Rachel Daly Wins NWSL Challenge Cup Golden Boot

Rachel Daly, the most decorated player in Red Storm history, a member of the Lionesses England Women's National Team and the captain of the Houston Dash, continued to build upon her already stunning resume this past weekend as she led the Dash to the NWSL Challenge Cup Championship on Sunday afternoon.

Daly captured the tournament's Golden Boot, given to the top scorer, with three goals and two assists in seven matches. The former Johnnie was also named the Budweiser NWSL Challenge Cup Most Valuable Player for the Tournament. In addition, Daly and teammate Shea Groom garnered the NWSL Challenge Cup Best XI, presented by Google.

After recording the game-winning goal in the semifinals to lift the Dash to the Championship game, Daly was tied for the tournament's Golden Boot with three goals and an assist through Houston's first six matches. The English international secured the accolade in the Championship game when she tallied her second assist of the tournament in the 91st minute to put the Dash up 2-0 and seal the team's victory.

"The best decision the Houston Dash made in the lead-up to the NWSL Challenge Cup was putting the Captain's armband on Rachel," St. John's head women's soccer coach Ian Stone said. "From there she initially continued her investment into the relationships that she has made with her teammates. On the field, as always, she exemplified her passion, skill, and great soccer IQ. Off the field, she showed how much she has developed as a strong but complete leader. The end result was not just individual success, but Rachel literally put this Dash team on her shoulders and led them to the NWSL Challenge Cup."

Daly opened her tournament run by scoring a brace in the first game played against Utah Royals FC. She then recorded her third goal in game-winning fashion against the Portland Thorns in the semifinals. With her header in the 69th minute against Portland, Daly lifted the Dash to its first final in team history.

In 2016, Daly became the first Red Storm women's soccer player to be drafted to the NWSL, as she joined the Dash after being selected with the sixth overall pick. During her rookie season for the Dash, Daly appeared in 16 games, tallying four goals and four assists. The following year, Daly led the team in goals with five despite playing as a defender for a portion of the season. In 2018, Daly scored a career-high 10 goals and finished with three NWSL Team of the Month honors. The forward was named to the NWSL Second XI at the end of the season, as well as the club's Most Valuable Player. Over the course of the 2019 campaign, Daly scored three game-winning goals for the Dash.

Daly was the most prolific player to ever don a red and white kit for the Johnnies. Despite playing just three seasons for the Red Storm, the lethal goal scorer set a slew of school records including, career goals (50) and points (111).

As a senior, Daly helped lead the Johnnies to a school-record 15 wins, the program's first BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, and a home game in the NCAA Tournament. Daly ranked third nationally in goals (19), sixth in points (43) and led all Division I players with 6.0 shots per game. Daly capped off her career with the Red Storm as a unanimous selection for BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. She also took home First Team NSCAA All-American honors and finished as a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy.

St. John's University Athletics

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