Durham Reporter

Two players from the North Carolina Courage have been nominated for significant NWSL End-of-Year awards. The league office announced on Tuesday that Kaleigh Kurtz is a finalist for NWSL Defender of the Year, and Ashley Sanchez is a finalist for Midfielder of the Year.

Voting is currently open and will close on Friday, November 15 at 3 p.m. ET. The voting process allocates 40% to players, 25% to coaches, general managers, and owners, 25% to media, and 10% to fans. This round of voting will also determine the composition of the 2024 Best XI first and second teams.

Kurtz has achieved Iron Woman status for the third consecutive NWSL season by playing every minute in 2024. She set a new record for consecutive minutes played in May and extended it through the end of the season, with her streak now at 7,992 minutes heading into 2025. As a center back, she contributed significantly to her team's defense, helping them rank third in goals conceded with six clean sheets during regular-season play.

This marks Kurtz's second consecutive year as a Defender of the Year finalist. She led all players with 1,772 successful passes at an accuracy rate of 86%. Her total touches were second only to teammate Ryan Williams. Among NWSL defenders, she ranked fifth in clearances with 121, second in blocks with 33, and fourth in aerial duels won with 35.

Sanchez has been pivotal offensively for the Courage in her debut season with them. She led her team in various offensive categories such as goals, assists, total shots, shots on target, chances created, dribbles completed, and penalty area entries. Except for total goals where she was among the top 20 players league-wide, Sanchez ranked within the top ten across other categories.

Filling an attacking midfield role behind different forwards due to reigning league MVP Kerolin Nicoli's absence for much of the year allowed Sanchez to show consistency and growth while adapting to a new team and role this season.

The winners will be announced 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 and streamed on Paramount+.