When the NWSL Award nominations were released last Monday, three NJ/NY Gotham FC players were nominated: Ann-Katrin Berger was nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year, Esther González was nominated for the MVP, and Lilly Reale was nominated for the Rookie of the Year. And, during the NWSL Awards on Wednesday, the Bats found out they have a winner in their squad.
It was announced that Reale is the 2025 NWSL Rookie of the Year. She beat out Maddie Dahlien of Seattle Reign FC and Riley Tiernan of Angel City FC. It was thought that either her or Tiernan would win, but in the end, the Gotham defender received the accolade.