Women’s Nominees for the 2016 Canada Soccer Player Awards

Canada Soccer has announced the list of nominees for the 2016 Canada Soccer Player Awards, with voting open today for both media and coaches. At the top of the list are the nominees for the 2016 Canadian Players of the Year award, celebrating the top male and top female footballers from the 2016 calendar year.

Voting for the 2016 Canadian Players of the Year award is split between media and coaches from coast to coast to coast across Canada. Voting is open from Monday 28 November to Thursday 8 December. This marks the 24th year since the Canada Soccer Player Awards were introduced in 1993. The Awards recognise player performances with both the national teams and their respective club teams.

Janine Beckie made her professional debut in the NWSL in 2016 with Houston Dash in her inaugural season. At the club level, she recorded three goals in 14 appearances in all competitions. At the international level, she scored a team-high nine goals and added three assists in 15 appearances.

Kadeisha Buchanan backstopped West Virginia University to the Big 12 Conference title. Through the end of November, the top-ranked team had reached the NCAA Final Four. At the college level, she recorded three goals and three assists in 23 appearances. At the international level, she made 19 appearances and recorded a team-high 1682 minutes.

Sabrina D’Angelo led Western New York Flash to their first NWSL Cup championship. At the club level, she made 11 appearances and posted one clean sheet before earning MVP honours in the championship final. At the international level, she posted one clean sheet in three appearances.

Jessie Fleming helped UCLA reach the elite eight in the NCAA competition. At the college level, she recorded 11 goals and five assists in 19 appearances as a freshman. At the international level, she recorded two goals and one assist in 15 appearances, including all six matches in her first Olympic Games.

Stephanie Labbé helped Washington Spirit reach the NWSL Cup final. At the club level, she made eight appearances and recorded four clean sheets. At the international level, she posted six clean sheets in 14 appearances, including two clean sheets at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Ashley Lawrence helped West Virginia University win the Big 12 Conference title. Through the end of November, the top-ranked team had reached the NCAA Final Four. At the college level, she recorded three goals and 10 assists in 23 appearances. At the international level, she made a team-high 20 appearances and earned player-of-the-match honours in two Olympic matches.

Diana Matheson helped Washington Spirit reach the NWSL Cup final. At the club level, she scored four goals in 14 appearances. At the international level, she made a team-high 20 appearances and scored in a 6:0 win over Trinidad and Tobago.

Sophie Schmidt helped FFC Frankfurt reach the semi-finals of the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League season. At the club level between January and November 2016, she recorded three goals in 16 appearances. At the international level, she made 19 appearances and earned player-of-the-match honours in two Olympic matches.

Desiree Scott made a return to the NWSL in 2016 with FC Kansas City. At the club level, she made 12 appearances. At the international level, she made 18 appearances and earned player-of-the-match honours in Canada’s 1:0 win over France at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Christine Sinclair helped Portland Thorns FC win the NWSL Shield. At the club level, she scored seven goals in 12 appearances, including four goals in five matches after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. At the international level, she scored seven goals and four assists in 18 appearances, including the winning goal in Canada’s 2:1 win over Brazil for the bronze medal.

Melissa Tancredi helped KIF Örebro DFF to a mid-table finish in Sweden in 2016. At the club level, she scored nine goals in 17 appearances. At the international level, she recorded five goals and two assists in 15 appearances. At the Rio 2016 Olympics, she scored a brace and earned player-of-match honours in Canada’s first-ever victory over Germany.

Shelina Zadorsky helped Washington Spirit reach the NWSL Cup final. At the club level, she made 13 appearances in her debut season in USA. At the international level, she made 18 appearances, including five in her first Olympic Games.