NWSL Week 17

All teams are in action for this weekend, beginning with two games on Saturday. The first is...

The Washington Spirit hosting the Western New York Flash. Sabrina D'Angelo and Kelsey Wys play goal. The game can be found here. Western New York had the first good chance in the second minute, as Abby Erceg went for Jessica McDonald, who dropped back to Lianne Sanderson. She whiffed on the shot, and it was poked away, but Samantha Mewis shot on goal and Wys made the save. Caprice Dydasco and Cheyna Williams combined to shut down Elizabeth Eddy in the third minute. Jaelene Hinkle put a ball into the box for the Flash, but Wys got there before McDonald. Christine Nairn set up Crystal Dunn of the Spirit for a nice shooting chance in the fifth minute, but it was off target despite beating D'Angelo with a deft touch. Western New York's Lynn Williams had a cross cleared by Washington's Megan Oyster in the sixth minute. The Flash had a frenzy after McDonald's throw-in but the defense stayed strong for the Spirit, ending the threat with a long one-bounce shot from Hinkle caught by Wys. Eddy won a corner kick off of Dydasco in the ninth minute. The Flash's set piece was served by Abby Dahlkemper, and Ali Krieger did well to clear it for the Spirit. Hinkle had a cross blocked by Estelle Johnson, and then Krieger was called for a handball in the tenth minute. Sanderson took the free kick, going for goal, but it went very long and out of bounds. Lynn Williams had an eleventh minute shot go wide left for Western New York. Hinkle took a pass from Dunn toward Katie Stengel to break up a Washington attack. Eddy stole a ball from Cheyna Williams in the thirteenth minute, and Alanna Kennedy sent the ball away to complete the Flash clearance. Dunn had a shot in the fifteenth minute deflected off of Erceg. On the counterattack, Western New York's Williams took a long ball from Mewis but lost control to Wys. The precision on offense dropped after the first quarter-hour. Johnson blocked a Dahlkemper direct ball in the twentieth minute to stall a Flash attack. A Dydasco turnover in the twenty-first minute was erased when Eddy lost control against Dydasco and Cheyna Williams. McDonald's twenty-second minute cross was picked up by Wys. Johnson blocked a Lynn Williams effort, and Dydasco blocked Sanderson's shot in the twenty-third minute, as Washington's defense holds strong once more. Tori Huster and Dydasco combined to shut down Erceg's effort on a McDonald throw in. Dunn built two attacks for Washington, the first ending with Dahlkemper clearing the ball away from Katie Stengel and the second producing a corner kick off of Hinkle. Nairn served it short for a give and go with Stengel. The second service found Joanna Lohman, who headed it wide left. Krieger had a cross cleared by Kennedy in the twenty-ninth minute. Dydasco cleared a Sanderson ball for McDonald as the Flash continue to control possession. Wys and Stengel combined to clear McDonald's throw-in attempt. Sanderson poked a ball forward, finding Lynn Williams, whose weak shot didn't challenge Wys. Dunn, Lohman, and Stengel combined for a shot in the thirty-fourth minute, with Lohman's knuckling shot falling enough for a save by D'Angelo. Nairn set up Dunn for a chance in the thirty-sixth minute, forcing D'Angelo into a diving save, with Hinkle finishing the clearance as Washington gets more comfortable late in the half. Mewis, McDonald, and Williams strung their play together, with Williams shot tipped aside on the ground by Wys. The Flash continued with a thirty-eighth minute sequence as McCall Zerboni made the steal against Stengel, and then she laid off a pass for Sanderson's shot that Wys tipped just off the bar for the save. Dahlkemper went to Kennedy, but Wys came up with the save on the Flash defender's header. Dunn and Cheyna Williams made a steal from Eddy, and she fouled Cheyna Williams while tracking back, giving Eddy a yellow card in the fortieth minute. Nairn took this free kick for Washington, going for goal and grazing the top of the net on her try. Hinkle had a forty-second minute cross for Western New York go way long. McDonald's throw in landed to Kennedy, who shot it high and over Wys' goal. Lynn Williams won a corner kick off of Dydasco in the forty-fourth minute. Dahlkemper took this one, which Krieger cleared. Eddy's second effort went high and wide. Mewis' cross in stoppage time was blocked out by Huster, and that ended the half, with the scoreline standing at 0-0. Impressing for the Flash are RB Eddy, LB Hinkle, DM Erceg, RW Mewis, ACM Sanderson, and RF McDonald. For the Spirit, the best play has come from GK Wys, CB Johnson, LB Dydasco, RW Lohman, LW Nairn, RF Dunn, and LF Cheyna Williams. Erceg fouled Cheyna Williams in the forty-sixth minute, setting up Nairn for a free kick. This went on goal, and D'Angelo caught it. Krieger cleared a mistake in the forty-eighth minute as Zerboni couldn't get on Lynn Williams' pass. Dydasco blocked an Eddy cross in the forty-ninth minute. Huster and Lohman cleared out a McDonald long throw-in. Dydasco deflected an Eddy cross in the fifty-first minute, making it easier for Wys to handle the ensuing weak shot. Krieger cleared a Dahlkemper free kick in the fifty-second minute after Mewis missed on it. Krieger had an iffy back pass, which Lynn Williams nearly got to. Wys cleared it off Oyster and out for a corner kick. Dahlkemper served this one for Kennedy, who headed it off the right post. Oyster cleared an Eddy cross, and then Sanderson and Lynn Williams also had efforts before Washington could settle from the danger. Mewis fired a shot wide right in the fifty-sixth minute for Western New York. Dunn's counterattack effort was thwarted by Hinkle. Zerboni had a header for the Flash that Wys saved in the fifty-eighth minute. McDonald had a fifty-ninth minute effort go wide left. Stengel got the ball in the sixty-first minute, steering her shot just wide left and low for the Spirit. Washington nearly had another good chance, as Nairn set up Stengel for another big play, forcing D'Angelo to poke a save that Eddy ultimately cleared away. Dunn's sixty-third minute cross was blocked and cleared by Hinkle. Dunn poked a ball around Hinkle in the sixty-fourth minute, setting Stengel up for a shot after she got around D'Angelo, and it found the side netting to make it 1-0 Washington. Mewis and Zerboni combined for a near chance that Oyster broke up in the sixty-seventh minute. Mewis tried to go through the defense, but the Spirit managed to clear it again. Lohman had to make a clearance after an amazing Eddy run into the box. Krieger surrendered a corner kick in the seventy-first minute. The Flash's Dahlkemper served in low and Nairn cleared it. Sanderson served it back in, but Dydasco and Oyster combined to protect the Washington goal against the likes of Mewis and Lynn Williams. Lynn Williams had a seventy-third minute shot saved by Wys. Johnson cleared against Williams as Western New York takes an attacking tilt. Mewis had shots blocked by Dydasco after Oyster cleared Hinkle's cross into a dangerous spot. Wys came way off her line in the seventy-fifth minute, deflecting the ball to the foot of Lynn Williams, who shot high over the empty net. Krieger headed down McDonald's throw in the seventy-sixth minute. The Spirit are starting to take a defensive shell. Johnson blocked two Williams shots in the seventy-seventh minute. Hinkle's cross in the eightieth minute was caught by Wys. Dahlkemper, McDonald, and Williams combined to set up Sanderson for a long and low shot going wide left in the eighty-first minute as the Flash continue to search for goals. Lohman cleared a McDonald cross in the eighty-second minute. Krieger surrendered a corner kick in the eighty-fourth minute. In the eighty-fifth minute, Diana Matheson took a yellow card. Dahlkemper took this one for Kennedy, and Nairn saved it off the line with her head. The Flash's Mewis scored in the eighty-sixth minute after Hinkle's service fell to her off of Johnson's head. Wys got her hands on the shot, but it trickled in anyway, tying the game at 1. Washington fought back with a Dunn shot saved by D'Angelo with her foot. Nairn served it in low and it never got to a teammate, rolling right back out of bounds. Dunn fouled Taylor Smith of Western New York, creating an eighty-ninth minute free kick in a dangerous spot. Hinkle centered it, and Kennedy tried for goal, but Lohman blocked it. Washington countered through Matheson and Dunn, but the attack was ended by Smith. Sanderson took a long range shot in the ninetieth minute that Wys saved. Dunn got the ball but lost it to Smith as the game reaches a fever pitch. Sanderson ripped a shot in stoppage time, grazing the top of the net off of Wys' hands. The corner kick from Dahlkemper went for Erceg, who put it wide. Johnson just blocked the ball away from McDonald after a Mewis through ball. Mewis just broke up a shooting chance for Dunn. Shelina Zadorsky and Krieger cleared the final Flash attack. The game ended 1-1, with Mewis the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. The Spirit have clinched a playoff spot with the result. Also impressing in the second half were the CF Stengel of Washington and LF Williams for the Flash.

The other Saturday game features the Houston Dash welcoming the Orlando Pride. Ashlyn Harris and Lydia Williams are goalies. You can find the game at this link. In the third minute, Janine Beckie crossed in for Carli Lloyd, but Toni Pressley headed it out for a corner kick to deny the Houston opportunity. Andressa's service was harmless, falling near the top of the box. Monica of Orlando headed out a cross attempt from the Dash's Morgan Brian. Kealia Ohai and Brian danced around on top of the box against Cami Levin of the Pride, with Ohai's shot deflected out for a corner kick in the sixth minute. Andressa's service ended up out of bounds this time. Orlando built some offense in the eighth minute, going forward on a Kaylyn Kyle through ball to Sarah Hagen and then Alex Morgan. Eventually, Jasmyne Spencer fired the ball wide left. Houston's Beckie had a cross that Levin cleared across the front of her own net in the ninth minute, and Kyle completed the Pride clearance. Kyle sent another ball forward in the eleventh minute, but too long for Morgan or Spencer, and Williams claimed it for the Dash. Beckie won a corner kick off of Monica on a crossing attempt. Andressa took this one for Cari Roccaro, but Pressley headed it out. Ohai tried a twelfth minute shot that Harris saved. Andressa picked out a run for Denise O'Sullivan, but her cross was too close to Harris, who grabbed it for Orlando. Beckie had a long-range fourteenth minute shot, a bit weak as Harris saved it easily. Becca Moros took a ball off of Morgan's foot to disrupt Orlando's fifteenth minute attack. Ellie Brush then cleared it off of Roccaro, giving the Pride a corner kick. Pressley went for Kristen Edmonds as the short option, and the return pass caught her offside. Josee Belanger of Orlando had a cross bit too long, ending a spell of possession for the Pride. Monica knocked down an Ohai cross in the twentieth minute. Belanger won a corner kick in the twenty-first minute off of Moros. Kristen Edmonds took this one for Pressley, but the service was too high. Andressa ripped a twenty-second minute shot over the right corner of the goal, as Houston continues to have the bulk of the chances. In the twenty-third minute, Houston made something out of nothing, as Ohai corralled a ball and passed to Lloyd, who nearly got tripped and then sent it across goal where Beckie buried the goal for a 1-0 Dash lead. Ohai took a twenty-fifth minute shot, deflecting off of Kyle and out for a corner kick. Monica cleared the Andressa service. Andressa had a cross later, and Poliana headed it just wide for Houston. Morgan tried to find Hagen in the twenty-eighth minute, which Brian picked off and cleared for the Dash. Brian, Lloyd, and Beckie had a sequence of passes ending with Beckie bouncing the ball off of Pressley for a corner kick. Andressa's thirtieth minute service went to Brian, and then Beckie, and the Dash earned another corner kick. This one went for Brian, but Pressley cleared it away for Orlando. Morgan tried to pick out Spencer in the thirty-second minute, but Poliana intercepted it instead. Ohai had a cross that O'Sullivan flicked toward Beckie. It fell to Brian, whose shot was stopped by Harris of the Pride. Hagen and Morgan headed the ball along to Edmonds in the thirty-seventh minute and shot it off-target, one of the best Pride chances so far. Houston built a chance as O'Sullivan found Ohai, whose cross went long but was tracked down by Beckie. Her return cross was cleared by Pressley to stave off the danger. Beckie fired a forty-second minute shot just wide left. Ohai sent a cross toward Beckie, but Levin cleared it away in the forty-third minute as the Dash had another solid opportunity. Beckie's through ball for Lloyd was blocked by Kyle after O'Sullivan kept it in. Moros and Brush shut down Spencer and Morgan in the forty-fourth minute to nullify Orlando's attack. Roccaro had an odd clearance popped up in her own box, but Spencer was unable to beat Williams to the ball, as the Dash keeper ended the danger. Kyle cleared a Moros through ball in stoppage time. The game went into halftime at 1-0 for the Dash. Impressing for the Pride are the GK Harris, RB Levin, CB Kyle, ACM Edmonds, and LF Morgan. For Houston, the top efforts have been from RB Poliana, DCM Brian, ACM Andressa, RW Lloyd, LF Ohai, and RF Beckie. In the forty-seventh minute, Spencer won a corner kick. Edmonds took this for Monica, who nearly found Pressley on the flick-on, but Roccaro cleared it for Houston. Pressley surrendered a corner kick in the forty-eighth minute. Andressa served this for Roccaro, and it fell to Poliana. Her first shot was blocked but her second one found the back of the net, making it 2-0 for Houston. Ohai stole a ball from Dani Weatherholt of the Pride, and then ran into the box and shot wide and high right in the fiftieth minute. Orlando's Maddy Evans had a long shot caught by Williams. Lloyd made a nifty play in the fifty-third minute, finding Ohai, and her shot was just stopped by Harris, and then swept out of danger from Kyle. In the fifty-fourth minute, Moros crossed in for Lloyd, who headed wide left. Levin had a fifty-seventh minute cross picked by Brian. Beckie went long for Ohai, but Belanger and Harris cut it out first for the Pride to make the stop before Ohai could shoot. Brush conceded a corner kick in the fifty-eighth minute, giving Edmonds a set piece to serve in for Monica, but Brush headed it away. Belanger served it back in, and Brush was there again. Poliana lost the ball to Morgan in the sixtieth minute, but Brian tracked back and took it back for the Dash. Ohai set up O'Sullivan for a sixty-first minute shot, blocked by Monica. Ohai made it 3-0 Houston in the sixty-second minute, taking a sequence of passes from Lloyd and O'Sullivan and lacing a curling shot into the side netting beyond Harris. Edmonds took a sixty-fifth minute free kick, finding Monica, whose header went straight at Williams. Lloyd had a cross blocked by Kyle in the sixty-seventh minute. In the sixty-eighth minute, Lloyd fed Beckie for a shot, but Harris toe-poked it out for a corner kick. Andressa's set piece was cleared by the Pride's Becky Edwards. O'Sullivan won a seventieth minute corner kick. Ohai had a bit of a long cross in the seventy-second minute, going for Beckie. Edwards cleaned up a Beckie pass for Lloyd in the seventy-fifth minute. Roccaro fouled Morgan in the seventy-sixth minute, earning a yellow card for the Houston defender. Edmonds took the corner kick resulting from the play, cleared by Houston's Amber Brooks. Morgan fouled Brush in the seventy-eighth minute, and Morgan got booked on the yellow card this time. In the seventy-ninth minute, Brooks fouled Spencer as the crafty Orlando attacker worked toward the box. Brooks earned a yellow card for this foul. In the eightieth minute, Edmonds took the free kick, passing it to Morgan, and she buried it to cut it to 3-1, saving a bit of face for Orlando. The Pride seemed to gain some life after this. Cami Privett of the Dash had to surrender a corner kick to keep Spencer from the ball. Edmonds took the eighty-sixth minute set piece, but Privett cleared it partially. In the eighty-seventh minute, a broken play for the Pride led to an Edmonds goal to cut the deficit to 3-2. Kyle and Morgan helped to get the ball to Edmonds after Sam Witteman's shot was blocked. Ohai's cross was behind Beckie and poked away by Monica in the eighty-eighth minute. Privett broke up a run by Edmonds to stall an Orlando attack in the ninetieth minute. Brush cleared a Levin cross as the Pride search for a tying goal. In the fifth minute of added time after Edwards went off injured, Beckie set up Ohai for another goal, her second of the game as she got behind Monica, firing it in to make it 4-2 Dash. Lloyd tried to poke around the defense of Orlando, passing out wide to Ohai, whose shot this time went wide left. There was a corner kick, taken short as the Dash own possession to kill the game. Beckie took a shot seven minutes deep, bouncing it off of Levin and into Harris' hands. The game ended 4-2, with Ohai as the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match for her brace. Also impressing in the second half was the CB Monica of the Pride.

Leading off with the first of three Sunday games, FC Kansas City hosts Sky Blue FC. Caroline Stanley and Nicole Barnhart are in the six-yard boxes. Here's the game link. Kansas City's Katie Bowen blocked a cross in the first minute against Sky Blue's Erica Skroski. Yael Averbuch of the Blues blocked a second minute Sam Kerr cross intended for Leah Galton in the second minute. Sarah Killion took the Sky Blue corner kick, grabbed by Barnhart. Bowen tried to find Tiffany McCarty in the fifth minute, but Skroski got there first for Sky Blue. Averbuch did a sixth minute free kick for Kansas City, going for goal but saved by Stanley, the Sky Blue keeper. McCarty tried to set up Caroline Kastor with a back heel in the seventh minute, but Christie Rampone had the disruption for Sky Blue. Kastor mishit a cross in the eighth minute that went too long and out of bounds for the Blues. Desiree Scott of Kansas City stole the ball from Taylor Lytle after a spell of Sky Blue possession.  McCarty almost found Shea Groom in the tenth minute, but Kristin Grubka sent it out for a corner kick. The Blues' set piece came from Heather O'Reilly, intended for Becky Sauerbrunn, but without a second contact. Averbuch had a second cross catch McCarty offside, ending the Blues attack. Kerr had a long cross go out of bounds in the fourteenth minute. Brittany Taylor of Kansas City had a cross that Stanley grabbed in the sixteenth minute. Groom took a shot a bit wide left in the nineteenth minute for the Blues. Averbuch found Taylor, who crossed for McCarty in the twenty-second minute, but this was stopped quickly by the Sky Blue defense. Sky Blue's Galton set up Kerr for a big shot in the twenty-third minute, but Barnhart was up to the task for the diving save. McCarty had a cross in the twenty-seventh minute, deflected out by Sky Blue for a corner kick. O'Reilly took this one, going straight to Stanley, who caught it easily. Nastaha Kai of Sky Blue was caught offside in the twenty-ninth minute. Kastor had a low cross in the thirty-first minute, which Stanley grabbed. Galton had a free kick for Sky Blue, going too long to be reached by either team. The Blues earned a free kick in the thirty-third minute from a Skroski foul on McCarty. O'Reilly went out of bounds, and the ball landed on the top of the net.Raquel Rodriguez of Sky Blue blocked an O'Reilly shot in the thirty-sixth minute. Simon blocked Taylor's shot in the thirty-seventh minute, keeping the Blues in control of the offense. In the fortieth minute, Simon set up Kerr for a shot outside the box, and she rocketed it in for a 1-0 Sky Blue lead. In the forty-third minute, O'Reilly fouled Galton, earning a yellow card for the Kansas City midfielder. Killion's free kick went to Kai, who shot it off the post, and then Kerr shot the rebound wide left in the forty-fifth minute. Taylor set up McCarty in stoppage time, and she headed it back in for Groom, who poked it just wide right of the target. Kansas City tied it on a McCarty goal in stoppage time on a pass from O'Reilly with a low shot, making it 1-1. This was the halftime score. Impressing for Sky Blue are LB Simon, CB Rampone, RB Skroski, and RF Kerr. For the Blues, the best play has come from LB Bowen, CB Averbuch, RB Taylor, DM Scott, LW McCarty, ACM O'Reilly, RW Kastor, and striker Groom. Lytle and Galton tried to make something in the forty-sixth minute, but Galton was caught offside. Grubka did well to disrupt a Kansas City attack on a Groom shot after O'Reilly tracked down a forward ball from Bowen in the forty-eighth minute. Lytle's shot was blocked by Averbuch on the other end after a cross from Kerr. Kerr saw another cross deflect but stay in bound and caught by Barnhart to give the Blues possession again. Lytle sent a fifty-second minute shot over the bar for Sky Blue. Kai sent a ball forward for Galton in the fifty-third minute, which Averbuch just disrupted enough to allow Barnhart to get to it. O'Reilly had a shot for the Blues, blocked by Sky Blue's Grubka. Taylor then had a second effort cross go too high for Kansas City to reach. Rampone broke up a shooting chance from Groom in the fifty-fifth minute, and both players went down hard but the referee let the game continue. Simon and Grubka blocked a pair of McCarty crosses in the fifty-seventh minute, leading to a Kansas City corner kick. O'Reilly served it in, and Kerr sent it away. Averbuch blocked and cleared Galton's fifty-eighth minute cross. Taylor and Averbuch managed to hold up Galton enough to keep her from crossing one in. Grubka and Skroski had a miscommunication, nearly leading to a shot for the Blues' Erika Tymrak. She ended up down on the ground, and needed some medical attention. Frances Silva replaced Tymrak, who was a substitute herself for Kastor previously. O'Reilly won a sixty-fourth minute corner kick off of Grubka, and they also had a hard collision. The service from O'Reilly was far out of bounds. Taylor's half-cross in the sixty-seventh minute was cleared by Killion. Grubka had to head out an O'Reilly cross for another Blues corner kick. Averbuch served this one for McCarty, but it was cleared by Sky Blue. Kansas City won another corner kick after Grubka was under pressure and had to send it out. Averbuch sent it to Groom in the seventieth minute, but her header was wide left. Kerr and Kai never combined, but Averbuch took it away from the Sky Blue forward in the seventy-second minute. Skroski just headed away a cross from McCarty, and then O'Reilly returned it, but Stanley made the grab to save the day for Sky Blue after Grubka blocked Groom. Laddish had a try over the bar in the seventy-fourth minute after a dropback pass from Groom. Scott blocked and stole the ball from Kerr in the seventy-fifth minute. On the other side, Simon stole the ball from McCarty after Scott passed it out wide. Kerr made a huge series of dribbles and won a corner kick off of Bowen in the seventy-seventh minute. Sky Blue's set piece was from Galton to Nikki Stanton, but the header was wide. Kerr ripped a seventy-eighth minute shot, saved by Barnhart. The corner kick from Killion was caught by Barnhart to end the Sky Blue attack. Stanton fouled O'Reilly in the eightieth minute, leading to a centrally-located free kick for Kansas City. Averbuch took it for goal and shot over the bar. In the eighty-third minute, Silva was fouled by Kai, who received a yellow card. This free kick was from a similar shot as before, and Averbuch took this one as well, finding the back of the net to make it 2-1 for the Blues in the eighty-fifth minute. Averbuch put it in the top right corner, fully out of reach of Stanley. Rampone had a low cross, looking for Kerr, but Averbuch sent it away in the eighty-seventh minute. Grubka had a broken clearance, and Groom's centering ball found Laddish, who had a heavy touch and lost it to Grubka in the eighty-ninth minute. Groom took a ball in the ninetieth minute but failed to fire a shot, as Stanley cut the angle down. The Blues saw the 2-1 win out, with Averbuch named Outsider Sports Woman of the Match for her stunning free kick to clinch in. Sky Blue saw improvements from CB Grubka and LW Galton in the second half.

In Chicago, the Red Stars bring in the Seattle Reign FC. Haley Kopmeyer and Alyssa Naeher are the goalies. You can find the game at this link. Seattle had the first chance, with Rumi Utsugi springing Beverly Yanez on the wing. Yanez went give-and-go with Manon Melis, but Yanez's shot was high and wide right. Merritt Mathias, Jess Fishlock, and Nahomi Kawasumi combined for a chance that ended with an off-target cross for the Reign. Yanez set up Melis in the fifth minute, and this time the Reign got a goal, going up 1-0. Melis' run between Danielle Colaprico and Sam Johnson was very tight and paid off for Seattle. Chicago's Stephanie McCaffrey was taken down by Fishlock, but it was clean and the Reign took over with a goal kick in the sixth minute. The Reign had a ninth minute free kick outside the box, taken by Lauren Barnes direct for goal, and she scored on the unexpected play to make it 2-0 Seattle. Mathias tried a cross in the twelfth minute on a give-and-go with Kim Little, but it went a bit too long. The Red Stars' Julie Johnston broke up an Utsugi through ball in the thirteenth minute, helping to disrupt Seattle's play. Kawasumi tried to find Yanez on a cross in the fourteenth minute, but Naeher was there with the grab for Chicago. Little set up Melis for a shot on the next Reign attack, but Naeher saved this one and Johnston cleared before Melis could track down the rebound. Arin Gilliland and Johnson combined to clear a ball away from Little after Melis' through ball in the seventeenth minute. Fishlock went long for Melis in the eighteenth minute, but Naeher came out to clear it away for the Red Stars. Sofia Huerta had a missed shot attempt in the twentieth minute, and then Chicago's Christen Press set up Vanessa DiBernardo for a shot on goal that Kopmeyer saved for Seattle. Cara Walls had a shot from in close against Kopmeyer, who saved it, and then McCaffrey's second try went wide right, marking the best Red Stars chance so far. Casey Short of Chicago crossed over Press and found Gilliland, whose shot was wide right in the twenty-fourth minute. Barnes cleared a ball from Johnston to Press in the twenty-sixth minute. Short won a Red Stars corner kick off of Kawasumi in the twenty-seventh minute. DiBernardo put the ball to the far post, finding Huerta, who headed it in and cut the deficit to 2-1, still favoring the Reign. DiBernardo had a long ball run a bit too long in the thirtieth minute. Kawasumi tried a thirty-first minute cross cleared by Johnston. Fishlock's shot bounced off of DiBernardo, earning Seattle a corner kick. Barnes took the set piece for Keelin Winters, but Johnston cleared, and Utsugi's second effort allowed the Red Stars to fully clear. Utsugi nearly found Melis in the thirty-third minute, but Naeher was there first. Mathias blocked a Walls pass to DiBernardo in the thirty-fourth minute as a frenzy of back-and-forth play continues. Kawasumi and Little combined to get a cross to Yanez, but she couldn't quite head it on goal. Fishlock had a thirty-sixth minute shot from distance saved by Naeher. Utsugi tried to cross into the box in the thirty-seventh minute, but Gilliland shut it down for Chicago. Johnston cleared a Mathias long ball in the thirty-ninth minute. Yanez had a forty-second minute shot, saved by Naeher, and then Naeher also blocked the spinning deflection rebound shot to deny the Reign forward. In the forty-third minute, Utsugi blocked away a Short cross. Gilliland blocked a Yanez shot from a Kawasumi cross after Johnston's header fell to Yanez in the forty-fourth minute. The game went into halftime at 2-1 for Seattle. Impressing for the Reign are the RB Mathias, CB Barnes, LB Utsugi, RW Fishlock, RF Kawasumi, CF Melis, and LF Yanez. For the Red Stars, their best efforts have come from CBs Johnston and Johnson, DM DiBernardo, RW Huerta, RF McCaffrey, and LF Press. Short had a forty-seventh minute cross caught by Kopmeyer. Short had a weak forty-ninth minute shot due to a Mathias foul, and this led to a Red Stars free kick. Press took the fiftieth minute set piece for goal, but went wide left. The second half has lacked the same frenetic pace as the first half, with much more midfield play. Utsugi had a cross in the fifty-fifth minute, finding Yanez for a header that Naeher dove and saved. Short's cross on the other side found Press, but the shot was slow and Kopmeyer saved it. Short danced around the left wing and into the box, with her low shot saved by Kopmeyer in the fifty-eighth minute. Barnes blocked a sixtieth minute shot by McCaffrey off of a Johnston free kick. Kawasumi found a spinning Little in the sixty-first minute, and she shot over the bar. Press got behind the defense and nearly around Kopmeyer in the sixty-second minute, but she hit the outside of the net. Johnston made a sliding break-up on Fishlock's pass for Melis in the sixty-third minute. McCaffrey and Press tried to give and go on the Chicago counterattack, but Kopmeyer broke it up. Press had a shot blocked by Seattle's Kendall Fletcher in the sixty-fourth minute, and then had another chance, with Kopmeyer getting just the fingertips on it. Chicago earned a corner kick, which DiBernardo served straight at Kopmeyer. Short cleared a sixty-eighth minute Utsugi long cross after a long Seattle spell of possession. Fletcher cleaned up a seventy-first minute ball forward for Press. Kawasumi found Utsugi for a cross in the seventy-second minute, but Utsugi shot over the goal. Kawasumi picked out Megan Rapinoe in the seventy-third minute, but Rapinoe's shot likewise went off-target as the Reign perform slow builds on their chances. Fletcher blocked a Press shot in the seventy-fourth minute. Short had a hard cross to McCaffrey, who poked it to Kopmeyer. Mathias fouled Short in the box in the seventy-eighth minute, giving the Reign defender a yellow card and a Red Stars penalty kick. Press took the penalty kick and scored, tying the game at 2. Mathias' eighty-first minute cross went straight to Naeher. Kawasumi and Fletcher combined to send a cross in, which Johnston cleared for Chicago in the eighty-third minute. McCaffrey curled a ball on goal that Kopmeyer saved in the eighty-fourth minute. Rapinoe flicked a ball on to Little in the eighty-fifth minute, but Johnston poked it away. Johnson cleared a Mathias cross as the Reign aren't making much of their chances. Mathias had a cross off of Johnson, which then hit the cross bar, and Rapinoe couldn't get anything on the shooting chance in the eighty-sixth minute as Gilliland blocked it. Short conceded a corner kick against Mathias, giving the Reign a set piece in the eighty-ninth minute. Barnes took it for Winters, and then Utsugi had some time on the ball, but Gilliland managed to help lead the clearance for the Red Stars. Colaprico cleared a ninetieth minute free kick from Kawasumi. The game ended at 2-2, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being GK Naeher, whose many impressive saves helped the Red Stars stay in the game and earn the draw. The LB Short of Chicago impressed in the second half.

Finally, the Portland Thorns FC host the Boston Breakers. Libby Stout and Michelle Betos are the goalies. Here's the game. Portland's Meghan Klingenberg surrendered a corner kick in the second minute. Louise Schillgard took it for Boston, going for Kassey Kallman, but Betos punched it out. Katie Schoepfer of the Breakers put in a second ball, ending on a handball call. Nadia Nadim and Amandine Henry of the Thorns strung passes together, but the final pass caught Hayley Raso offside in the fourth minute. Schillgard saw a cross blocked by Klingenberg after a frenzy of Breakers passes. Kallman cleared a Katherine Reynolds forward ball for Portland in the seventh minute. Emily Sonnett of the Thorns blocked a shot from Kyah Simon of Boston. Stephanie Verdoia of the Breakers and Lindsey Horan of Portland had a battle in the eighth minute. Verdoia had a cross in the eleventh minute which Klingenberg headed out for a Breakers corner kick. Schillgard served it in, and Henry cleared it for the Thorns. Verdoia headed a cross to Natasha Dowie, and she fired wide left on Boston's best chance so far in the twelfth minute. Whitney Engen cleared a long ball by Sonnett to help the Breakers defense. Long went forward for Christine Sinclair in the fourteenth minute, and she won a corner kick off of Engen. This led to a goal, as Sinclair scored on Nadim's service after Sonnett pulled much of the Boston defense out of position. Raso had a seventeenth minute cross for Sinclair that Stout just grabbed in time. The Breakers' Kristie Mewis tried to go over the top, but Emily Menges cleared it for the Thorns. Julie King had a cross in the twentieth minute, catching Dowie just offside as Boston misses a chance. Nadim found Raso out wide, and she passed it along to Horan back on the left wing, but the play was ruled offside in the twenty-first minute as Horan put the ball away, leaving the score at 1-0. Schillgard went over the top for Dowie, but Sonnett shielded her off of the ball and Betos grabbed it. Schoepfer partially cleared a throw-in from Reynolds. It fell to Klingenberg, who found Horan, and she was blocked by Stout, with the rebound shot from Raso shot wide left in the twenty-fourth minute. Horan and Raso both had high crosses into the box in the twenty-fifth minute, and ultimately it ended in the hands of Stout. Dowie took a shot on the other side, with Betos punching it aside. Raso put Kylie Strom on the turf with a quick cut, and crossed to Horan, but her lazy pass was lost to Boston. Sinclair nearly caught Stout off her line in the twenty-eighth minute, but she put it out, and Raso's second try was caught by Stout as well. Mewis won a corner kick for the Breakers off of Long in the thirtieth minute. Mewis tried for Dowie but went a bit long, and Betos grabbed it at the back post. Strom intercepted a Sinclair pass to Raso after a long ball from Reynolds. Portland held some possession in the thirty-third minute, with Long finding Klingenberg, and she shot wide right to end the attack. Henry, Sinclair, and Horan combined for a thirty-sixth minute chance, but Sinclair's flick caught Horan offside. Raso put in a cross that Engen cleared in the thirty-seventh minute. Boston had a thirty-ninth minute free kick after Long fouled Strom. Mewis went for goal, shooting wide left with the mishit. Raso found Horan in the box, whose shot was knocked off Kallman's hand, earning a penalty kick for the Thorns. Nadim took this one in the forty-first minute, scoring to make it 2-0 by sending Stout the wrong way. King had a header on a free kick from Kallman, forcing Betos into the save. Nadim had a shot blocked by Engen, and then Horan had a second try when Kallman flubbed the clearance in the forty-fifth minute, but Stout palmed it aside. The game went into halftime at 2-0. Impressing for the Breakers so far are LB Strom, CB Engen, DCM Schoepfer, ACM Mewis, RW Schillgard, and RF Dowie. For the Thorns, the top players are GK Betos, CB Sonnett, DM Long, RW Raso, ACM Horan, LW Nadim, and striker Sinclair. Klingenberg did a forty-sixth minute free kick for Sinclair, whose flicked header ended up with Stout. In the forty-eighth minute, Portland made it 3-0 as Sinclair tracked down a ball from Reynolds and crossed it into the box. Nadim dummied the run, and this left Long open for a sharp goal. Simon had a shot blocked by Reynolds in the fifty-second minute after a flurry of Breakers touched the ball in the box on a Kallman free kick. Raso led the Thorns counterattack, but it didn't result in anything beyond alleviating the pressure. Raso won a free kick in the fifty-fifth minute against Strom. The Thorns' set piece came from Nadim, and she went for Henry, who headed it over the bar. Menges blocked a King cross out for a Breakers corner kick. Mewis took this one, going shot for Schillgard, and Reynolds blocked it. Verdoia was fouled shortly after, giving the Breakers a free kick. Mewis took it for goal in the fifty-eighth minute, going over the top left corner. Simon challenged Betos hard in the fifty-ninth minute, but the Thorns keeper cleared it. Klingenberg found Horan on the counterattack, and she nearly beat Stout, but a high ball over the defender gave Stout time to catch it. Simon put a shot on target in the sixtieth minute, saved by Betos. Klingenberg went long for Sinclair, who centered it in the sixty-first minute. Nadim dummied it, and Henry launched a rocket straight at Stout. King headed a Reynolds cross out in the sixty-third minute for a corner kick for Portland. Tobin Heath took this corner kick centrally, but it was cleared by Boston. Long, Horan, Heath, and Sonnett charged the goal on Reynolds' service, but Stout was there to cover it. Sinclair had a long cross in the sixty-fifth minute, too much for Nadim to get on. In the sixty-sixth minute, Long fed Nadim for a shooting chance, and Nadim ripped it off the bar. Heath tried to send another in, but Strom denied her. Long set up Heath in the sixty-seventh minute, but Heath put it over the bar on the half-volley. Long tried a shot that hit Meleana Shim in the sixty-eighth minute as the Thorns create a flurry of chances. Nadim crossed one in that Stout caught on the next Portland attack. A seventy-first minute Portland attack started by Klingenberg ended with Reynolds' cross that Stout caught. Heath lost the ball out in the seventy-third minute after Nadim, Sinclair, and Horan strung passes together on a crisp counterattack. Shim passed to Long, who tangled up with King but no call was made in the seventy-fifth minute, ending the Portland attack. Heath got around King on the next try, and she tried a shot but found the outside netting. Long got fouled by Boston's Eunice Beckmann, giving the Thorns a good free kick chance. Heath took this one for goal, but King blocked and cleared on consecutive touches. Dowie laid off a pass for Ghoutia Karchouni in the seventy-eighth minute, and she sent it over the bar. Long split between King and Karchouni in the seventy-ninth minute before finding Nadim, whose first shot was blocked by Stout but returned to her, allowing her to work around the keeper and score on the open net, making it 4-0 Portland. This is Nadim's second of the game as well. Karchouni slipped a ball through everyone and Betos sent it away in the eightieth minute. Shim headed a ball away from Beckmann in the eighty-first minute. Horan headed a King long throw out for a corner kick. Schillgard set this one up Beckmann, but Menges cleared it in the end. Boston had a free kick in the eighty-third minute, taken by Beckmann for King, who headed it in to cut the score to 4-1. Kallman had a free kick for King in the eighty-eighth minute, and she managed a shot on goal that Betos saved. Nadim fouled Engen in the ninetieth minute, and Nadim took a yellow card for the act. In stoppage time, Heath danced around Schillgard and had a big shot, saved by Stout. The rebound came to Nadim, who scored for her hat trick to make it 5-1, the eventual final. Dowie did have a shot after that, saved by Betos. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was Nadim, while second half stars were the Breakers' RB King and LF sub Beckmann, while the Thorns subs Heath and Shim looked good in their limited appearances.

Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 17

GK Michelle Betos
RB Poliana
CB Yael Averbuch
CB Lauren Barnes
LB Casey Short
DCM Allie Long
RW Samantha Mewis
LW Nadia Nadim
RF Janine Beckie
CF Christine Sinclair
LF Kealia Ohai