It has been a interesting start to the season for the clubs in the Women’s Super League. With just seven games gone and heading towards the halfway stage of the season, there are plenty of talking points, including who will be named on the England goalkeeper roster next year.
Regular first choice England goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck is currently sidelined due to injury, along with teammate Karen Bardsley.
But there are lots of other options ahead of the European Championships in eight months time. The hosts have to decide — who will be competing for the number one shirt?
Megan Walsh (Brighton)
Embed from Getty ImagesThe current number one at Brighton, Walsh has yet to receive a call up for England but has played in the England youth teams. The 26-year-old has been in good form for the Seagulls, who currently sit third in the WSL.
For Hope Powell’s side, Walsh has played all games in the league so far — only conceding five goals in that time. Three of those were against current champions Chelsea.
But how has the yet to be capped keeper performed this season?
According to Fbref, Walsh is in the last three for her saves to shots on target with an expectation of only 0.18. On the plus side, she has attempted the most amount of passes, not including goal kicks, with 276, and has a success rate of 39.1%.
Rhiannon Stewart (Reading)
Embed from Getty ImagesStewart is a young up and coming goalkeeper but has only played one game this season — a 4-0 loss to Arsenal in September.
While her stats are limited to this game, she has one stat that is quite impressive and that is her style of play.
During the Arsenal game, Stewart kept an average of 11-yards from her goal and also successfully completed five of her 11 passes (45.5%).
Stewart currently has one known appearance for England at U19 level.
Emily Ramsey (Manchester United)
Embed from Getty ImagesRamsey is another young England international who has played at both U17 and U19 level. The 20-year-old is still learning and developing while on loan to Birmingham City.
Ramsey has played five games and conceded 14 goals so far — only two goalkeepers have conceded more this season.
Ramsey has attempted 165 passes, not including goal kicks, and has a success rate of 49.7%, the fourth highest in the league.
Kirstie Levell (Leicester City)
There isn’t much that can be added about Levell that hasn’t been said already. Learn more about Levell here.
The 24-year-old has had experience with Everton before moving to the Foxes.
Levell has conceded the highest amount of goals with 18 so far, but she has also faced 49 shots on target. That is 15 more than any other keeper in the league.
Leicester’s number one has been impressive against teams like Chelsea, not allowing the Blues to score until the last 10 minutes.
Levell has international experience with England at U17 and U19 level but has yet to gain a cap for the senior side.
Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa)
The current number one at Aston Villa has been playing in the WSL since she was 16 at Birmingham City. Hampton made the move across the city this summer and has put in some great performances, especially against Arsenal.
The 20-year-old has conceded 10 goals in seven games so far and is currently sixth in the league for save percentages. This season she is at 70.6%, the best save percentage of her career so far.
Hampton has England experience from U15s all the way to U21s. However, she is yet to make her first senior appearance for the Lionesses, despite featuring in many training camps.
Sandy MacIver (Everton)
Embed from Getty ImagesThis is MacIver’s third season in the WSL and so far she has only conceded 14 goals from her first seven games.
The Everton number one has a save percentage of 58.8%. This is lower then last season which saw the once-capped international post 65.2%.
MacIver has been called up for England before and has previous experience at U17 and U19 as well. She earned the Golden Glove during the U20s World Cup in 2018.
Mary Earps (Manchester United)
Embed from Getty ImagesThe current number one for both Manchester United and England, Earps has played in the WSL previously for Reading. She played one season in Germany with Wolfsburg before joining United in 2019. The 28-year-old has 12 caps for England so far. Earps is down compared to last season's save percentage of 77.8. She currently sits at 57.7%, and has also allowed 11 goals this season in seven games.
Overview
With only seven games into the season it is perhaps too soon to be able to choose which goalkeeper will be selected. With the amount of keepers looking to impress, plus injuries in the more senior personnel, Lioness manager Sarina Wiegman has a tough choice on her hands.
