November 18, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Portland Thorns FC News Release
PORTLAND, Oregon – Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith has been named to the National Women’s Soccer League’s Best XI, presented by Amazon Prime. The award marks Smith’s third consecutive naming to the Best XI.
Despite missing matches this season due to injury, Smith finished the 2024 regular season with the third most goals scored in the NWSL, netting 12 goals in 20 matches, surpassing her 2023 Golden Boot record. Additionally, her six assists are tied for the third most in the league, giving her a combined 18 goal contributions this year.
The Portland Thorns recorded a 6-3-1 record in games Smith contributed to a goal. Five of Smith’s matches had multiple goal contributions, including two goals and an assist in a 3-2 win over Bay FC, as well as three assists and a goal in the 4-0 victory over Seattle Reign. The two goals against Bay FC marked her 10th multiple-goal game, the third most in league history
This year Smith became just the third player in league history to record three 15 plus goal contribution seasons, joining Sam Kerr and Lynn Williams. She also became the fifth player in league history to score more than 10 goals from outside the 18-yard-box.
Smith made history during the team’s six-game win streak, recording six goals and five assists across five matches, setting a record for the most goal contributions in a five match period. And on April 20, after adding a goal and an assist in the 4-1 win over Houston Dash, Smith became the youngest player in league history to record 50 goal contributions, doing so at 23 years and 254 days old.
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