Lilly Reale, a sophomore defender from UCLA, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Soccer as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 47 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.  The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2023 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network in June.

Reale was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Tori Hansen (North Carolina), Jenna Nighswonger (Florida State) and Reyna Reyes (Alabama).

“I am extremely honored and grateful to have won the Honda Sport Award for soccer,” Reale said. “To have even been considered for this award alongside such a talented group of female athletes feels surreal. I cannot thank my teammates, coaches, staff, and family enough for helping me grow as both a player and person this year. Their hard work and guidance are what has allowed me to achieve this accomplishment.”

“I also want to thank the Bruin community of athletes, fans and students who have stood behind our team this season for all the love and support. Attending UCLA has been the greatest experience of my life, and I feel beyond lucky to be surrounded by such incredible people.”

Reale led her team to the 2022 NCAA Championship title in an unprecedented comeback from a two-goal deficit and was named the 2022 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player for her efforts. The sophomore hailing from Hingham, Mass., was named the 2022 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and is a two-time All-Pac-12 First-Team honoree.

Reale started and played in 24 of 25 games this season, missing only the season opener due to her participation in the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup. She led the Bruin defense to a 0.55 goals against average, UCLA's lowest in eight years, and to a Pac-12 Conference-best 14 shutouts.

On the offensive end, Reale scored one goal, the game-winner in the Bruins' 1-0 victory over Washington State and assisted on the game-winner at Oregon State. She led all UCLA field players in minutes played with 2,043.

“We are so honored for Lilly to receive this year’s Honda Award for soccer,” said head coach Margueritte Aozasa. “She is now amongst a short list of legends in women’s sports. Thank you to Honda and the CWSA for this incredible recognition of Lilly and her achievements with our program.”

The CWSA, entering its 47th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.  Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.  

About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility

For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life’s potential through its focus on the areas of education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.