She’s Golden: Sophia Smith wins 2023 NWSL Golden Boot 

Thorns FC forward Sophia Smith is the 2023 NWSL Golden Boot winner. She finished the regular season with a league-best 11 goals and becomes the first Thorn to win the league’s Golden Boot.

Portland Thorns FC forward Sophia Smith was awarded the NWSL Gold Boot on Sunday, finishing the regular season as the league’s top goal scorer with 11 goals. She becomes the first Thorns player to win the NWSL Golden Boot.

Few players in the NWSL have been as consistent in front of goal this season as Smith. She scored 11 goals in 16 games, keeping in mind she spent several weeks with the USWNT at the World Cup during the season and missed three games due to injury late in the campaign.

• NWSL Golden Boot Standings

Smith, who finished second in the Golden Boot race in 2022, scored in the season opener against Orlando, and then proceeded to assemble impressive scoring stats all season long.

Hat Trick Queen

Smith recorded two hat tricks during the regular season. Her first-career hat trick came on April 1 in a nationally televised victory on the road against the Kansas City Current. The other was scored on June 23 at Providence Park in a celebratory win against Washington Spirit before heading off for the World Cup.

Smith is just the third player in league history to net two hat tricks in one season.

Five in Four

In a three-week span in June, Smith scored in four consecutive matches (June 3-23). She became the third player in league history to register multiple scoring streaks of four or more matches in her career. More impressive, she tallied five goals over those four games.

Back-to-Back

Smith now has back-to-back seasons with 10 or more goals; she scored 15 goals in 2022. During the season, Smith moved into second place on the club’s all-time goal-scoring list, and is the first Thorns player to register double-digit goals in consecutive seasons.