UCLA sophomore defender Lilly Reale has been selected as one of four finalists for the Class of 2023 Honda Sport Award for Soccer, as announced Tuesday by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
A two-year starter for the Bruins, Reale helped lead UCLA to the 2022 NCAA Championship with an unprecedented comeback from a two-goal deficit in the final 10 minutes of the game. UCLA went on to best host North Carolina in overtime, 3-2, to capture the program’s second NCAA title. Reale, who also keyed the Bruins’ semifinal shutout win over Alabama, was named the College Cup’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Reale earned second-team All-America honors in 2022 and is a two-time first-team All-Region and All-Pac-12 honoree. She was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year this season, joining World Cup champion Abby Dahlkemper as the only two Bruins to win the conference award. Reale started and played in 24 of 25 games this season, missing only the season opener due to her participation in the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup. She led the Bruin defense to a 0.55 goals against average, UCLA’s lowest in eight years, and to a Pac-12 Conference-best 14 shutouts. On the offensive end, Reale scored one goal, the game-winner in the Bruins’ 1-0 victory over Washington State, and assisted on the game-winner at Oregon State. She led all UCLA field players in minutes played with 2,043.
Reale had an outstanding freshman campaign in 2021, starting in 19 games and ranking second amongst UCLA field players in minutes played with 1,683. She contributed to nine shutouts and scored one goal and one assist. Reale earned first-team All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-12 honors and was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Freshman Best XI first team and to College Soccer News’ All-Freshman first team.
In addition to her on-field success, Reale is a standout in the classroom, earning Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators.
The Hingham, Mass. native helped lead the U.S. Under-20 National Team to first-place finishes at the Concacaf U-20 Championship and at the Sud Ladies Cup.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 47 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of…
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