OL Reign’s Jess Fishlock Named NWSL’s 2021 Player of the Year

With the championship match of the National Women’s Soccer League only a few days away CBS, the tournament has begun to award year-end awards. On Tuesday, CV Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock was named the NWSL Player of the Year for 2021.

The list of finalists is decided after a preliminary round of voting by owners, general managers, coaches, players and the media. Fishlock was one of five finalists for the award alongside Angela Salem (Portland Thorns FC), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars), Ashely Hatch (Washington Spirit) and Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC).

Pugh took second place in the vote, followed by Purce, Hatch and Salem. The finalists are determined through a preliminary round of voting by owners, general managers, coaches, players and the media. The finalist teams are then voted on by fans (10%), owners, general managers, coaches (20%), media (20%) and players (50%). .

Welsh International has been in the Reign franchise since its first season and has won two NWSL shields and three semi-finals in that span. The longtime midfielder has made 24 appearances (22 appearances) in 2021, scoring five goals and four assists. Her efforts on the pitch yielded different attacking looks and her ability to win the ball in the middle of the park helped spearhead the attack as she averaged 4.7 passes into the box every 90 minutes, coming second in the tournament behind Thorn’s Meghan Klingenberg.

Let’s take a look at some of the best Fishlock highlights in 2021:

Create a photo from a distance

Fishlock has produced some notable goals this year. She impressed in production early in the season when the team was struggling, losing five of her first eight games.

A leader on and off the field

Her leadership is perhaps most outstanding for both the team on and off the pitch. The team went through a coach change in the middle of the season and struggled to win together. In July, the appearance of finally Coach of the Year at NWSL 2021 Laura Harvey helped provide a spark.

At the end of the season as the club were still hunting for the 2021 NWSL shield and trying to close a playoff first leg to advance to the semi-finals, Fishlock still produced for the team in front of goal.

The remaining awards

The League has two individual awards left to announce for the rest of the week: Rookie of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year. Prizes are expected to be rolled out during the build-up of the NWSL Championship on November 20th CBS.