NWSL 2017: Week 13

The season gets into its second half this weekend, with one game on Friday and four more on Saturday. We begin with...

The Boston Breakers hosting the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Sammy Jo Prudhomme are the goalies on Friday night. Chicago's Alyssa Mautz took a yellow card for her sixty-second minute foul against Boston's Morgan Andrews. Allysha Chapman of the Breakers took a yellow card for a foul in the eightieth minute on the Red Stars' Sofia Huerta. In the ninetieth minute, Boston's Rosie White received a yellow card for fouling Chicago's Julie Ertz. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with the woman of the match being Breakers keeper Prudhomme for an eight-save clean sheet. Also good for Boston were Chapman, Angela Salem, and Adriana Leon, while Chicago's top players were Casey Short, Ertz, Mautz, and Christen Press.

On Saturday, the first of four games saw the Washington Spirit welcome the Orlando Pride. Aubrey Bledsoe and Stephanie Labbe protect the nets. Orlando opened in the tenth minute with a Marta penalty kick goal, with the attempt earned by Camila. Washington tied it in the twenty-fourth minute with a Mallory Pugh goal, via Francisca Ordega. The Pride took the lead back in the fifty-sixth minute with a Marta goal. The Spirit tied it again as Pugh scored on a ninetieth minute penalty kick goal, earned by Kristie Mewis. The final stood at 2-2, with the woman of the match being Pugh. Washington also saw good games from Tori Huster and Estefania Banini, while Orlando's best were Marta, Camila, and Ali Krieger.

Next up, Sky Blue FC host FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Kailen Sheridan play goal. Kansas City started in the twenty-ninth minute with a Katie Bowen goal, via Christina Gibbons. Kansas City added on in the forty-second minute with a Gibbons goal, made possible by Desiree Scott. In first half stoppage time, Erica Skroski of Sky Blue fouled Kansas City's Shea Groom to earn a yellow card, but Groom retaliated in a violent manner and received a red card, putting Kansas City shorthanded for the rest of the game. Sky Blue got on the board with a Sam Kerr goal in the seventy-eighth minute, coming off of Kelley O'Hara. Sky Blue tied it in the eighty-first minute with a Kerr goal, passed from Daphne Corboz. Sky Blue took the lead in the ninetieth minute as Kerr completed her hat trick on a goal set up by Taylor Lytle. This made it 3-2, the final, with the woman of the match being Kerr. Sky Blue also saw good games from Raquel Rodriguez and O'Hara, while Kansas City's top players were Gibbons, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Bowen.

Down the coast, the North Carolina Courage bring in the Seattle Reign FC. Haley Kopmeyer and Katelyn Rowland play in goal. North Carolina led off in the thirty-third minute with an Ashley Hatch goal. Seattle's Kristen McNabb took a yellow card for a seventy-first minute foul. Hatch of the Courage had a foul in the seventy-fifth minute that earned a yellow card. North Carolina added on in the eighty-first minute with a McCall Zerboni goal. This produced the 2-0 final, with the woman of the match being Hatch. Zerboni, Abby Dahlkemper, and Taylor Smith were good for the Courage, while the Reign saw their best efforts from Rebekah Stott, McNabb, and Megan Rapinoe.

Finally, the Houston Dash host the Portland Thorns FC. Adrianna Franch and Jane Campbell are in the six-yard boxes. Houston began in the eighth minute with a Janine Beckie goal, passed from Rachel Daly. In first half stoppage time, Lindsey Horan of Portland took a yellow card for her foul. In the eighty-third minute, the Dash's Bruna took a yellow card for a foul. In the ninetieth minute, Daly received a yellow card for time wasting. The Thorns tied it in stoppage time on a Horan goal from a free kick. A minute later, Carli Lloyd of the Dash took a straight red card for a reckless foul against Mallory Weber of Portland. The final stood at 1-1, with the woman of the match being Horan for the late equalizer. Also good for the Thorns were Meghan Klingenberg, Franch, and Hayley Raso, while the Dash had good games from Amber Brooks, Cami Privett, Beckie, and Daly.

NWSL Best XI of the Week
GK Sammy Jo Prudhomme
RB Kelley O'Hara
CB Amber Brooks
CB Abby Dahlkemper
LB Meghan Klingenberg
DM Christina Gibbons
AM Janine Beckie
AM Marta
RF Mallory Pugh
CF Ashley Hatch
LF Sam Kerr