History of the NWSL Shield

13 October 2023By: NWSL Editor

Since the NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013, the league has awarded the NWSL Shield to the team with the best record in the regular season. This season, no team can clinch the Shield until the final match week for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in league history. Portland Thorns FC and San Diego Wave FC remain in contention for the Shield.2023 marks the 10th NWSL Shield to be awarded, with four teams earning the award across nine seasons (no regular season was played in 2020). The Western New York Flash won the 2013 NWSL Shield in the league’s first season, finishing with a 10-4-8 record. The next two Shields were earned by OL Reign, known as Seattle Reign FC at the time, followed by the first Shield for Portland Thorns FC in 2016. The next three Shields were won by the North Carolina Courage, who finished with a 16-7-1 record in their first NWSL season in 2017 and won back-to-back NWSL Championships in 2018 and 2019. After a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Shield returned in 2021, with the Portland Thorns winning the award for the second time with a 13-6-5 record. In 2022, OL Reign won their third Shield, tying the North Carolina Courage for most Shields won by a single club. The North Carolina Courage in 2018 and 2019 are the only team to win the Championship and Shield in the same season. The Shield winner has lost in the Championship four times, including in the league’s first three seasons, and lost in the semifinal three times, including each of the last two seasons. Below is a history of NWSL Shield winners:

2013 – Western New York Flash (38 points, 10-4-8)

The first NWSL Shield was presented to the Western New York Flash, whose +16 goal differential was the best among the three teams that finished the season with 38 points. Western NY led the league in goals scored (36) and allowed the least number of goals (20). The Flash were led by forward Abby Wambach, who finished second in the league in goals (11) and assists (8), while rookie keeper AD Franch anchored the defense with seven shutouts and a 0.91 goals against average in 22 matches. Teenage forward Sam Kerr had an impressive season, finishing with six goals and five assists. Wambach earned Best XI honors in the league’s first season alongside defender Brittany Taylor, while Franch was named to the Second XI. The Flash defeated Sky Blue FC in the semifinal, but they lost 2-0 to Portland Thorns FC in the Championship.

2014 – Seattle Reign FC (54 points, 16-2-6)

Seattle Reign FC dominated the 2014 regular season under the guidance of Coach of the Year Laura Harvey, finishing with 16 wins, and setting a league undefeated streak record to start the season (13-0-3). The Reign's then-record 50 goals were the most in the league, with Western NY Flash netting the next highest total at 42. Midfielder Kim Little led the Reign’s potent offense in her first season in NWSL, winning Golden Boot and MVP honors with a league-leading 16 goals and finishing second in assists (7). Midfielder Jess Fishlock’s career-high eight assists led the league, while forward Nahomi Kawasumi finished in the top 10 in both goals (9) and assists (5). The trio of Little, Fishlock and Kawasumi all earned Best XI honors, along with defender Kendall Fletcher, who anchored the top defense in the league — allowing just 20 goals — with keeper Hope Solo recording five clean sheets, the third most in the league. Solo earned Second XI honors, joined by defenders Lauren Barnes and Steph Cox. The Reign defeated the Washington Spirit 2-1 in the semifinal in the club’s first playoff appearance but fell to FC Kansas City in the Championship.

2015 – Seattle Reign FC (43 points, 13-3-4)

The Reign cruised to their second consecutive Shield, finishing the season as the only side with double- digit wins, and Laura Harvey became the first coach to win multiple Coach of the Year honors. Harvey’s squad once again boasted the best offense in the league, scoring 41 goals, nine more than any other club. Kim Little tied for second in the Golden Boot race with 10 goals while forward Bev Yanez finished fifth with nine goals, followed by Jess Fishlock with eight. Little led the league with seven assists, tying a career high, with teammates Megan Rapinoe (5) and Steph (4) both finishing in the top six. Little, Fishlock and Yanez all earned Best XI honors along with defender Lauren Barnes. The Reign’s defense boasted a 1.05 goals against average, the second-best average in the league, earning Second XI honors for Steph Cox and Kendall Fletcher, who were joined by Rapinoe and Reign captain Keelin Winters. Their 2015 campaign ended in familiar fashion, however — defeating the Spirit in the semifinal before falling to FC Kansas City in the Championship.

2016 – Portland Thorns FC (41 points, 12-3-5)

Portland Thorns FC won their first NWSL Shield in 2016 with three players finishing in the league’s top 10 in goals. In her first season with the club, forward Nadia Nadim led the Thorns with nine goals, tied for fourth most in the league, while forward Allie Long and team captain Christine Sinclair each scored six Forward Tobin Heath led the league with 10 assists, which remains an NWSL single-season record. The Thorns had the highest goal differential in the league (+16), finishing with the second-highest goal total (35) and the least goals allowed (19). Long and Heath both earned Best XI honors in 2016, along with defender Emily Menges. Keeper Michelle Betos started 14 of 20 games and recorded four clean sheets and logged a 1.14 goals against average, while AD Franch started the other six games, allowing just three goals and recording three shutouts. The Thorns started the season red hot, going undefeated through their first 12 games, including a 2-0 win against eventual champions Western New York Flash and a 4-1 win over runner-up Washington Spirit. However, Portland’s 2016 campaign ended in the semifinal, where they lost to the Flash 4-3 in extra time.

2017 – North Carolina Courage (49 points, 16-7-1)

The relocated-from-Western-New-York-and-rebranded North Carolina Courage kicked off their first season in NWSL by winning their first four matches, including a 1-0 win against defending Shield holders Portland. Reigning MVP and Golden Boot winner Lynn Williams led the Courage with nine goals and five assists. Second overall draft pick Ashley Hatch ranked second on the team with seven goals on her way to winning Rookie of the Year. The Courage allowed the second fewest goals in the league (22), earning Abby Dahlkemper Defender of the Year honors. Dahlkemper made the Best XI team alongside Courage midfielders Sam Mewis and McCall Zerboni, while keeper Katelyn Rowland and defender Abby Erceg both earned Second XI honors. Rowland allowed only 12 goals in 16 games, notching a career-high eight shutouts. The Courage defeated the Chicago Red Stars 1-0 in the semifinal but lost in the Championship to the Portland Thorns.

2018 – North Carolina Courage (54 points, 17-1-6)

The Courage came back even stronger in 2018, going undefeated through their first 12 games. Their stellar offensive attack led the league with a record 53 goals while no other team scored more than 40. Lynn Williams led the team with 14 goals (second in the league), while Debinha and Crystal Dunn each scored eight. Forward Jess McDonald netted seven goals and led the league with eight assists. North Carolina allowed just 17 goals, setting a new league record for least goals conceded in one season, later matched by Portland in 2021. Abby Erceg won Defender of the Year, and teammates Dahlkemper, Zerboni and Dunn joined her on the Best XI list. Debinha, Williams and defender Merritt Mathias all earned Second XI honors. After defeating the Red Stars 2-0 in the semifinal, the Courage got their revenge for their 2017 loss, defeating the Portland Thorns 3-0 in the Championship, becoming the first team to win the Shield and the Championship in the same season.

2019 – North Carolina Courage (49 points, 15-5-4)

In 2019, the Courage set a new league record for goals scored (54). Lynn Williams again led the club with 12 goals, followed by Kristen Hamilton (9, including two hat tricks), Debinha (8) and Crystal Dunn (7). Five players recorded five or more assists for the Courage, including Debinha (7), defender Jaelene Hinkle (6), Mathias (5), Hamilton (5) and Williams (5). Abby Dahlkemper earned Best XI honors for the third consecutive season, while Dunn, Erceg and Hamilton all earned Second XI honors. The Courage became the first team to earn three Shields and the second to win back-to-back Championships, defeating Reign FC and the Chicago Red Stars in the playoffs.

2021 – Portland Thorns FC (44 points, 13-6-5)

The 2021 Portland Thorns had the league’s second highest goal total (33), led by 2020 #1 draft pick Sophia Smith, who scored seven in her first regular season. The biggest strength of this Thorns team was its defense, as they tied the record for fewest goals allowed in a season (17). Keeper Bella Bixby recorded nine clean sheets in 16 games played, allowing just 11 goals, while AD Franch allowed six goals in seven games. Midfielder Angela Salem earned Best XI honors, while Bixby made the Second XI along with defenders Emily Menges and Meghan Klingenberg and midfielder Lindsey Horan. The Thorns’ season ended with a 2-0 semifinal loss to the Red Stars, just the seventh time all year that they allowed multiple goals.

2022 – OL Reign (40 points, 11-4-7)

An 11-win 2022 regular season campaign saw OL Reign earn their third NWSL Shield and the first since rebranding as OL Reign, clinching the best record on the final weekend of the season despite not being in first place at any point during the regular season. Led by keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the Reign had the best defense in the league, allowing just 19 goals. Tullis-Joyce led the league with nine clean sheets and a 0.86 goals against average. Forwards Bethany Balcer and Megan Rapinoe both finished in the top 10 with seven goals each, while Rapinoe and defender Sofia Huerta each finished with four assists, tied for fifth in the league. OL Reign’s strong defensive season earned Huerta Best XI honors along with defender Alana Cook. Rapinoe made Second XI alongside long-time teammate Jess Fishlock and midfielder Rose Lavelle. The Reign’s Shield-winning season once again ended short of a title, as the Kansas City Current knocked them out of the playoffs in the semifinal.

The 2023 NWSL Shield will be awarded to the team with the best record following the first ever CarMax NWSL Decision Day on Sunday, October 15. If two teams tie in points, the first tiebreaker is goal differential.For full standings, see here.