Credit: Denis Poroy | Imagn Images
Trinity Byars was always going to be etched in the National Women’s Soccer League‘s history books.
As the first college signing after the draft had been tossed on the ash heap, Byars stood to be a bellwether for talent evaluation and the power of the free market to let rookies earn what they were worth. That alone was a momentous achievement.
San Diego Wave fans didn’t get to see those initial seeds bear fruit for nearly two years. Byars tore her ACL in the dying days of her career at the University of Texas, and made her professional debut a year later as a one-minute substitute at the end of the Wave’s playoff semifinal appearance. Back on the injury list she went for the first month of the 2026 campaign, and not until mid-July did she earn more than 45 minutes in a game.
The wait was worth it. Byars has ripped the NWSL apart in a manner few players her age ever have. Her 10 goals in only 872 minutes have kept the Wave attack rolling amid Dudinha’s absence and Ludmila’s cold finishing patch.
Were she eligible for the Rookie of the Year award (let’s be real: she should be), she would be only two goals from breaking the league’s single-season rookie goals record. Don’t forget that this is a player who only became a lineup mainstay six weeks ago.
Access the best women’s soccer coverage all year long
Start your FREE, 7-day trial of The Equalizer Extra for industry-leading reporting and insight on the USWNT, NWSL and beyond.
