1. Courage Captain gets winning goal in 4-3 win against Washington Spirit
The North Carolina Courage are on a streak with three wins in a row and earned a big three points with four goals in an entertaining matchup with the Washington Spirit. The Courage took a three goal lead in the first 15 minutes of the match, but the Spirit managed to claw their way back in the second half with three goals over their own including a stoppage time equalizer
The Courage were not satisfied with the draw on the road,
and pulled out a game-winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time with a strong run by center back and Courage Captain Natalie Jacobs. The victory keeps the Courage in sixth place on the NWSL table though they still have 12 more matches in the NWSL season.
2. Pietra Tordin scores hat trick in 4-3 win against Boston Legacy
The Portland Thorns washed the stink of a 5-1 loss last week against the Utah Royals with a four-goal first half against the Boston Legacy to win 4-3. Thorns forward Pietra Tordin led the way with a hat trick that was started by an incredible free kick that went over the defensive wall and beat Legacy goalkeeper Casey Murphy to her near post.
3. Janine Sonis pulls off late game-winner over regional rival
The Denver Summit earned a big victory at home against the third place team in the NWSL and their regional rivals in the Utah Royals. Momentum and chances created favored the Royals who spent more time in Denver’s box, but couldn’t score more than one despite a 2.09 xG. The Royals could have been pleased with their late equalizer in the 89th minute by Tatumn Milazzo, but the Summit Captain had other plans.
Janine Sonis scored another goal off a set piece with a free kick opportunity just outside the penalty area. Sonis kept her shot low wide of the Utah wall to make it 2-1 with four minutes left in stoppage time.
4. Sally Menti and Mia Fishel connect twice in three minutes
The Seattle Reign were down one goal entering the second half, but within two minutes both Mia Fishel and Sally Menti connected for goals to take the lead against Angel City FC at Lumen Field. Fishel assisted Menti’s goal first in the 50th minute with a difficult pass forward into the box that Menti collected then scored. Only two minutes later Menti got another passs into the box, but this time gave a short pass to Fishel while drawing defenders to herself. Fishel scored a screecher from the top of the penalty area into the top bin to take the lead making it 2-1.
5. Angel City subs take draw on the road
Angel City scored in the 72nd minute to make it 2-2 thanks to a goal assisted by Evelyn Shores and scored Prisca Chilufya who had only substituted on three minutes earlier. The Zambian forward was away for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, but was needed to put away the chance. The end of the match also featured a contentious handshake between Reign Head Coach Laura Harvey and Angel City Interim Head Coach Leif Smerud.
6. Jaedyn Shaw scores against former club and holds top of the table
Gotham FC extended their lead in the NWSL Shield race to four points with their big win against San Diego Wave. The bats were defensively solid and needed only a Jaedyn Shaw goal just before the end of the first half in the in the 44th minute to earn the victory. The goal also marked Shaw’s second goal against her former club.
7. Racing Louisville get big road win against Orlando Pride
Racing Louisville earned their second win in a row with their 3-1 victory against the spiraling Orlando Pride. Emma Sears led the way with a brace with goals in the 68th and 86th minute for Louisville. The goal put Emma atop the all-time scoring list for Racing Louisville with 19 goals in only her third season with the club.
The away side did give up a beautiful consilation goal in stoppage time to Kerry Abello.
8. Dash take draw with KC Current with another goal by Kat Rader
The Kansas City Current nearly pulled off a victory with a lone goal before the end fo the first half by Debinha, but the Dash limited the Current’s chances in the second half before eventually scoring via a penalty. Dash rookie Kat Rader further strengthened her case for the NWSL Rookie of the Year award with her seventh goal of the season, and her second penalty goal of the year to make it 1-1.
