while earning the most wins in league play, 11.
In the preliminary round of voting, players, owners, general managers, coaches and the media cast ballots to determine the finalists. The preliminary round used a weighted scale, broken down by players (50%), owners/GMs/coaches (25%) and media (25%).
The other finalists in the categories with Wave players:
- Most Valuable Player: Girma, Sam Coffey (Portland), Debinha (Kansas City), Kerolin (North Carolina), Sophia Smith (Portland)
- Defender of the Year: Girma, Sarah Gorden (Angel City), Ali Krieger (Gotham), Kaleigh Kurtz (North Carolina), Sam Staab (Washington)
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Sheridan, Jane Campbell (Houston), Katie Lund (Louisville)
- Coach of the Year: Stoney, Juan Carlos Amorós (Gotham), Becki Tweed (Angel City)
