It was a great day for Virginia alum Danielle Colaprico as she was named the NWSL Rookie of the Year for 2015 on Monday. The 9th pick in this year's NWSL draft, Colaprico beat out her fellow rookie teammate Sofia Huerta and Western New York Flash forward Samantha Mewis

Even though Colaprico only scored one goal, she played in every single game for Chicago and provided great defense right in front of the backline. Colaprico's played her role as a holding midfielder to her full potential. Although she was a rookie, she provided to be a key influence in the midfield as her passing out of the back provided an outlet for Chicago's counterattack. 

Chicago lost key midfield players in Lori Chalupny and Shannon Boxx and also lost defender Julie Johnston to World Cup participation and Colaprico stepped up in their absence. She helped Chicago climb to the top of the NWSL table during the World Cup and helped Chicago stay there for a while. 

Her one goal was a crucial one as it was a game winner against Sky Blue FC. The goal came in early May, but it gave Chicago three crucial points that led to a second place finish in the NWSL table and their best finish in their young history. 

This award also will help her in terms of USWNT selection. With this recognition and already being part of the U-23 team, she has a real shot at being selected for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. With Lauren Holiday retiring, Colaprico could have a chance at replacing her in Rio. Jill Ellis showed she can trust youth players when she selected Morgan Brian and Johnston to the national team for the World Cup and Colaprico could be the next young player brought in. 

It was a great honor for the young midfielder as she will look to be a rock in the midfield for not only Chicago, but the USWNT as well. 

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About the author
Vijay Vemu
Vijay is a sports journalist who covers mainly the NBA and soccer. He is a credential reporter on the Chicago Fire and also covers NBA for VAVEL as well. He is also a editor for Mash Chicago, the publication of the Chicago Tribune. He is also a contributor at SB Nation's Blog A Bull and Big East Coast Bias as well as writing on European Soccer as well. He plans on attending the University of Illnois at Chicago (UIC) in the fall with a major in computer science. You can follow him on Twitter : @VJVemu