Football games are not only determined by who scores the most goals but also by who concedes the least. And here at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, every goal counts because it might be the difference between making it to the next round or not.
Yesterday, our SBOTOP team made a list of the tournament’s standouts in the midfield, highlighting their ability to score goals and control the tempo.
But while most of the Women’s World Cup 2023 highlights feature goals, let’s not forget the wonderful saves made by our goalkeepers, and that’s what we’re going to highlight today.
So, here’s our list of those goalies who stood out in the showpiece tournament thus far, and let us know what you think.
Alyssa Naeher, USA
USA are the two-time defending champions because they are loaded with talent from young to old. Most of the attention is directed towards the likes of Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and Sophia Smith, but let’s not forget Alyssa Naeher too.
The Chicago Red Stars goalie is a bona fide winner not only with the USA national team but also in club football. Earlier this year, Naeher set the NWSL record for all-time saves with 520 and counting.
Naeher has been the Stars and Stripes’ first-choice goalkeeper for quite some time since she replaced Hope Solo. The 35-year-old already has 93 caps, and this might be her last Women’s World Cup because she’s not getting any younger.
And so far, she’s making it count. With Naeher manning the sticks, the USA have only conceded one goal so far, and they are favoured by the Women’s World Cup 2023 odds to beat Portugal later, make another deep run, and possibly complete a three-peat.
Mary Earps, England
England are expected to go through to the knockout stage after winning all of their games in the group stage. It hasn’t been pretty, but they managed to get the job done because of their iron-clad defence, which has conceded zero goals thus far.
The Lionesses have recorded back-to-back 1-0 victories against Haiti and Denmark. In those two matches, Haiti and Denmark only had 13 shots combined, while England were simply wasteful in the final third with 34 shots.
Despite conceding only a few shots, England’s backline looks unsettled at times, particularly against Haiti. Thankfully for them, they have Mary Earps to bail them out.
You can make the argument that Earps is the best goalkeeper in the world today, and she’s fresh from a productive 2023-24 campaign, winning the WSL Golden Glove award with 14 clean sheets for Manchester United.
If the Lionesses are to bring it home, Earps, among others, must continue to be at her best. The team is dealing with a lot of injuries right now, so it’s not going to be easy.
Chiamaka Nnadozie, Nigeria
Nigeria have been the surprise package of the Women’s World Cup, and Chiamaka Nnadozie has been their most important player thus far.
After this tournament, we wouldn’t be surprised if her stock rose tremendously in the transfer market. She became the first African goalkeeper to record two clean sheets at the same Women’s World Cup, which isn’t too shabby for a “stand-in” captain.
Her best performance was in their 3-2 win against Australia. Despite conceding two goals, Nnadozie made six saves, including a couple of crucial ones that preserved the victory.
In club football, Nnadozie was one of the main reasons why Paris FC finished third in Division 1 Feminine to qualify for the Champions League last season, securing eight clean sheets through the campaign, including key saves in big games.
Time is on Nnadozie’s side because she’s only 22 years old. Given her trajectory, she should only get better from here on out, so Nigeria should do all they can to keep her in their ranks.
Olivia McDaniel, Philippines
The Filipinas’ historic Women’s World Cup debut may have come to an abrupt end, but they became the darlings of the tournament after capturing the hearts of fans from all over the world.
Their victory against New Zealand has put them on the map, and while Sarina Bolden gets the plaudits for scoring the winning goal, Olivia McDaniel was named Player of the Match.
McDaniel deserves the recognition because she made numerous saves, including a key save in the 93rd minute that sealed the deal for the Philippines.
She may have conceded eight goals against Switzerland and Norway combined, but she’s undoubtedly one of the pillars of the women’s national team, and she’s only 25 years old.
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