East Wake Times

Two players from the North Carolina Courage have been named finalists for significant NWSL End-of-Year awards, according to an announcement by the league office. Kaleigh Kurtz is in contention for NWSL Defender of the Year, while Ashley Sanchez is up for Midfielder of the Year.

Voting for these awards is currently open and will close on Friday, November 15 at 3 p.m. ET. The voting process includes input from various groups: 40% from players, 25% from coaches, general managers, and owners, 25% from media members, and 10% from fans. This round of voting will also influence selections for the Best XI first and second teams of 2024.

Kurtz has achieved Iron Woman status for three consecutive NWSL seasons by playing every minute of each game in 2024. She set a new NWSL record for consecutive minutes played in May and continues to extend this record into next year with a total of 7,992 uninterrupted minutes. Her performance contributed to the team's third-place ranking in goals conceded, with six clean sheets during regular season play.

Kurtz led all players with 1,772 successful passes at an accuracy rate of 86%. She had the second-highest number of touches in the league at 2,428 and ranked fifth among defenders with 121 clearances. Additionally, she was second in blocks with 33 and fourth in aerial duels won with 35.

In her debut season with North Carolina Courage, Sanchez became a key offensive player by leading her team in several categories including goals, assists, shots on target, chances created, dribbles completed, and penalty area entries. Despite playing behind different forwards due to Kerolin Nicoli's absence most of the year, Sanchez showed consistency and growth.

The winners of these awards will be revealed around the time of the 2024 NWSL Championship presented by Google Pixel. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday, November 23 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on CBS Television Network as well as streamed on Paramount+.