As we head into Round 15 of Fantasy NWSL, we thought it might be interesting to check out how the rookies on each team are performing when it comes to fantasy points. While you may not be surprised about the points leader in each division, there are teams that haven’t used many rookies this season and rookies who may not have played as many minutes but still earn points for their play.

Western Division

Starting with the Western Division teams: San Diego Wave, Angel City FC, Portland Thorns, and OL Reign, all four of these teams have given their rookies significant minutes. It’s no real surprise that the #1 NWSL Draft Pick, San Diego’s Naomi Girma, is the rookie from the Western Division with 106 Fantasy League points. The other three top rookies in this division are Portland’s Sam Coffey (98), Angel City’s Megan Reid (95) and OL Reign’s Olivia Van der Jagt (67). 

Fun fact: Reid didn’t sign up for the draft when she graduated in 2017; instead she trained and worked for several years as an EMT. Her former UVA coach encouraged her to attend an open tryout, and the rest is history.

Central Division

Moving to the Central Division teams: Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current, and Racing Louisville, there’s little surprise that Racing’s Savannah DeMelo sits on top of the Central Division with a Fantasy League leading 177 points, with teammate Jaelin Howell second in points for the team with 118. Kansas City’s Alex Loera has had a great rookie season for the Current with a team leading 113 points, and Chicago’s Ava Cook is not too far behind with 91 points. The Dash didn’t bring on many rookies who have had significant minutes. Their top rookie is Ryan Gareis with 30 points, all of which she earned in 244  minutes played so far. A player to watch??  

Fun fact: DeMelo is finishing her Master’s in Public Health through USC with an internship at the Lynn Family Sports Vision and Training Center.

Eastern Division

Heading east, moving up in the Golden Boot race as well as having the most Fantasy Points of any rookie in the region is North Carolina’s Diana Ordonez with 90 points – 40 of them earned by scoring goals. Orlando’s Kerry Abello follows with 62 points and teammate Mikayla Cluff is close behind Abello with 57 points. While veteran presence for Washington and Gotham have made their starting lineups hard to crack,  the Spirit’s Audrey Harding has earned 16 points as a replacement player in just 324 minutes, and Gotham’s Ellie Jean has earned 15 points in a mere six games and 287 minutes on the field. We hope to see what these rookies can do with more time to make an impact!

 Fun fact: In 2021, Cluff was the Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Year and Ordonez led the NCAA in goals scored.