NWSL Defender of the Year

2022 and 2023 winner Naomi Girma

The NWSL Defender of the Year award is presented annually to the best defensive player in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Becky Sauerbrunn won the first three Defender of the Year awards from 2013 to 2015 and added her fourth in 2019. The most recent winner and only other multiple-time winner is Naomi Girma (2022, 2023).

As of 2023, the Defender of the Year award is voted upon in two rounds: in the first round, players (50%), owners/general managers/coaches (25%), and media (25%) vote to determine the nominees; in the second round, players (50%), owners/general managers/coaches (20%), media (20%), and fans (10%) vote among the nominees to determine the winner.[1]

  1. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Announces 2023 NWSL Award Finalists, Opens Final Voting Round". National Women's Soccer League. October 24, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2024.