“Defense wins championships,” says the adage. So, who’s helping her team to become a serious contender for trophies?
Here are three of the strongest contenders:
Tara Rudd
The Washington Spirit center-back has cemented herself in that backline for some time now and this year has been a continuation of what she did in 2025.
Rudd has started all 19 games Washington has played so far. According to Opta, the defender has been a standout in the backline. She might not be the one with the most tackles of this pack (11), but she’s excelling at clearances (108) and interceptions (35). Her volume of blocks is good too (13).
According to ASA’s stats, Rudd is operating in a tier of her own. Her +0.83 indicates she’s consistently neutralizing dangerous attacks in leverage areas. And her other positive stats show she’s a complete, well-rounded centre-back.
Kate del Fava
Utah Royals wouldn’t be the team they are this season without Kate del Fava. Utah’s iron woman has played all 19 games this year and scored two goals.
According to the ASA chart below, we can see Del Fava handles the highest defensive volume among the defenders mentioned here. It is noteworthy her defending inside the penalty box with a +0.67 g+ in shot blocks.
Del Fava has helped her team to be 5th in goals against (21). If you look at her defense stats for this season, there are just a few areas where her percentages are not at the top. However, she checks almost all the boxes, except in dribbles and 1v1 ground duels since her tackle score is -0.27.
She’s among the defenders with the most clearances, with 96, and the most blocks with 15. Del Fava is very good at anticipating where the ball will go, and her 27 interceptions this season show it (Opta).
Perle Morroni
Her 244 defensive actions this season have helped San Diego to remain among the top positions in the table. According to ASA, makes her net value +0.99 (positive defensive actions – negative defensive actions).
What stands out the most regarding her is her recoveries (+0.71). The left-back reveals active press/recovery high up the field. That has helped disrupt the opponent’s transitions and prevent them from making box entries.
Morroni has made 18 starts this season and she’s been excelling at tackles, having won 34 of 53 attempted. That’s the most for the group. She’s also made an outstanding number of recoveries (101) and her 11 recoveries in the final third back what the ASA defensive chart is showing.