NWSL 2018 Week 4

We've got four games this weekend, beginning on Friday with...

The Portland Thorns FC hosting the Washington Spirit. Aubrey Bledsoe and Britt Eckerstrom are in the six-yard boxes. Washington led off in the thirty-seventh minute with a Francisca Ordega goal off of chaos in the box from a corner kick taken by Tori Huster. Emily Sonnett of Portland received a yellow card for a thirty-ninth minute foul. The Thorns tied it on a Christine Sinclair penalty kick goal in first half stoppage time after Caprice Dydasco of the Spirit took Ifeoma Onumonu down in the box. Portland's Lindsey Horan had a yellow card for an eighty-eighth minute foul. The game ended 1-1, with the woman of the match being Ordega, while Bledsoe (five for six in saves including one for two on penalty kicks), Estelle Johnson, Taylor Smith, and Huster all did well for the Spirit. The Thorns saw good games from Kelli Hubly, Celeste Boureille, Sinclair, and Onumonu.

On Saturday, the North Carolina Courage welcome the Utah Royals FC. Abby Smith and Katelyn Rowland play in goal. North Carolina began with a sixth minute goal by Merritt Mathias on a second chance after a corner kick. Kristen Hamilton of the Courage had a yellow card for a seventeenth minute foul. Utah's Brittany Ratcliffe took a yellow card for her twenty-eighth minute foul. The Royals took the lead with a Katie Stengel goal in the fifty-second minute. Utah gained the lead with a Ratcliffe goal in the sixty-sixth minute. North Carolina retied it on a Crystal Dunn goal in the eightieth minute. Abby Dahlkemper of the Courage took a yellow card for her eighty-seventh minute foul. The final stayed at 2-2, with the woman of the match being Stengel, while Ratcliffe, Desiree Scott, and Sydney Miramontez also did well for the Royals, while the Courage's best were Jaelene Hinkle, Mathias, McCall Zerboni, and Dunn.

Over in Chicago, the Red Stars bring in Sky Blue FC for the other Saturday game. Kailen Sheridan and Alyssa Naeher are the strong goalies. Chicago opened in the first minute with a Sofia Huerta goal, passed from Alyssa Mautz. Sky Blue tied it in the seventy-eighth minute with a Savannah McCaskill on a deflected shot, helped along by Katie Johnson. This made it 1-1, the final, with the woman of the match being McCaskill for her equalizer. Sky Blue also saw good games from Carli Lloyd and Raquel Rodriguez, while the Red Stars' best were Arin Gilliland, Danielle Colaprico, Huerta, and Yuki Nagasato.

Finally, the Orlando Pride host the Houston Dash. Jane Campbell and Ashlyn Harris are the American keepers. Orlando got going in the sixty-fifth minute with a Chioma Ubogagu goal, set up by Christine Nairn on a free kick. The final held from here at 1-0, with Ubogagu named woman of the match. Toni Pressley, Nairn, and Sydney Leroux also played well for the Pride, while Kristie Mewis, Mana Shim, and Nichelle Prince had the best efforts for the Dash.

NWSL Team of the Week
GK Aubrey Bledsoe
LB Arin Gilliland
CB Toni Pressley
CB Megan Oyster
RB Merritt Mathias
DM Danielle Colaprico
AM Sofia Huerta
AM Christine Sinclair
FW Jessica McDonald
FW Savannah McCaskill
FW Chioma Ubogagu