Eugénie Le Sommer Named NWSL Player of the Week
The National Women’s Soccer League announced today that it has named OL Reign forward Eugénie Le Sommer as the league’s Budweiser Player of the Week for her performance against Racing Louisville on Saturday, July 31 at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. Le Sommer scored her first ever NWSL and followed that up with a second, securing her first NWSL brace.
The NWSL Player of the Week is selected each week by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis. This is the second week in a row that an OL Reign player has been selected, last week being Tziarra King.
Le Sommer was the standout player of the match against Louisville, leading the team with four shots taken and three shots on target. She also worked hard to lead the aggressive OL Reign attack, known for putting the opposition back line under immense pressure. The forward won four duels in the attacking half of the field, along with two tackles and two interceptions. She connected 25 passes and crosses and gained possession for the team seven times.
In the 27th minute of the match, Le Sommer earned her first goal for the Reign when she received a ball from fellow Olympique Lyonnais loanee Dzsenifer Marozsán. Le Sommer displayed her world-class footwork when she dribbled the ball into the box, changing direction multiple times in a sequence that left the Louisville defender on the ground and the ball in the back of the net.
In the 43rd minute Dani Weatherholt connected with Jess Fishlock who played Le Sommer a perfectly placed through ball. Le Sommer dribbled past the Louisville defense and beat their goalkeeper to earn her second NWSL goal and second goal of the match.
The talented forward on loan to OL Reign from Olympique Lyonnais has played in seven matches since joining the Reign in June, starting six of those matches. In her 531 minutes of playing time, she earned two goals and one assist and taken 20 shots, making her way to into the OL Reign season leaders list in all three categories.
“Brilliant goals like the ones Eugénie scored lift everyone. Goals like that change the attitude of the game; It shifts the momentum. When it is such a good goal like that, it lifts everyone up and we really came alive because of it,” said interim head coach Same Laity.
Le Sommer is the third OL Reign player to win the Player of the Week award this year. This is her first time receiving this award.