The Houston Dash announced their 2018 club award winners today, with three-year veteran Rachel Daly earning Most Valuable Player and Golden Boot honors. Players, staff, local media and fans voted on five award categories, presented by The Hamilton Apartments, that recognized achievements on and off the field.
Team co-captain Amber Brooks was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year; midfielder Sofia Huerta earned Newcomer of the Year honors; forward Veronica Latsko was named the team’s Unsung Hero; and goalkeeper Jane Campbell was named the Player’s Player of the Year by her teammates.
Daly scored a career-high 10 goals in her third season with the club to earn the club Golden Boot. In addition to three NWSL Team of the Month honors this season, the forward was named to the NWSL Second XI on Sept. 20. The third-year veteran was also named the Player of the Month in May after scoring four goals and leading the club to a 3-2-1 record. This is the second consecutive year the forward has won a team award after being named the Offensive Player of the Year in 2017.
Brooks finished the 2018 NWSL season playing every minute (2,160) of every game for Houston, her second consecutive season as the club’s ironwoman. This is the second club honor for the team captain, who was named the Most Valuable Player in 2017.
Huerta’s impact was on full display in her debut on June 22 as she scored the first of five goals in 12 games for Houston after joining the Dash via a trade with the Chicago Red Stars. The midfielder tallied four assists with Houston and finished the year with eight goals and six assists overall. Huerta earned Team of the Month honors twice, once each for Chicago (April) and Houston (August), and was named to the NWSL Second XI in September.
The Unsung Hero award is given to the player who day-in and day-out brought the best out of her teammates through actions on the field. Latsko scored four goals and tallied two assists during her rookie season with the Dash. The third-round draft pick scored two game-winning goals this season as Houston secured a 9-10-5 record, the best mark in franchise history.
Campbell was voted by her teammates as the Player’s Player of the Year after finishing with a career-high 89 saves and matching her clean sheet record (three) set in 2017. This is the second club honor for the goalkeeper who was voted the Unsung Hero in 2017.
2018 Houston Dash Award Winners
Most Valuable Player: Rachel Daly
Player’s Player of the Year: Jane Campbell
Golden Boot: Rachel Daly
Defensive Player of the Year: Amber Brooks
Newcomer of the Year: Sofia Huerta
Unsung Hero: Veronica Latsko
