Washington Spirit Midfielder Croix Bethune Named June’s NWSL Rookie of the Month, Presented by Ally
Washington Spirit | July 11, 2024
Bethune earns her third consecutive Rookie of the Month honor
Washington, D.C. (07/11/2024) – Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune has been named the NWSL Rookie of the Month, presented by Ally, for her performance during June competition, the league announced today. Bethune became the first player in NWSL history to win the award in back-to-back months when she earned the honor for May and now becomes the first player to win the award three consecutive times.
Bethune continued the unprecedented start to her first professional season heading into the Olympic break, tacking on another goal and assist in June. Her score on June 15 against San Diego was a second half stoppage time equalizer in front of a Spirit record home crowd of nearly 20,000. The next weekend, she assisted on fellow rookie Courtney Brown’s game-winning goal on the road against NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Selected with the third overall pick in this year’s NWSL Draft, Bethune has appeared in all 16 matches this season, playing 1,318 out of a possible 1,440 minutes and tallying five goals and nine assists to start the year. Still with ten matches left in the 2024 regular season, Bethune has wasted no time in setting new league marks. In the Spirit’s May 1 match against Chicago, Bethune tallied three assists, becoming the first rookie and just the fifth overall player in NWSL history to accomplish this feat in a single match. She also became the quickest player in league history to reach eight regular season assists, needing just 11 matches to do so. Bethune’s next assist will tie her with Tobin Heath’s 2016 campaign for the most assists in a single regular season.
Bethune recently earned a call-up to the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) as an alternate for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. After earning her first call-up to the senior team in late May, Bethune will now travel to France with Team USA.
The NWSL Rookie of the Month, presented by Ally award is selected each month of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis, and the NWSL’s on-air broadcast talent.
About The Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. In 2024, the Spirit drafted an epic class of rookies who are already breaking records and wowing fans. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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