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NWSL Seattle Reign FC

Nielsen, Oyster, and Williams Named to NWSL Team of the Month for August

August 31, 2018 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Seattle Reign FC News Release


SEATTLE - The NWSL today announced its Team of the Month for August. Three Reign FC players, defenders Theresa Nielsen and Megan Oyster and goalkeeper Lydia Williams, all made the team after Seattle held its opponents to just one goal over five matches in August.

Reign FC went unbeaten in the month of August, clinching a playoff spot on August 21 against Houston. The trio of players named to the NWSL Team of the Month each played every minute of the team's five matches in August. Seattle put together a 3-0-2 record in those fixtures, beating Washington, Utah and Houston while collecting four clean sheets.

Nielsen, Oyster, and Williams have all been instrumental parts of Reign FC's elite defense. The club currently ranks first in the NWSL in clean sheets (12) and has allowed the fewest goals of any team in the league (16). Seattle's current 0.69 goals against average would set the record for a single NWSL season. During August, Nielsen, Oyster, and Williams helped Seattle go 519 minutes without allowing a goal (dating back to Seattle's July 21 match against Orlando), a streak that was snapped by North Carolina's Lynn Williams on August 25. The 519-minute shutout streak is the 2nd longest in NWSL history, behind the 531 minute streak set by Seattle Reign FC during the 2016 season.

Below is the entire Team of the Month for August, as announced by the National Women's Soccer League:

Goalkeeper: Lydia Williams (Seattle Reign FC)

Defenders: Taylor Comeau (Houston Dash), Abby Erceg (North Carolina Courage), Theresa Nielsen (Seattle Reign FC), Megan Oyster (Seattle Reign FC)

Midfielders: Vanessa DiBernardo (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Sofia Huerta (Houston Dash)

Forwards: Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Sam Kerr (Chicago Red Stars), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage)

Seattle (11-4-8, 41 points) sits second in the NWSL table thanks in part to an ongoing six-match unbeaten streak. The team is 7-1-4 at home and has not lost on the UW Medicine Pitch at Memorial Stadium since June 23.

Nielsen completed 65.08% of her passes and posted an 80.76% accuracy for passes in her own half across five August matches. On August 25, she scored her first NWSL goal, netting a header against the North Carolina Courage. Her first assist came in the previous match, when she set up Jodie Taylor for a goal on August 21.

Oyster also posted an assist during her stellar month of play, when she assisted Jess Fishlock on the only goal of Seattle's 1-0 win over Utah on August 11.

Williams was in net for all five matches in August, making 24 saves and allowing just one goal during the month. The Australian keeper leads all NWSL keepers in clean sheets (10) and has stopped 84.78% of shots she's faced inside the box.

Reign FC will wrap up the NWSL regular season on Friday, September 7 in a critical match against Portland Thorns FC. The match kicks off from Providence Park at 7:00 p.m. PT and will be featured on Lifetime as the NWSL Game of the Week. The winner of the game will clinch the second position in the NWSL table and will host a home semifinal playoff match.

Check out the Seattle Reign FC Statistics



National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 31, 2018


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