NWSL 2018 Week 24

The final week of the regular season begins on Friday night, with...

The Portland Thorns FC hosting the Seattle Reign FC. Lydia Williams and Adrianna Franch protect the nets. Seattle opened in the fourth minute with a Jess Fishlock goal, via Elizabeth Addo. Portland tied it in the thirtieth minute with a Lindsey Horan goal on a second chance. The Thorns took the lead in the forty-ninth minute with a Tobin Heath goal, also coming from poor defense. Emily Sonnett of Portland received a yellow card for a sixtieth minute foul. Elizabeth Addo of the Reign took a yellow card for a foul in the sixty-second minute. Portland added on in the eighty-second minute with another Horan goal, set up by Heath. Steph Catley of Seattle received a yellow card for an eighty-seventh minute foul. Portland won 3-1, with Horan as the woman of the match. Also strong for the Thorns were Heath, Midge Purce, Caitlin Foord, and Ellie Carpenter, while the Reign's best were Lauren Barnes, Fishlock, and Addo.

On Saturday, a day filled with games begins with Sky Blue FC welcoming the Orlando Pride. Haley Kopmeyer and Kailen Sheridan are in the six-yard boxes. In the thirty-second minute, Sky Blue's Sheridan made a mental error on a free kick and earned a yellow card for handling the ball outside of the box. Sky Blue got going in the seventy-fourth minute with a Carli Lloyd goal, made possible by Shea Groom. The final held at 1-0, with Lloyd as the woman of the match. Also starring for Sky Blue were Domi Richardson, Erica Skroski, Imani Dorsey, Groom, and Sheridan (six-save clean sheet), while Orlando's best were Carson Pickett, Shelina Zadorsky, Christine Nairn, and Alex Morgan.

To the west, the Utah Royals FC bring in the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Nicole Barnhart are the veterans in goal. Chicago saw a yellow card for a seventeenth minute foul by Arin Gilliland. Nikki Stanton of the Red Stars received a yellow card for a foul in the twenty-fifth minute. Chicago started in the thirty-ninth minute with a Sam Kerr goal, set up by Gilliland and Michele Vasconcelos. Utah tied it in the fifty-fifth minute with an Amy Rodriguez goal, passed from Katie Bowen. The Royals took the lead in the sixty-fourth minute on a Katie Stengel goal, fueled by Taylor Lytle. The Royals carried the lead to victory, winning 2-1 with Stengel named woman of the match. Also good for Utah were Barnhart (seven for eight in saves), Becky Sauerbrunn, Becca Moros, Gunnhildur Jonsdottir, and Rodriguez. For the Red Stars, Gilliland, Sarah Gorden, Rosie White, and Kerr led the way.

Finally, the North Carolina Courage host the Houston Dash. Jane Campbell and Katelyn Rowland are between the sticks. North Carolina led off in the thirteenth minute with a Jessica McDonald goal, set up by Abby Erceg. In the twenty-sixth minute, Crystal Dunn took a second rebound off a post from her own shot to score, adding to the Courage lead after Lynn Williams' initial shot also hit the post. North Carolina extended the lead as Williams scored in the forty-fourth minute, thanks to McDonald. The Courage padded the lead in the fifty-seventh minute with another Williams goal, against assisted by McDonald and Debinha. North Carolina capped it at 5-0 with a Kristen Hamilton goal in the seventieth minute after a steal. The woman of the match was Williams, while the Courage also had good performances from McDonald, Dunn, Denise O'Sullivan, and Erceg. The Dash's best were Janine Van Wyk, Rachel Daly, and Sofia Huerta.

NWSL Team of the Week
GK Nicole Barnhart
RB Ellie Carpenter
CB Sarah Gorden
CB Abby Erceg
LB Arin Gilliland
DM Lindsey Horan
AM Tobin Heath
AM Alyssa Mautz
FW Lynn Williams
FW Sam Kerr
FW Shea Groom