Girma Named NWSL Rookie of the Month, Earns Spot on Best XI for September and October
October 14, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – San Diego Wave FC News Release
San Diego – The National Women’s Soccer League has announced San Diego Wave Fútbol Club defender Naomi Girma as Rookie of the Month for September and October, presented by Ally, as voted by the NWSL Media Association. Additionally, for the fourth time this season, the rookie was named to the NWSL Best XI, presented by Mastercard.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, Girma has shown veteran-like qualities all season for the third-place San Diego. Girma has played every available minute this season, tallying 19 games, 19 starts and 1710 minutes played.
In the month of September, the defender played four matches, recording four starts and 360 minutes played. Girma represented Wave FC as the captain for the first time on Sept. 30th against NC Courage, leading San Diego to a clean sheet and a third-place finish in the 2022 NWSL Regular Season.
The San Jose native anchored a Wave defense en route to a 1-1-2 record (4 points), clinching a playoff spot as the first expansion team to ever reach this feat in NWSL history. Girma had an 82 percent passing accuracy, with 20 clearances, 5 blocks and 2 interceptions in September. Her impressive month went beyond the NWSL, as Girma appeared for the USWNT in their friendly against Nigeria in Washington D.C. on Sept. 6th, helping the stars and stripes to a 2-1 win. The center defender also made a start for the USA at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 7th in a friendly against England.
San Diego Wave FC looks to become the first expansion franchise to win the NWSL Championship in their inaugural campaign when they face No. 6 seed Chicago in the quarterfinals Sunday, October 16 at Snapdragon Stadium. The match, set for a 10 p.m. ET kickoff, will air live on CBS Sports Network and internationally on the NWSL’s Twitch channel.
After selling out Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 17, with 32,000 fans, the club looks to pack out the stadium again with tickets for Oct. 16 on sale now.
The NWSL Rookie of the Month presented by Ally is selected each month of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis.
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