10 of the Best NCAA Forwards to Watch in 2023
Forwards are the players that get the most attention, but that attention comes with a price. When you’re scoring goals consistently, everyone is singing your praises. The moment it all stops, and you have a dry spell, everyone jumps off the bandwagon and is quick to criticize. Strikers will always be important because a team can play incredibly well for 90 minutes, but it won’t matter much if they don’t have a player who can finish and make great teamwork count. These ten strikers are critical to the success of their teams, here’s ten of the best NCAA forwards to watch in 2023.
Jody Brown (Senior) – Florida State Seminoles
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Jody Brown suited up for the Reggae Girlz at the World Cup. When you’ve seen such a high level of competition, that can only bode well for coming back to the college game.
Florida State has one of the best sets of attacking players in the nation, and Brown is one of the players spearheading that attack. Brown has three goals and an assist through five games, including the game-winner against rival Florida.
The international break impacts her scoring output every year, but the talent is elite, and she’ll be key for this team as they look to win a national title this season.
Trinity Byars (Junior) – Texas Longhorns
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Trinity Byars has been one of the best strikers in the country since she stepped on campus as a freshman. Byars recorded 12 goals and ten assists as a freshman, 17 goals and nine assists as a sophomore, and already has 11 goals and eight assists through ten games this year. That’s an incredible production. Twenty goals and 20 assists could be a real possibility for her this year.
Texas will need her to score and distribute as much as possible to ensure they make the NCAA Tournament. Byars is sure to be a first-team All-American and destined to be a great pro; watching her dominate at Texas is definitely worth watching.
Gianna Paul (Sophomore) – Alabama Crimson Tide
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Gianna Paul is one of the bright young stars who needs to be added to every major NCAA watch list. After scoring seven goals on a team that made the Final Four last year, she’s already got seven goals in 12 games this season. Paul is sure to hit the double-digit goal mark this season, and Alabama will compete for the SEC title as one of the two best teams.
Paul has all the tools to be a dominant player, and her potential is sure to catch the eye of NWSL scouts as she will only continue to improve this season and beyond.
Brecken Mozingo (Senior) – BYU Cougars
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Brecken Mozingo has been a key member of Jennifer Rockwood’s program at BYU for the last five years. Mozingo has shown year-on-year improvement over the last three seasons.
From seven goals and nine assists two years ago to 12 goals and ten assists last year and already five goals and three assists in 11 games this year, Mozingo is as experienced a player as BYU has. She’s been a part of the team that made the national title game a few years ago and is showing she can do more than score.
The assist numbers indicate she’s willing to share with her teammates, and BYU is looking like a top-five team in the country as a result. With wins over UCLA and Texas, the Cougars look primed for a run at the Final Four, with Brecken Mozingo as one of their stars.
Avery Patterson (Junior) – North Carolina Tar Heels
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Avery Patterson made the U-23 USWNT roster last March, indicating that she’s a player that the U.S. Soccer Federation has its eye on. Patterson netted 13 goals and dished out eight assists while playing in the ACC and getting to the NCAA title game with the Tar Heels.
Teams have made it more of a priority to stop her in defensive game plans, as she has four goals and an assist through 11 games. However, make no mistake, the attention going to Patterson is deserved, and she’s sure to play a big role for North Carolina down the stretch.
Anna Podojil (Graduate Senior) – Arkansas Razorbacks
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Anna Podojil might be the most decorated player on this list as a two-time first-team All-American. Ironically, this is shaping up to be her lowest output in terms of production, which speaks to how much deeper Arkansas is as a team this year.
The Razorbacks dominated a previously undefeated Alabama team 5-0, and Podojil was phenomenal in that game with a goal and two assists. While the stats might not be there, Arkansas is looking to finally win their first SEC Tournament crown to go with a regular season crown.
Still, this team will be a dangerous one when the brackets come out, and Anna Podojil is sure to be drafted into the NWSL next season.
Reilyn Turner (Senior) – UCLA Bruins
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The star player from UCLA’s national title-winning team last season is still one of the best players, if not the best player, in the country. Turner has been a focal point of the offense for the last three seasons, but this year, Ally Cook has been able to share some of the goal-scoring responsibilities. The more attention Turner gets, the more it opens things up for her teammates, which has led to a more balanced attack for UCLA this season.
If the Bruins want to repeat as champions, Turner is going to play a huge role in doing so. After scoring the goal in the national title game to save UCLA’s season, few players are more clutch than Reilyn Turner.
Catherine Barry (Senior) – South Carolina Gamecocks
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South Carolina has been one of the premier programs in the SEC over the last decade.
Catherine Barry has consistently been one of their best goal-scorers for four seasons. Last year, Barry racked up ten goals and seven assists. This season, she’s poised to surpass those totals. The senior has seven goals and four assists through 11 games and continues to be a steady presence for the Gamecocks up front.
South Carolina will be a top 10-15 team for the rest of the season, and Barry is sure to be one of the main reasons why.
Brittany Raphino (Senior) – Brown Bears
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Brittany Raphino is one of the best players in the country that you might not know about, but she’s a star in the making. A U-23 USWNT call-up in March and a first-team All-American, Raphino has helped bring Brown to national relevance.
The striker is sure to leave as the best player in Brown’s history with 32 goals and 16 assists up to this point. With all the intangibles to go with the height, speed, and strength, Raphino might not just draw interest from the NWSL but Europe as well.
Eleanor Dale (Junior) – Nebraska Cornhuskers
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The junior from England is having a breakout campaign for Nebraska as she is tied for second in the nation in goals scored with 13. Dale has had some professional experience in England with Durham and Middlesbrough, and that’s surely helped her make this leap in 2023.
Big 10 defenses will start to hone in on her more, but she’s still on pace to have a record-breaking season, and the same can be said for the team as a whole.
With Dale scoring two goals against Gonzaga and two assists against Baylor, those non-conference wins could be enough to get Nebraska into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
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