BIG weekend in the NWSL! We have lots of games to get through and very little time to do it. My dad (hi Dad) was in town this week, so forgive the late recap!
Orlando Pride (1) vs. Racing Louisville (3)
Boy howdy, did Racing need this one! An Emma Sears brace was the difference-maker here, with a late goal by Kerry Abello as a consolation for Orlando. Racing absolutely crushed this game, getting Sears back on the scoresheet for the first time since May, and doing it away from home no less! This is where people are starting to scratch their heads about Orlando, because how on Earth did they lose this game? Sure, they didn’t have a few players, but losing by 2 to one of the bottom teams? I smell trouble for Pride Head Coach Seb Hines.
Gotham FC (1) vs. San Diego Wave (0)
Gotham nation, how are we feeling? Another win against another dominant team has cemented Gotham into first place with a 4 point lead, meaning they have at least 2 weeks of buffer from being overtaken by the second place Washington Spirit. This one was a defensive masterclass, holding the electric Wave offense to just 3 shots on goal. Former San Diego Wave forward Jaedyn Shaw scored the lone goal for Gotham in the 44th, and it was a thing of beauty. You can see it here:
Go Gotham!
Washington Spirit (3) vs. North Carolina Courage (4)
What an amazing back and forth game. North Carolina came out strong with an Ashley Sanchez goal in the 2nd minute, followed by an Evelyn Ijeh brace in the 9th and 15th minutes. I tuned into this game at about the 24 minute mark and my jaw dropped when I saw the 3-0 scoreline. Washington was able to come back in the second half, with goals by Trinity Rodman, Sofia Cantore, and Rebeca Bernal. But, just when it looked like Washington would be able to steal a point back, Courage defender Nat Jacobs scored the go-ahead goal in extra time at the end of the game. Jacobs has recently come back from injury, so what a wonderful moment for her to really step back into the game and get the win for her team. NC now sits in 6th place right behind the Portland Thorns, which sets them up for a great shot at the playoffs. The Spirit are still in second place, and put in a solid effort into this game, so to me they have nothing to hang their head about. Aubrey Kingsbury being on maternity leave might just be the reason for some of these unlucky losses, because as good as Sandy MacIver is, she’s no Kingsbury. I am loving what I’m seeing from Ashley Sanchez, and I will emphasize it again, she should be on everyone’s lips for the Golden Boot race, league MVP, and the USWNT fall camp. Watch this space, because here we are manifesting for Ashley Sanchez.
As an aside, I told my lovely partner Margot about this game and how shocked I was North Carolina was able to win. As she looked back at me with a sort of empty and disinterested look in her eyes, I was able to put it in terms she would relate to, telling her this is like Sombr going number 1 on the charts ahead of Harry Styles. Margot doesn’t read this, but I love her and appreciate that she lets me talk at her about soccer. Moving on!
Houston Dash (1) vs. Kansas City Current (1)
If there’s one thing Houston is going to do, it’s score a late-game equalizer. Kat Rader is continuing her phenomenal rookie season with the equalizing goal scored in the 81st minute, and Kansas City couldn’t rally in time to get the full 3 points. Once again, Kansas City is underperforming on the road, and I can’t emphasize enough how stark of a difference it is from this time last year, when they were only a month away from clinching the Shield with how dominant they were in the regular season. This year, they’re 10 points off the Shield line at the moment, and just above the playoff cut. If their form continues, they are not getting a home match, and will likely be eliminated from the playoffs early. Especially if they can’t pull off a win against the Dash, who currently sit just 3 spots from the bottom in 13th place. This was a solid home tie for the Dash, and could potentially give them a boost to smash and grab more points before the playoffs become untenable.
Denver Summit (2) vs. Utah Royals (1)
Look at the Summit! Bouncing back from a tough loss against the Courage, Denver was able to keep the full 3 points at home with an extra-time goal from one Janine Sonis. Yazmeen Ryan opened up the scoring with a goal in the 51st, and Tatum Milazzo came back for Utah to tie it in the 89th. Sonis is the hero for Denver once again, and Denver moves into 10th place, just one point behind 8th place Angel City. This is a disappointing loss for Utah, as their early season dominance starts to be questioned from week-to-week. If Utah can stay consistent enough through the end of the season, they should be okay, but there are a lot of hungry teams below them like Denver and the Seattle Reign that are going to work very hard to dethrone the Royals.
Boston Legacy (3) vs. Portland Thorns (4)
This first half was so much to watch. My Dad and I watched this at Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach, and it was an explosive first half, with 6 goals before the whistle blew. Portland broke their own scoring record, with the quickest first 3 and first 4 goals ever scored in franchise history. It might also be the quickest hat-trick, achieved by Pietra Tordin. Boston wasn’t discouraged though, firing back two goals from Bianca St-Georges and Alba Caño, and a goal from Amanda Gutierres in the second half. I love that Portland is being tested by teams like the Legacy, and it just goes to show how even this league really is. Portland recently announced that Olivia Moultrie is on the SEI list with a knee injury, so them winning this game on the road without a player of Moultrie’s caliber speaks to their team’s depth and ability to grit it out. Kudos to both teams, this was a fun one!
Chicago Stars (0) vs. Bay FC (0)
Yawn. Bay FC should have won this. Boring game. Moving on.
Seattle Reign (2) vs. Angel City FC (2)
Everyone in LA say thank you, Prisca Chilufya! While Gisele Thompson put ACFC up in the 31st, Seattle quickly came back with goals by Sally Menti and Mia Fishel in the 50th and 52nd minutes, respectively. Our hero Chilufya then tied it up in the 72nd minute. Angel City was lucky to get a point out of this away game against a red-hot Seattle team. These are two teams who are both desperate to stay or get into the playoff race, and it was an even game that ended in a well-deserved tie.
Thanks for reading everyone, I will be back tomorrow to talk about this weekend’s upcoming games!
Anna