Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch Tuesday was named the recipient of the 2021 NWSL Golden Boot, finishing as the league’s top scorer in the regular season with 10 goals in 20 match.
Earning her first top scoring honor, Hatch’s 10 goals this season were a career best since she joined the league in 2017. Notably, her league-leading scoring tear included two braces and two game-winning goals. In matches where Hatch scored, the Spirit went undefeated (6-0-2).
The Golden Boot marked Hatch’s second individual league award after she was named the NWSL rookie of the year after recording seven goals and one assist as a member of the North Carolina Courage during the 2017 season.
Three forwards, including Bethany Balcer (OL Reign), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash) and Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC), finished second behind Hatch in the scoring race with nine goals apiece.
Hatch will look to add more hardware to her collection when third-seeded Washington begin its playoff run against No. 6 seed North Carolina Sunday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed live on Paramount+ and internationally on the NWSL’s Twitch Channel.
