NWSL 2018 Week 1

Women's soccer returns in US today, with the now 9-team league playing four games over the weekend. First up...

The North Carolina Courage host the Portland Thorns FC. Adrianna Franch and Sabrina D'Angelo are in the six-yard boxes. Portland saw yellow cards for fouls by Emily Sonnett in the thirty-third minute and Lindsey Horan in the thirty-fifth minute. North Carolina's Jaelene Hinkle had a yellow card for a fifty-first minute foul. The Courage got going in the seventieth minute with a Debinha goal, passed from Denise O'Sullivan. The score held at 1-0, with the woman of the match being Debinha. North Carolina also saw good efforts from Abby Dahlkemper, Merritt Mathias, and Jess McDonald, while the Thorns had good performances from Franch, Emily Sonnett, Horan, and Christine Sinclair.

Down in Florida, the Orlando Pride welcome the Utah Royals FC. Abby Smith and Ashlyn Harris are the strong goalies. Utah began in the third minute with a Gunnhildur Yrsa Jonsdottir goal, assisted by Diana Matheson with a cross from the right wing. In the twenty-first minute, the Royals' Becky Sauerbrunn took a yellow card for a handball in the box. Orlando tied it on a Marta penalty kick goal. Brittany Ratcliffe of Utah had a yellow card for a foul in the fifty-eighth minute. Ali Krieger of the Pride received a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The game ended 1-1, with the woman of the match being Jonsdottir. Also starring for the Royals were the keeper Smith, Kelley O'Hara, Desiree Scott, and Matheson. The Pride's top players were Krieger and Marta.

Saturday ends with the Seattle Reign FC bringing in the Washington Spirit. Aubrey Bledsoe and Michelle Betos are the keepers. Seattle led off in the seventh minute with a Megan Rapinoe free kick goal, off a foul drawn by Allie Long. The Reign added on with a Jodie Taylor goal in the thirty-fifth minute, which the Washington keeper Bledsoe slowed but couldn't stop, assisted by Rapinoe. In the sixty-fourth minute, Seattle's Rapinoe took a yellow card for not retreating. Washington got on the board in the sixty-eighth minute with a Joanna Lohman goal, set up by Estefania Banini and Mallory Pugh. In the ninetieth minute, Morgan Andrews of the Reign took a yellow card for time wasting. The Reign held on for a 2-1 win, with Rapinoe named woman of the match. Also starring for Seattle were the keeper Betos, Rumi Utsugi, Long, Beverly Yanez, and Taylor, while the Spirit saw good games from Taylor Smith, Mallory Pugh, and Lohman.

Finally, the Houston Dash host the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Jane Campbell are the American international keepers. Houston struck first in the thirty-eighth minute with a Kimberly Keever goal, set up by Savannah Jordan. Chicago's Katie Naughton received a yellow card in the sixty-ninth minute for a foul. In the eighty-first minute, the Dash's Amber Brooks had a yellow card for a foul. The Red Stars tied it in stoppage time on a Taylor Comeau goal that deflected off of Rachel Daly after Danielle Colaprico served in a corner kick.  The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the woman of the match being Mana Shim of the Dash for a fantastic effort in the defensive midfield. Also starring for Houston were Kristie Mewis, Janine Van Wyk, and Jordan, while Chicago's best were Comeau, Colaprico, and Alyssa Mautz.

NWSL Team of the Week
GK Michelle Betos
LB Rumi Utsugi
CB Abby Dahlkemper
CB Janine Van Wyk
RB Merritt Mathias
DM Mana Shim
AM Gunnhildur Yrsa Jonsdottir
AM Debinha
FW Megan Rapinoe
FW Jodie Taylor
FW Marta