OL Reign Defender Shae Holmes Named to 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup All-Tournament Team
The National Women’s Soccer League today announced the 11 players named to the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup All-Tournament Team by the NWSL Media Association and the NWSL’s on-air broadcast talent. Rookie defender Shae Holmes was OL Reign’s only player named to the team and just one of two rookies in the league.
Six teams are represented in the tournament’s top 11, including four selections from Racing Louisville FC, two players from the Kansas City Current and North Carolina Courage and one each from NJ/NY Gotham FC, OL Reign and Portland Thorns FC.
To celebrate the All-Tournament Team, each athlete will receive an additional cash prize from the historic $1.1 million bonus pool from UKG for their achievements on the pitch.
Holmes, acquired by OL Reign in the 2023 NWSL Draft, played the most Challenge Cup minutes of any Reign player this season (617). She started in all seven of OL Reign’s matches, including the semifinal, and was a key factor in the Reign squad that held opponents scoreless through all six matches of the tournament’s group stage.
Through all seven matches, the first-year defender registered eight blocks and eight interceptions and landed 100% of her tackles. She connected 255 passes, two key passes and earned one shot on target.
2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup All-Tournament Team:
GK – Katie Lund (LOU): Lund recorded three consecutive clean sheets in the group play, guiding Racing to a 4-0-2 record with eight saves.
D – Jenna Nighswonger (NJNY): Nighswonger scored in back-to-back Challenge Cup matches in July, including a one-goal one-assist game in a 3-1 Gotham FC win against the Orlando Pride. The rookie finished the group play with two goals and two assists.
D – Malia Berkely (NCC): Berkely played 90 minutes in five of North Carolina’s six group play matches, scoring her first goal of the year in a 5-0 win over the Orlando Pride. Berkely displayed her defensive prowess, recording three blocks, three interceptions and six tackles won.
D – Shae Holmes (RGN): Holmes was a force defensively, recording three tackles won, seven blocks and eight interceptions across six group stage games, leading an OL Reign defense that held opponents scoreless in the group play.
D – Abby Erceg (LOU): The veteran Erceg displayed her versatility as a playmaker and defender, recording two blocks and seven interceptions and completing 273 passes across five games played.
MF – Debinha (KCC): Debinha scored three goals in the group play, including a brace in a 4-0 win against the Chicago Red Stars, adding to her total as one of the all-time leading scorers in the Challenge Cup with 12 goals.
MF – Jaelin Howell (LOU): Howell displayed offensive and defensive versatility, recording 15 shots, 164 completed passes and nine interceptions across five games played.
MF – Savannah DeMelo (LOU): DeMelo recorded three goals and an assist in the group play, tallying a brace in Racing’s opening Challenge Cup win against the Kansas City Current.
F – Kristen Hamilton (KCC): Hamilton was hot throughout the group play, tying teammate Debinha for the all-time lead in Challenge Cup goals (12) with a brace in Kansas City’s Central Division clinching win against Racing Louisville. Hamilton also recorded the first hat trick in Challenge Cup history.
F – Brittany Ratcliffe (NCC): Ratcliffe put plenty of pressure on opposing defenses throughout the group play, recording three shots four times in North Carolina’s six games. Ratcliffe’s attacking paid off for the Courage, as the forward scored a goal in three consecutive games.
F – Morgan Weaver (POR): Weaver was aggressive on offense, recording 12 shots across five games, finding the back of the net three times. She is one of just two players (along with Debinha) who has scored in every edition of the Challenge Cup.
The 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, the first in U.S. women’s soccer history to deliver a record-breaking $1.1 million prize pool, concludes Saturday, September 9, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. This historic investment from UKG will benefit all NWSL players competing in the 2023 Challenge Cup, with player bonuses representing an increased focus on challenging the gender wage gap in women’s soccer.
Match coverage begins at 9:30 a.m. PT on the CBS Television Network and Paramount+. Fans tuning in outside the U.S. can stream the match for free on Watch.NWSLSoccer.com.
The 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup All-Tournament Team was selected by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis, and the NWSL’s on-air broadcast talent. Selection criteria was based on player performances throughout group play of the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup.