2016 NWSL Playoffs Set New Records
With the WNY Flash crowned NWSL Champions, the 2016 playoffs set new records as one of the most exciting postseason runs to date. The Flash tallied the most goals by a team in a playoff run, while Washington Spirit forward Crystal Dunn scored the fastest goal in the history of the NWSL Playoffs during the final.
NWSL Soccer News: Following the conclusion of the 2016 Playoffs, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) takes an inside look at the numbers from all three playoff games.
Below is a unique look into the NWSL by the Numbers – 2016 Playoffs:
0 – Minutes led by the Western New York Flash in the 2016 NWSL Championship Game before they went on to hoist the championship trophy following a 3-2 penalty shootout victory. The Flash played out a 2-2 draw with the Washington Spirit during regulation.
0 – The number of NWSL Shield winners to go on and also claim the NWSL Championship in the same campaign. Prior to 2016, the three shield winners all made the final before Portland Thorns FC became the first club with the league’s best regular-season record not to make the NWSL Championship when they suffered a 4-3 loss in extra time to the WNY Flash in the semifinals.
1 – The number of No. 4 seeds to win the NWSL Championship after the WNY Flash became the first club to do so in the fourth season of the league’s existence.
2 – Goals scored by Washington Spirit forward Crystal Dunn in the 2016 NWSL Championship Game – tying the NWSL postseason single-match record. The 2015 NWSL MVP became the fourth player to score two goals in a game – Carli Lloyd (with the WNY Flash in 2013), Amy Rodriguez (with FC Kansas City in 2014 and 2015), Lynn Williams (with the WNY Flash in 2016) and Dunn (with the Washington Spirit in 2016).
3 – Saves made my WNY Flash goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo in the penalty shootout of the 2016 NWSL Championship. The Canada international concluded a successful summer that saw her win a bronze medal with her national team at the Rio Olympics, the 2016 NWSL Championship and the 2016 NWSL Championship MVP after she stopped penalties by Washington Spirit players Ali Krieger, Victoria Huster and Diana Matheson.
3 – The number of games that went to extra time in the 2016 NWSL Playoffs – every match of the postseason.
4 – Goals scored by the WNY Flash in a 4-3 overtime victory against Portland Thorns FC in the semifinals of the 2016 NWSL Playoffs – a single-game postseason NWSL record.
5 – Players converted their penalties in the first penalty shootout in NWSL history: Abby Dahlkemper, Jaelene Hinkle and Lynn Williams converted for the WNY Flash, while Christine Nairn and Katie Stengel scored for the Spirt.
6 – Goals scored by the WNY Flash during the 2016 NWSL Playoffs – the most by a club in a single postseason in NWSL history.
6 – Goals scored in extra time during the 2016 NWSL Playoffs (WNY Flash 3, Washington Spirit 2, and Portland Thorns FC 1).
9 – The minute Washington Spirit forward Crystal Dunn scored her first goal in the 2016 NWSL Championship – the fastest goal in the history of the NWSL Playoffs, three minutes faster than the 12th-minute goals by FC Kansas City midfielder Erika Tymrak against Portland Thorns FC in 2013 and FC Kansas City forward Amy Rodriguez against the Chicago Red Stars in 2015.
38 – Total goals scored in NWSL postseason history after the 14 scored during the 2016 NWSL Playoffs – the most in a single postseason and twice as many as the 2015 playoffs. (FC Kansas City 10, Portland Thorns FC 8, WNY Flash 8, Seattle Reign FC 6, Washington Spirit 5, Chicago Red Stars 1, Sky Blue FC 0).
124 – The minute in which WNY Flash forward Lynn Williams scored the game-tying goal during extra time to send the 2016 NWSL Championship to penalties. The goal was the first scored by a reigning NWSL MVP in the league’s title game.
Photo Credit: National Women’s Soccer League
Images: ISI Photo/ NWSL
