CHICAGO – Portland Thorns FC goalkeeper Adrianna Franch was voted the National Women’s Soccer League goalkeeper of the year, the league announced Wednesday.
Franch, 26, made 80 saves and posted a league-best 0.83 goals-against average while helping the Thorns to 47 points during the regular season with a 14-5-5 record before she and her teammates went on to claim the NWSL crown with two playoff victories – including a 1-0 victory against the North Carolina Courage in the final.
The Salina, Kansas native was one of six players that did not miss a single minute during the year as she set a NWSL season record with 11 shutouts, breaking the mark of 10 set by FC Kansas City keeper 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.