Vote for Reign FC in the NWSL End of Season Awards

The National Women’s Soccer League has nominated four members of Reign FC for its annual end of season awards, the league announced today. Bethany Balcer, Lauren Barnes, Casey Murphy and Vlatko Andonovski have all been nominated for their outstanding seasons.

Fans can cast their votes on the NWSL website for who they think should win. The votes will be tallied using a weighted scale, broken down by players (40%), owners, general managers and coaches (20%), media members (20%) and fans (20%). The winners will be revealed in the days leading up to the NWSL Championship on Sunday, October 27.

Bethany Balcer has been nominated for the NWSL Rookie of the Year award. Balcer leads all rookies in scoring with six goals and has added two assists. She is the only Reign FC player to appear in all 24 of the club’s matches this season, having taken 69 shots across her 1,700 minutes on the pitch. 

The forward, who has drawn praise from teammates and coaches for her attacking play, also scored the first goal in club history at Cheney Stadium, helping the club to a 1-1 draw against the Orlando Pride on April 21.

Centerback Lauren Barnes has been nominated for the NWSL Defender of the Year award. The seven-year NWSL veteran had a stellar year on the back line for Reign FC, playing the full 90 in all 23 of her starts. Barnes conceded eight fouls in 2,070 minutes on the pitch while winning 71.4 percent of her tackles. 

Barnes was named the Defender of the Year in 2016 and made the NWSL Best XI in 2015 and 2016. The centerback was also named to the NWSL Second XI in 2014.

Casey Murphy has been nominated for the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year award. Murphy, who signed with the club on May 15, made her debut 12 days later in a 2-1 win over the North Carolina Courage. Murphy has played every minute in goal since then, making 93 saves and keeping six clean sheets. The keeper finished the season with a 1.11 goals against average.

Murphy was previously named the Division 1 Féminine Goalkeeper of the Year in 2018 while playing with Montpellier in France.

Vlatko Andonovski has been nominated for the NWSL Coach of the Year award. Using 31 different players, Andonovski helped guide Reign FC to an 10-6-8 finish to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Andonovski was named Coach of the Year in 2013 with FC Kansas City.

Click here to cast your vote for the NWSL end of season awards.