Charlton Women goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse secured two trophies at the WSL Awards on Monday night, winning the WSL2 Golden Glove and earning a selection in the WSL2 Team of the Season.
Whitehouse played in every league match this season, recording eight clean sheets and a 70.8% save percentage.
She previously won the WSL2 Save of the Month award three times, along with the club's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year honors.
In March, she signed a contract extension to stay at The Valley until 2027.
Whitehouse remains a vital component for Charlton as the team prepares to face Leicester City in the play-off for the final spot in the 2026/27 WSL season.
"Obviously, it's been a really good season for me personally, but we have one more really important game to top off the season, so we're looking forward to that," Whitehouse said.
The shot-stopper also highlighted the defensive collective and praised the squad's FA Cup run, where she captained the side to the quarter-finals.
"We got really far in the FA Cup this year.
We got to the quarter-finals, and for me, coming from when I played at Lewes, we started this campaign called the Equal FA Cup, which is driving to make the prize money the same for both the men and the women," she stated.
She expressed pride in her leadership role and noted her teammates' support for the campaign throughout the tournament.
"Getting to the quarter-finals just shows what we're capable of as a team and that we kind of deserve the same as the men in the prize money.
So that's just something that's like really important to me, and the girls have been really supportive in that campaign," Whitehouse said.
Whitehouse further explained that her captaincy served as a highly rewarding experience for her development.
"It's been really nice to be in a leadership role this season, and I'm really proud to have captained the team in a few of the WSL games and the quarter-final," she said.
The award winner credited the entire goalkeeper department, including coach Neil Moore, fellow keeper Anna Pederson, and assistant Sej, for creating an ideal environment daily.
"I don't think I would be where I am right now without them, and the season that I've had comes down to the season that we've had as a goalkeeper department and unit.
Every day, every training session, Neil works so hard to give us the best training and Anna's such a good person to work with," she stated.
She specifically lauded Pederson for her unwavering encouragement and strong performances when called upon.
"It's been a really special year in that regard, and shout out to Sej as well.
He's been a super great assistant goalkeeper coach, and that's just prepared me the best that it can for the games and to make the saves that I've made," Whitehouse said.
According to Whitehouse, having a reliable partner in training helped maintain high performance standards each week.
"She's been so supportive of me this season, and it's so nice to have that. She's been so good for the team.
She celebrates everything.
You can hear her the whole game, and she's also performed really, really well when she's played and made some top saves, which I see every single day in training.
It's been such a special year for us, and the relationship we have has been really, really good," she stated.
Reflecting on her individual objectives, Whitehouse noted that her main ambition for the season was maintaining extreme consistency across all matches.
"[I'm] just really proud of the saves I've been able to make and the moments and games that have kept us in games, and obviously being nominated for a few awards is just special, not only for me but for goalkeepers in general," she said.
She expressed satisfaction with the growing recognition for defensive players, who often see offensive players claim the majority of media praise.
"I feel like we don't get enough credit a lot of the time.
Strikers get a lot of credit for scoring goals, but they've only scored because the goalkeepers made a save five minutes earlier, so I think it's nice to see, finally, goalkeepers in the league getting some credit," Whitehouse said.
The Charlton number one concluded by discussing the emotional impact of seeing young supporters wearing her jersey at the stadium.
"Yeah, it's amazing.
I think when we finish a game, sometimes you're caught up in the moment of the game," she said.
She noted that seeing the fans provides immediate perspective regarding the broader impact of the women's game.
"There's been some games that have been tough this season, but then as soon as you walk over to the fans and you see them with their purple shirts with my name on the back or players' names on the back, it's just amazing to show how inspiring we actually are," Whitehouse said.
Whitehouse emphasized that inspiring future generations remains a core motivation behind her professional career.
"It really puts things into perspective that this isn't just football for us; it's football to inspire generations to come," she said.
