Adriana Franch Voted Goalkeeper of the Year With Stellar NWSL League-Best Record
Portland Thorns FC goalkeeper Adrianna Franch was voted the National Women’s Soccer League Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2017 NWSL season.
Adriana Franch, 26, made 80 saves and posted a league-best 0.83 goals against average while helping the Portland Thorns to 47 points during the regular season with a 14-5-5 record before she and her teammates went on to claim the 2017 NWSL Championship with a pair of playoff victories – including a 1-0 victory against the North Carolina Courage in the title match.
The Salina, Kansas native was one of six players that did not miss a single minute during the year as she set a new NWSL single-season record for shutouts with 11 clean sheets – breaking the previous mark of 10 shutouts established by FC Kansas City goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart in 2013.
The record-setting effort by Franch came as part of an overall defensive performance by Portland that was among the best in NWSL history as the Thorns tied the single-season record set by the 2014 Seattle Reign FC with a 0.83 GAA.
Seven of the shutouts recorded by the Oklahoma State product came at Providence Park this season as Portland tied the single-season league record for home shutouts – a performance in front of their own fans that enabled the Thorns to post the second-best home record in league history (2.58 points per game) as they became the first team to tally 10 home victories in a season. List of NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year winners:
Year Player Club
2013 Nicole Barnhart FC Kansas City
2014 Alyssa Naeher Boston Breakers
2015 Michelle Betos Portland Thorns FC
2016 Ashlyn Harris Orlando Pride
2017 Adrianna Franch Portland Thorns FC
