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OL Reign Midfielder Jessica Fishlock Named 2021 NWSL Most Valuable Player Presented by Budweiser

November 16, 2021 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) News Release


CHICAGO - The National Women's Soccer League announced today OL Reign midfielder Jessica Fishlock has been named the 2021 NWSL Most Valuable Player, presented by Budweiser.

A mainstay in the Reign's midfield since the NWSL's inception in 2013, the MVP award marks Fishlock's first individual NWSL award.

"If you speak to most people around the league and ask the coaches if they could take one player from our team, it would always be [Jess]," said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey. "I think that's just a compliment of what she's always brought to this team. The journey that she's been on to get to this point has been phenomenal. I'm glad that she's getting some recognition that she deserves."

A veteran, versatile midfielder for OL Reign, Fishlock was integral in her team's success during the regular season, appearing in over 1,800 minutes of play. In 21 starts, the Welsh star tallied five goals, including one game winner, and four assists, while registering a stout passing accuracy of 76.4 percent and providing 47 key passes across 23 games.

Beginning her scoring efforts with a goal in OL Reign's June 16 match against the North Carolina Courage, Fishlock's offensive output this season was highlighted by a three-game scoring tear from July 24 to August 8. The midfielder kicked off the streak with a game-winning goal in OL Reign's 2-0 win over the Orlando Pride. The midfielder followed up the next week with an assist in the team's 2-0 victory against Racing Louisville FC, before enjoying her most productive performance of the season with a goal and two assists in the Reign's 5-1 rout of the Houston Dash.

Fishlock also provided the key pass on the opening goal of a 2-1 win over Cascadia rival Portland Thorns FC on August 29 and tallied a brace to fuel the Reign's 3-2 win over the Chicago Red Stars on October 10.

On top of her efforts in the final third, this year's MVP proved to be an essential component in the Reign's defense as well, winning 63 percent of tackles and providing 13 clearances and 21 interceptions. Fishlock put her defensive skills on full display on October 16 when she provided heroics against the Washington Spirit with a goal line clearance. The save went on to earn her Save of the Week honors.

In addition to the league's top accolade, Fishlock will receive a cash bonus from Budweiser to celebrate her efforts on the pitch this season.

Chicago forward Mallory Pugh finished second in MVP voting, while NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Margaret Purce was third, Washington striker Ashley Hatch was fourth and Portland Thorns FC midfielder Angela Salem was fifth.

The list of five finalists was decided after a preliminary round of voting by owners, general managers, coaches, players and media. The finalists were then voted on by fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players and media.

Voting Breakdown:

Preliminary Round: Owners/GMs/Coaches (25%), Media (25%) and Players (50%)

Final Round: Players (50%), Owners/GMs/Coaches (20%), Media (20%) and Fans (10%),

Full list of NWSL MVPs

2013: Lauren Holiday, FC Kansas City

2014: Kim Little, Seattle Reign FC

2015: Crystal Dunn, Washington Spirit

2016: Lynn Williams, Western New York Flash

2017: Sam Kerr, Sky Blue FC

2018: Lindsey Horan, Portland Thorns FC

2019: Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars

2021: Jessica Fishlock, OL Reign

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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