The BWSL Statistical Stars of the Season so far...
With the Barclays Women’s Super League on a break until later this month, we’ve taken the chance to delve into the data behind the competition’s standout individual performers.
Working our way from between the sticks to the sharp end of the pitch, here’s what the numbers tell us about some of the leading lights of the 2025/26 BWSL season so far*.
*All player stats are based on a minimum of 900 minutes played this season
The guardian with the gloves: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Brighton could yet equal their best-ever BWSL finish of fifth – and if they do so, it’ll be in no small part thanks to the exploits of their goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie.
In terms of goals prevented, no player in the league has fared better than Nnadozie this term. The Nigeria number one has prevented 5.8 goals – 2.3 more than the next best BWSL ‘keeper in that respect, Everton’s Courtney Brosnan.
Calculated by deducting the number of goals conceded from the total expected goals on target (xGOT) a goalkeeper has faced (xGOT quantifies the quality of a shot on target), goals prevented is a reliable measure of shot-stopping quality. Nnadozie also saves a league-high 75.7% of shots on target, further highlighting how important she is to the Brighton cause.
Moving to six clean sheets for the campaign with shutouts in the Seagulls’ draw with Liverpool and win over Leicester City last month, the 25-year-old is firmly in contention to claim the BWSL Golden Glove at the first time of asking, having arrived on a free transfer last summer, living up to her reputation as one of the best ‘keepers in the game.
The defensive all-rounder: Wassa Sangare (London City Lionesses)
On loan at London City Lionesses from Lyon, Wassa Sangare has established herself as one of the most well-rounded defenders in the BWSL.
The France youth international has excelled with and without the ball, playing a key role in the Lionesses’ push for survival – which they can mathematically confirm with a draw against Leicester next time out.
No BWSL defender wins possession more times on average per 90 than Sangare (7.06), underlining her determination and positional sense to get the ball back, while only two centre-backs – Liverpool’s Grace Fisk and Arsenal’s Steph Catley – have a better success rate in ground duels than the 20-year-old’s 65.6%.
When it comes to her ability in possession, Sangare has proved her importance to the Lionesses’ build-up play by completing 88.7% of her open-play passes.
The creator-in-chief: Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)
Lauren Hemp is the most potent creative force in the BWSL. Now in her eighth season at Man City, the two-time Euros winner with England is integral to the league leaders’ attacking output.
Hemp leads the way in the 2025/26 BWSL for chances created (41), big chances created (11) and expected assists (xA) (6.1) – while her return of six assists places her behind only teammate Kerstin Casparij and Aston Villa’s Lynn Williams (both seven).
But perhaps the winger’s most impressive number of all concerns her ball-carrying prowess. A league-high 20 of Hemp’s carries (defined by Opta as a player moving the ball five metres or more) have resulted in a chance – at least nine more than any other player in the division.
Superbly complementing Kerolin and the league’s top goalscorer Khadija Shaw, Hemp has provided four assists in her last four BWSL outings as Man City close in on their first title in a decade – needing a single point from their remaining three games to make absolutely certain of glory.
The goalscoring machine: Khadija Shaw (Manchester City)
Shaw is in the form of her life right now. Well on course to win a record-breaking third Barclays WSL Golden Boot – consecutively, no less – Man City’s number nine is only two goals away from hitting the 20-goal mark for the third time in the competition – no player has previously done so more than twice.
The Jamaica captain has played herself into Ballon d’Or contention by averaging just shy of a goal per game in this season’s BWSL – understandable given that she averages a league-high 5.6 shots and 0.97 xG per 90.
And Shaw’s remarkable numbers don’t stop there: her hat-trick in City’s 5-2 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur last month took her past teammate Vivianne Miedema for the most hat-tricks in BWSL history (six).
At the rate she’s scoring, the former Bordeaux striker is on course to equal the record for the most goals in a single BWSL campaign of 22 – currently shared by Miedema (for Arsenal in 2018/19) and Rachel Daley (for Aston Villa in 2023/24). Don’t, though, be surprised to see her take the record outright.
Word credit: Tom Hancock
