KHL 2016/17 - Day 38

Nine games on again today, beginning with...

Sibir Novosibirsk hosting Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Vasily Koshechkin and Alexander Salak tend the twines. Magnitogorsk led off in the first period with a Jan Kovar goal, via Chris Lee. Metallurg added on with a Sergei Mozyakin goal, passed from Lee and Alexei Bereglazov. Magnitogorsk iced it at 3-0 with a third period empty net goal by Evgeny Timkin, set up by Denis Platonov. The three stars were Koshechkin (38 save shutout), Lee, and Kovar.

Nearby, Metallurg Novokuznetsk welcomes Traktor Chelyabinsk. Pavel Francouz is mismatched with Mikhail Biryukov in goal. Chelyabinsk opened in the first period with a Paul Szczechura power play goal, powered by Nikolai Belov and Dmitry Pestunov. Novokuznetsk tied it in the third period on a Alexei Razumov goal, made possible by Evgeny Solovyov. Traktor took the lead back with a Maxim Yakutsenya power play goal, with a lone assist by Szczechura. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Szczechura, Yakutsenya, and Francouz (28 for 29 in saves).

West to Omsk, with Avangard bringing in Salavat Yulaev. Andrei Gavrilov and Dominik Furch are in the blue paint. Omsk started in the first period with a Nikolai Lemtyugov power play goal, powered by Denis Parshin and Ilya Zubov. Ufa tied it on a Teemu Hartikainen power play goal, via Linus Omark. Salavat Yulaev took the lead with a Mikhail Vorobyov goal, guided in by Kirill Kaprizov and Stepan Khripunov. Ufa added on in the second period with a Maxim Goncharov power play goal, with a lone assist by Enver Lisin. Salavat Yulaev extended the lead as Hartikainen scored his second of the game, a shorthanded goal set up by Maxim Mayorov. Avangard got one back with an Evgeny Medvedev goal, fueled by Maxim Pestushko and Derek Roy. Ufa shot back with an Omark goal, with a lone helper from Hartikainen. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Hartikainen, Omark, and Goncharov.

Along to Cherepovets, where Severstal hosts Admiral Vladivostok. Nikita Serebryakov and Jakub Kovar are the goalies. Cherepovets began in the first period with a Dmitry Kagarlitsky goal, assisted by Vojtech Polak and Pavel Chernov. Vladivostok tied it on a Maxim Mamin goal in the second period, passed from Viktor Alexandrov. Severstal retook the lead on a Polak goal, made possible by Kagarlitsky and Chernov. This stood for the eventual 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Polak, Kagarlitsky, and Chernov.

Down in Sochi, the Leopards welcome Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Vladislav Fokin and Konstantin Barulin are the veterans in goal. Khanty-Mansiysk struck first in the first period with a Pavel Medvedev goal, guided in by Artyom Bulyansky and Roman Lyuduchin. Sochi tied it in the third period with an Andrei Kostitsyn goal, coming off of Ilya Krikunov and Igor Ignatushkin. The Leopards took the lead on an Alexander Mereskin goal, passed from Ilya Gorokhov and Vadim Shchegolkov. This made it a 2-1 win, with the three stars handed to Mereskin, Kostitsyn, and Barulin (30 for 31 in saves).

Into Moscow, with CSKA bringing in Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Ilya Sorokin guard the cages. Moscow got going in the second period with a Dmitry Kugryshev goal, assisted by Igor Ozhiganov and Valery Nichushkin. Khabarovsk tied it on a Jan Kolar power play goal, powered by Artyom Zub and Vladislav Ushenin. In the shootout, Kugryshev was overwhelmed by Ushenin and Tomas Zohorna as Amur took the 2-1 win. The three stars belonged to Ushenin, Zohorna, and Kugryshev.

Staying in the city, Spartak Moscow hosts Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Igor Ustinsky and Markus Svensson are in the creases. Moscow was first to score in the first period with a Maxim Potapov goal, going in unassisted. Spartak added on with a Vladimir Bobylyov goal, passed from Nikita Li. Moscow extended the lead in the third period with a power play goal from Mikhail Plotnikov, powered by Vyacheslav Leshchenko and Ryan Stoa.

Out to St. Petersburg, where SKA welcomes Kunlun Red Star Beijing. Andrei Makarov and Igor Shestyorkin man the nets. St. Petersburg drew first blood in the first period with a Sergei Shirokov goal, helped along by Anton Belov and Yegor Yakovlev. SKA added on in the second period with a Nikita Gusev goal, with a lone assist by Dinar Khafizullin. St. Petersburg extended the lead in the third period as Vadim Shipachyov scored, thanks to Maxim Chudinov and Khafizullin. The game ended at 3-0, with the three stars awarded to Shestyorkin (19 save shutout), Khafizullin, and Shirokov.

Finally, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod brings in Barys Astana. Henrik Karlsson and Ilya Proskuryakov receive the starting nods in goal. Nizhny Novgorod dented the scoreboard in the first period with a John Norman goal, via Maxim Osipov and Fredrik Pettersson. Astana tied it on a third period Nigel Dawes power play goal, powered by Maxim Semyonov and Brandon Bochenski. Torpedo took the lead with a Kirill Urakov goal, guided in by Daniil Ilyin. Barys retied it on a Corey Trivino goal, assisted by Nikita Ivanov. Nizhny Novgorod won it 3-2 in overtime with a Kaspars Daugavins goal, courtesy of Sam Lofquist and Dmitry Semin. The three stars were Daugavins, Urakov, and Norman.

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MLS Midweek September 28, 2016

Four games on in the middle of the week, as the league tries to get everyone balanced out ahead of the final month of the season. We begin with...

DC United hosting the Columbus Crew SC. Steve Clark and Bill Hamid are in the six-yard boxes. DC got going in the seventy-first minute with a Lloyd Sam goal, assisted by Luciano Acosta. United added on with a Lamar Neagle goal in the eighty-sixth minute, passed from Julian Buescher and Patrick Nyarko. DC extended the lead as Alvaro Saborio scored in the ninetieth minute, thanks to Neagle. This made it 3-0, the final, with the man of the match being Neagle for his goal and assist.

Up in Montreal, the Impact welcome the San Jose Earthquakes. David Bingham and Evan Bush draw the starts in goal. Shaun Francis of San Jose had a yellow card for a twelfth minute foul. Montreal started in the twenty-second minute with a Dominic Oduro goal. The Impact added on with a thirty-second minute Ignacio Piatti goal, helped along by Matteo Mancosu. Montreal had yellow cards for fouls by Hassoun Camara in the fiftieth minute and Victor Cabrera in the fifty-sixth minute. The Earthquakes got on the board in the sixty-second minute with a Chris Wondolowski goal. In the eighty-sixth minute, the Impact's Piatti and Johan Venegas took yellow cards for dissent. In stoppage time, Montreal keeper Bush had a yellow card for time wasting. The Impact iced it at 3-1 a minute later on a Venegas goal, set up by Piatti and Didier Drogba. The man of the match was Piatti for his game-winner and assist.

Staying in Canada, Toronto FC brings in Orlando City SC. Joe Bendik and Alex Bono are the gloved men. Orlando City had a forty-fifth minute yellow card given to Brek Shea for dissent. Toronto's Tosaint Ricketts took a yellow card for a fifty-sixth minute foul. Orlando City took a yellow card for a foul by Cristian Higuita in the sixty-second minute. Toronto went down to ten men in the seventieth minute as Ricketts took a second yellow card for another foul. Toronto's Steven Beitashour had a yellow card for his seventy-fourth minute foul. The game ended at 0-0, with Bono earning man of the match honors for keeping Toronto alive with a three-save clean sheet.

Finally, the Seattle Sounders FC host the Chicago Fire. Sean Johnson and Stefan Frei are between the posts. Seattle opened in the twenty-fourth minute on a Chad Marshall goal, assisted by Andreas Ivanschitz. In the fifty-eighth minute, the Sounders' Nicolas Lodeiro took a yellow card for delaying the restart of play. In the seventy-fifth minute, Chicago's Razvan Cocis took a yellow card for diving. The game ended 1-0, with Marshall the man of the match for his winner.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 37

Four games today, beginning with...

Lada Togliatti hosting Dinamo Minsk. Ben Scrivens and Ilya Ezhov are in goal. Togliatti led off in the first period with a Maxim Rybin power play goal, powered by Yefim Gurkin. Minsk tied it in the second period with a Rob Klinkhammer goal, via Kristian Khenkel and Lukas Krajicek. Lada retook the lead in the third period with a Stanislav Bocharov goal, guided in by Dmitry Kostromitin. Dinamo retied it with a Sergei Drozd goal, fueled by Nick Bailen. Minsk took the lead with a power play goal by Alexander Materukhin, helped along by Alexander Pavlovich. The game ended at 3-2, with the three stars given to Materukhin, Drozd, and Klinkhammer.

Along to Nizhnekamsk, where Neftekhimik welcomes Dinamo Riga. Janis Kalnins and Ivan Lisutin are in the blue paint. Nizhnekamsk began in the first period with a Nikita Shchitov goal, assisted by Richard Gynge and Dmitry Makarov. Neftekhimik added on with an Igor Polygalov goal, passed from Andrei Sergeyev and Dan Sexton. Riga got on the board with a second period power play goal by Mikelis Redlihs, powered by Pyotr Schastlivy and Guntis Galvins. Nizhnekamsk replied with a Tomi Sallinen power play goal, with assists provided by Sexton and Polygalov. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Lisutin (45 for 46 in saves), Polygalov, and Sexton.

Next up, Ak Bars Kazan brings in Jokerit Helsinki. Riku Helenius and Emil Garipov are the masked men. Kazan opened in the first period with a Justin Azevedo power play goal, powered by Vasily Tokranov and Vladimir Tkachyov. Helsinki tied it in the second period with a Michael Keranen power play goal, helped along by Ville Lajunen and Joey Hishon. Ak Bars shot back with an Alexander Svitov power play goal, via Azevedo and Tkachyov. Kazan added on with a Jiri Sekac power play goal in the third period, coming off of Tokranov and Azevedo. Ak Bars extended the lead as Andrei Chibisov scored an unassisted goal. Jokerit got one back on a Jesse Joensuu power play goal, courtesy of Mika Niemi and Peter Regin. The game ended at 4-2, with the three stars being Azevedo, Tkachyov, and Tokranov.

Finally, Dynamo Moscow hosts Vityaz Podolsk. Harri Sateri and Alexander Yeryomenko make the starts in goal. Moscow started in the first period with an Ivan Igumnov goal, fueled by Konstantin Gorovikov and Denis Kokarev. Dynamo added on with a Semyon Kokuyov goal in the second period, coming off of Maxim Solovyov and Mat Robinson. Moscow extended the lead as Kokarev scored an empty net goal, set up by Igumnov. The three stars of the 3-0 game were Igumnov, Yeryomenko (21 save shutout), and Kokarev.

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NWSL Reflection + Awards Votes

The NWSL season is now complete, and in the aim of being straightforward and honest about my preseason predictions, I'll post my guesses for standings and awards here and then adjust those to reflect my choices after viewing the season. Here we go.

Standings
FC Kansas City
Portland Thorns
Seattle Reign
Chicago Red Stars
Washington Spirit
Houston Dash
Orlando Pride
Western New York Flash
Boston Breakers
Sky Blue FC

I was at times very accurate and very erratic. I got half of the playoff teams right, but no one in the right order. I underestimated, dramatically, the Washington Spirit, Western New York Flash, and Sky Blue FC, while I overestimated FC Kansas City, the Seattle Reign, and the Houston Dash. I was just about right for the Boston Breakers, Orlando Pride, Chicago Red Stars, and Portland Thorns, although I was incorrect in picking positions for all teams.  

Awards
MVP: Tobin Heath
Coach of the Year: Mark Parsons
Defender of the Year: Julie Johnston
Goalkeeper of the Year: Nicole Barnhart
Rookie of the Year: Raquel Rodriguez
Golden Boot: Christen Press

• I would comfortably remain with Tobin Heath as my MVP at the end of the year. While the Thorns were a well-oiled machine as a whole, Heath was the engine fueling it. The games she missed for the Olympics and international duty showed this, without any set-up player to make the rest of the Thorns stars work. 

• Mark Parsons is a respectable choice for Coach of the Year, but I'd have to give my vote to Paul Riley of the Western New York Flash, who absolutely revolutionized his team a few weeks in. His work to sculpt a young team into one that plays a high-offense and exciting brand of soccer should earn him the award, especially since they were not expected to be as good as they were. 
• I also believe Julie Johnston had a very strong season for the Red Stars, but their team defense ethic would lead me to give the Defender of the Year award to Emily Menges. One major reason is that she led a team that experience two different parts of the season, one with internationals, and one without, and she kept the Thorns steady in the tough times. 
• For goalkeeper of the year, I will change my selection to Michelle Betos, once again citing the strong Thorns defense and her season-long presence in the net as the reason. While fellow finalists Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa Naeher had great years for their teams, Betos' steadying presence for the Thorns makes her a deserving recipient, which would be her second year in a row with the award if selected. 
• Raquel Rodriguez is also a finalist for Rookie of the Year, but the most impressive rookie, in my opinion, was Rachel Daly of the Houston Dash. While she wasn't around for much of the massive turnaround after a long scoreless drought, her play in the good games for the Dash was admirable. 
• Finally, Lynn Williams was awarded the Golden Boot with 11 goals. I thought Christen Press would top that even in reduced time, but Williams' emergence, along with the Flash as a whole and teammate Jessica McDonald in particular was not something I foresaw.

Preseason Best XI prediction
Nicole Barnhart
Lauren Barnes
Julie Johnston
Becky Sauerbrunn
Jaelene Hinkle
Kaylyn Kyle
Jess Fishlock
Tobin Heath
Christen Press
Kealia Ohai
Kim Little

Postseason Best XI
GK Michelle Betos - Portland Thorns
RB Katherine Reynolds - Portland Thorns
CB Emily Menges - Portland Thorns
CB Yael Averbuch - FC Kansas City
LB Casey Short - Chicago Red Stars
DM Vanessa DiBernardo - Chicago Red Stars
RW Kristen Edmonds - Orlando Pride
LW Tobin Heath - Portland Thorns
RF Jessica McDonald - Western New York Flash
CF Lynn Williams - Western New York Flash
LF Kealia Ohai - Houston Dash

Only two of my original Best XI predictions remained on my end-of-year ballot, Ohai and Heath. In making my selections, I showed a preference toward players that did not appear with the USWNT often, save for Heath, who is also my pick for MVP. I believe a full body of league work is important when considering season awards, and save for Heath, no interationals really put in enough of an impact to justify selecting them on their prestige alone. This is not a knock on their skill level, as they are clearly very talented players, but their sample size and overall impact on the league proved too small in my opinion.

That's it for my end of season recap. Voting is open through the end of the Thursday, and awards will be announced leading up to the final on October 9.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 36

Nine games fill the slate today for a busy day of hockey. We begin with...

Sibir Novosibirsk hosting Traktor Chelyabinsk. Pavel Francouz is mismatched with Alexander Salak in goal. Novosibirsk led off in the first period with a Maxim Shalunov goal, assisted by Stepan Sannikov. Chelyabinsk tied it on an Alexei Kruchinin goal, passed from Paul Szczechura in the third period. In the shootout, Sibir won with tallies by Konstantin Okulov and Sergei Shumakov for a 2-1 victory. The three stars were Shumakov, Salak (35 for 36 in saves), and Francouz (33 for 34 in saves).

Along to Novokuznetsk, where Metallurg welcomes Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Andrei Gavrilov and Mikhail Biryukov are set to start in goal. Ufa got going with a second period goal by Enver Lisin, made possible by Zakhar Arzamastsev. Salavat Yulaev added on with a Maxim Mayorov goal in the third period, helped along by Linus Omark. Ufa iced it at 3-0 with an unassisted empty net goal by Dmitry Vorobyov. The three stars went to Gavrilov (31 save shutout), Lisin, and Mayorov.

Westward to Omsk, where Avangard brings in Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Vasily Koshechkin faces a lesser foe in Oleg Shilin in goal. Magnitogorsk began in the first period with a Jan Kovar goal, helped along by Sergei Mozyakin. Metallurg added on with a Mozyakin goal, via Kovar and Viktor Antipin. Magnitogorsk iced it at 3-0 with an Antipin goal in the third period, coming off of Alexei Bereglazov and Alexander Semin. The three stars were Kovar, Mozyakin, and Koshechkin (30 save shutout), while Antipin gets an honorable mention.

Next up, Severstal Cherepovets hosts Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Jakub Kovar protect the nets. Khabarovsk started in the first period with an Alexei Byvaltsev goal, assisted by Vladislav Ushenin and Vyacheslav Ushenin. Cherepovets tied it on an Evgeny Mons goal, via Evgeny Orlov. Severstal took the lead in the third period with an unassisted goal by Maxim Trunyov. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Trunyov, Mons, and Kovar (21 for 22 in saves).

Into Moscow, where CSKA welcomes Kunlun Red Star Beijing. Andrei Makarov and Ilya Sorokin are in the blue paint. Moscow opened in the first period with a Nikita Kvartalnov goal, coming off of Greg Scott and Nikita Pivtsakin. CSKA added on with an Andrei Svetlakov goal, guided in by Vyacheslav Osnovin and Gennady Stolyarov in the third period. Moscow extended the lead as Maxim Mamin scored a shorthanded goal, thanks to Svetlakov and Artyom Blazhiyevsky. This produced the 3-0 final, with the three stars given to Svetlakov, Sorokin (18 save shutout), and Kvartalnov.

Staying in the city, Spartak Moscow brings in Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Vladislav Fokin and Markus Svensson try to find their form in goal. Khanty-Mansiysk struck first in the first period with a Denis Khlystov goal, via Konstantin Panov. Moscow tied it with a Vyacheslav Leshchenko goal, fueled by Marcus Hogstrom and Matthew Gilroy. Ugra took the lead back in the second period on a Pavel Varfolomeyev goal, helped along by Evgeny Lapenkov and Oleg Pogorishny. Spartak retied it on an Artyom Voronin goal, with a lone assist by Alexei Bondarev. Khanty-Mansiysk took the game 3-2 in the third period with a Pavel Medvedev goal, courtesy of Alexander Ugolnikov. The three stars were Medvedev, Varfolomeyev, and Khlystov.

Out to St. Petersburg, where SKA hosts Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Igor Shestyorkin are the masked men. St. Petersburg dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Ilya Kovalchuk goal, assisted by Andrei Zubarev and Sergei Plotnikov. SKA added on with a Jarno Koskiranta goal, made possible by Zubarev and Plotnikov. Vladivostok got on the board in the third period with a James Wright goal, via Jonathon Blum and Alexander Gorshkov. Admiral tied it on a Robert Sabolic goal, coming off of Ivan Gavrilenko and Artyom Zemchyonok. The tie went to a shootout, where Nikita Gusev lifted SKA to the 3-2 win. The three stars were handed to Zubarev, Gusev, and Plotnikov.

Backtracking to Nizhny Novgorod, where Torpedo welcomes Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Ivan Kasutin are between the pipes. Nizhny Novgorod was first to score in the first period with a Maxim Osipov goal, guided in by John Norman and Alexei Potapov. Yekaterinburg tied it on a power play goal by Timur Shingareyev, powered by Alexander Shchemerov and Artyom Gareyev. Ilya Proskuryakov replaced Kasutin. Torpedo took the lead with a Carter Ashton goal in the third period, via Danil Veryayev. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Ashton, Osipov, and Proskuryakov (perfect in relief).

Finally, the Sochi Leopards bring in Barys Astana. Henrik Karlsson and Konstantin Barulin guard the cages. Sochi drew first blood with an Ilya Krikunov power play goal, powered by Igor Levitsky and Renat Mamashev. Astana tied it on a Dmitry Grents goal, via Evgeny Rymarev and Roman Starchenko. The Leopards retook the lead with an Ivan Zakharchuk goal, coming off of Sergei Kuznetsov and Levitsky. Barys retied it with a Nigel Dawes goal, helped along by Kevin Dallman and Maxim Semyonov. Astana took the lead with a Martin St. Pierre power play goal in the second period, with a lone assist by Brandon Bochenski. Barys added on with a Vladimir Markelov goal, assisted by Semyonov and Dallman. Dmitry Shikin replaced Barulin in goal. Astana extended the lead as Dallman scored, with the help of Corey Trivino and Kirill Panyukov. Barys padded the lead with a Nursultan Belgibayev goal, going in unassisted. Sochi shot back with an Andre Petersson goal, with a lone helped from Mikhail Mamkin. This only made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars given to Dallman, Semyonov, and Levitsky.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 35

Another three-game day today, beginning with...

Avangard Omsk hosting Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Ilya Samsonov and Dominik Furch are in goal. Magnitogorsk started in the first period with a Denis Kazionov goal, helped along by Chris Lee and Dmitry Kazionov. Omsk tied it on an Alexander Kucheryavenko power play goal, powered by Evgeny Medvedev. Metallurg took the lead back on a second period goal by Danis Zaripov, assisted by Dmitry Kazionov and Yaroslav Khabarov. Magnitogorsk iced it at 3-1 with a Sergei Mozyakin empty net goal in the third period, set up by Jan Kovar. The three stars went to Dmitry Kazionov, Zaripov, and Samsonov (29 for 30 in saves).

Into Moscow, where Dynamo welcomes Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Alexei Murygin and Alexander Yeryomenko tend the twines. Moscow struck first in the first period with an Alexander Rybakov goal, with a lone assist from Alexei Sopin. Yaroslavl tied it in the second period with a Petri Kontiola goal, coming off of Daniil Apalkov and Yegor Averin. Lokomotiv took the lead on an Apalkov goal, fueled by Kontiola and Averin. Yaroslavl added on with an Alexander Polunin goal, guided in by Yegor Korshkov and Pavel Koledov. Dynamo got one back in the third period with an Alexei Tsvetkov goal, assisted by Mat Robinson and Artyom Fyodorov. Moscow tied it as Robinson scored, thanks to Rybakov. Dynamo won 4-3 in overtime with a Tsvetkov goal, with a lone helper by Martins Karsums. The three stars went to Tsvetkov, Robinson, and Rybakov, while Kontiola, Apalkov, and Averin get the honorable mentions.

Finally, Ak Bars Kazan brings in Dinamo Minsk. Ben Scrivens and Stanislav Galimov are the goalies. Kazan opened in the first period with an Artyom Lukoyanov goal, via Stepan Zakharchuk and Vladimir Tkachyov. Minsk tied it on a power play goal by Alexander Materukhin, powered by Marc-Andre Gragnani and Sergei Kostitsyn. Ak Bars took the lead back with a Maxim Lazarev goal, courtesy of Mikhail Zhukov and Mikhail Varnakov. Kazan added on in the second period with a Fyodor Malykhin goal, passed from Andrei Chibisov. Dinamo pulled back on an Artur Gavrus power play goal, with helpers from Gragnani and Materukhin. Minsk tied it as Materukhin scored, with the help of Charles Linglet and Nick Bailen. Dinamo took the lead on a Matt Ellison goal, assisted by Linglet and Materukhin. Minsk iced it at 5-3 with a Rob Klinkhammer empty net goal, set up by Ilya Shinkevich. The three stars were Materukhin, Gragnani, and Linglet.

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NWSL Week 20

It's the final set of games for the regular season. I'm proud to have covered this historic fourth season for a professional women's soccer league in the US. I've missed one game in my coverage, but to watch all these games and become quite familiar with the league has been a benefit to me. As such, I would encourage all of my readers who have followed the league to cast votes for the end-of-season awards when the time comes in a couple of days. The fan vote is worth 20% of the overall determining factor for the awards, and it's a good way to represent the league's fan base. Without any further delay, I present the final week of games, with the first of Saturday's three in...

Florida, with the Orlando Pride hosting FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Ashlyn Harris protect the nets. Here's the game. Becky Edwards of Orlando had a second minute effort for Jasmyne Spencer, but Kansas City's Alex Arlitt cleared it. The Blues had a forward ball from Brittany Taylor, going over Shea Groom's head and safely out of bounds for the Pride goal kick. Groom had a shot on the next Kansas City attack, saved by Harris of the Pride. Yael Averbuch of Kansas City blocked an Orlando through ball from Edwards. Desiree Scott and Katie Bowen shut down a fifth minute Orlando attack through Lisa de Vanna. Spencer had a sixth-minute pass just a bit too long for Alex Morgan. Becky Sauerbrunn cleared a long ball from Kaylyn Kyle intended for Morgan in the ninth minute. Kansas City looked to have an attack in the tenth minute, but Tiffany McCarty got caught offside. Taylor shielded de Vanna off the ball in the eleventh minute after Laura Alleway's free kick for the Pride. Morgan lost control in the twelfth minute against Averbuch, but de Vanna's cross produced a chance for Morgan that was just a bit too high. Monica sent a ball into the box in the thirteenth minute for Spencer, which Arlitt defended. Barnhart ended the pressure on a long ball from Alleway, giving the Blues some possession. Lo'eau LaBonta fouled Kristen Edmonds in the sixteenth minute, giving the Pride a good free kick chance. Edmonds took it a bit soft off of Averbuch, but it caromed out to Spencer, who fired it to the top left corner for a 1-0 Orlando lead. O'Reilly's cross in the seventeenth minute for Kansas City was caught by Harris ahead of Bowen. The Pride countered with Edmonds' through ball to de Vanna ending with an offside call. In the eighteenth minute, de Vanna had a cross that swerved out of bounds. Kansas City's McCarty had a chip attempt in the twenty-third minute for Groom, but the play was offside and the Pride took over possession. Orlando's de Vanna earned a corner kick against Arlitt in the twenty-fifth minute. Edmonds served it in for Monica, but it was sent wide left and a foul negated the whole play. Averbuch cleared a twenty-seventh minute Kyle through ball. On the next Pride attack, de Vanna found Morgan, who sent a ball across goal, and Taylor kept Spencer off the ball. On the other side, Kansas City's McCarty crossed it in but Harris caught it. Kyle sent a long ball for Morgan, who karate-kicked it just wide right of the goal in the twenty-ninth minute. At the thirty-second minute, a hydration break occurred. Edmonds had a thirty-fifth minute cross that bounced off of de Vanna and was cleared by Kansas City quickly. Scott tried to pick out Groom in the thirty-sixth minute for the Blues, but it was just a bit too heavy of a pass. Morgan found de Vanna, whose shot was deflected by Arlitt out for a Pride corner kick. Edmonds' thirty-eighth minute set piece went for Alleway, but again a foul nullified the play. In the thirty-ninth minute, de Vanna had a chip that went high and wide right of the goal. Kansas City saw their fortieth minute attack destroyed by an offside call on Groom from LaBonta's pass. McCarty produced a chance for the Blues, beating Dani Weatherholt but shooting high. Arlitt intercepted Edwards' pass for de Vanna in the forty-first minute. Alleway broke up Groom's pass for O'Reilly in the forty-third minute. Averbuch fouled de Vanna to give the Pride a decent free kick chance. Edmonds took this one over the throng of players and out of bounds harmlessly. Alleway cleared a pair of McCarty crosses in stoppage time. Edmonds sent a shot over the bar on the Orlando counterattack. The game went into halftime at 1-0, with the best Blues players being CB Averbuch, DM Scott, ACM O'Reilly, LW McCarty, and striker Groom. The top Pride efforts have come from CB Alleway, DMs Edwards and Kyle, wingers de Vanna and Spencer, ACM Edmonds, and striker Morgan. In the forty-seventh minute, Kansas City equalized as O'Reilly's shot was punched by Harris but straight off of McCarty, who deflected it into the goal to tie the game at 1. A forty-ninth minute through ball from Alleway caught Morgan offside to stall a Pride attack. Orlando had a great attack in the fifty-third minute, spurred by Cami Levin, with Morgan, Spencer, and Edwards exchanging before Morgan's shot was deflected out for a corner kick. Edmonds went for Kyle, but it popped up and the Blues cleared it partially. Spencer broke up a fifty-fourth minute run by Groom into the box to take possession back for the Pride. Weatherholt knocked a cross off of Sauerbrunn, earning another Orlando corner kick after the pass from de Vanna. Edmonds went for de Vanna, but Barnhart snagged it out of the air. LaBonta had a deflected pass that McCarty shot high for the Blues. Levin blocked a Taylor shot in the fifty-eighth minute. Alleway shut down a fifty-ninth minute Groom run. Arlitt, Frances Silva, and O'Reilly produced a chance in the sixty-first minute, but the through ball was grabbed by Harris. McCarty deflected a cross off of Levin, which Harris punched, and then she saved Groom's shot as Kansas City seems to have a bit of momentum right now. McCarty flicked a pass from Arlitt out of bounds as no Blues player was behind her in the sixty-third minute. Arlitt shut down de Vanna's pass to Morgan in the sixty-fourth minute. McCarty won a corner kick off of Levin, which O'Reilly took for Groom, and she sent it wide left. Alleway headed away a Sauerbrunn free kick in the sixty-sixth minute. In the sixty-seventh minute, McCarty made a great pass to Silva, who passed it across goal, but her teammate didn't run forward and the ball drifted wide harmlessly. Edwards cleared after a Groom touch, and O'Reilly's second effort cross was caught by Harris. Spencer had an errant cross in the seventieth minute for the Pride. Edwards blocked an O'Reilly cross in the seventy-second minute, but she gave the Blues a corner kick. O'Reilly sent it in for Groom, but Toni Pressley of Orlando blocked the header, and Levin carried it out for the Pride. O'Reilly's cross for Groom in the seventy-third minute got popped up for a shot by Silva that went high. Edwards was subbed out for the final time in her career after the play, as she has chosen to retire at the conclusion of the season. Sauerbrunn blocked a Levin cross to de Vanna, and Barnhart smothered it. The second half hydration break came in the seventy-sixth minute. In the eightieth minute, Arlitt fouled de Vanna and earned a yellow card for her tackle. Edmonds had an eighty-first minute free kick that went well off-target for the Pride. LaBonta broke up a run from Sarah Hagen in the eighty-second minute. In the eighty-third minute, Taylor was fouled by Orlando's Maddy Evans in the box, drawing a penalty kick for Kansas City. O'Reilly buried it, even as Harris picked the correct side, as O'Reilly picked out the left side netting and beat Harris to that spot, making it 2-1 for the Blues. Morgan had an eighty-eighth minute shot saved by Barnhart. Edmonds had an eighty-ninth minute free kick that went to Monica and then Hagen, but Kansas City's Caroline Kastor cleared it. Evans put a cross in for Hagen in the ninetieth minute, which Barnhart grabbed just in time. In stoppage time, Silva fouled Edmonds and took a yellow card. Pressley booted the free kick for Morgan, who earned a corner kick. Edmonds served this one in, but Barnhart had no trouble getting it. Pressley sailed a long shot over the bar after Hagen was under pressure from the Blues. Barnhart punched a Spencer cross that deflected off of Taylor and sent it over the bar. The last Pride corner kick came from Edmonds, going for Monica, but Brienne Reed shut it down and the Blues took the game 2-1. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was O'Reilly for her goal and assist.

Next up, the Boston Breakers welcome the Western New York Flash. Sabrina D'Angelo and Libby Stout are in goal. You can find the game here. In the second minute, Western New York began the scoring with an Abby Dahlkemper free kick that found Makenzy Doniak, who sent it back in for Jessica McDonald, and she scored to make it 1-0. Doniak's fourth minute cross to Lynn Williams resulted in Boston's Whitney Engen battling but losing the ball to Williams, whose shot was saved by Stout. Alanna Kennedy of the Flash cleared a Brooke Elby cross in the fifth minute for the Breakers. Kristie Mewis of the Breakers tried to find Kyah Simon, but Elizabeth Eddy of Western New York broke it up. Boston's Kylie Strom cleared a cross that skipped over McDonald in the eighth minute. In the tenth minute, Katie Schoepfer of Boston sent a cross in that bounced over Natasha Dowie's foot, ending up rolling out as D'Angelo of the Flash watched it roll. Samantha Mewis almost took a shot off of McDonald's long throw in the eleventh minute, but Kristie Mewis cleared it. Taylor Smith and Williams combined for a chance, but it didn't work out for Western New York. Elby cleared a fourteenth minute cross by Williams. In the fifteenth minute, Kennedy put a free kick on goal. In the seventeenth minute, Williams headed a ball on goal after the cross by Eddy. Doniak crossed one to Williams, who left it for Samantha Mewis, and she shot it wide right and a bit high. Schoepfer disrupted a Flash attack with a steal in the nineteenth minute from McDonald. Stout punched away a twenty-first minute Dahlkemper free kick. The Breakers earned a good free kick as Eunice Beckmann was fouled by Western New York's Abby Erceg. Beckmann took the free kick herself, which D'Angelo caught for the save. In the twenty-third minute, McDonald had a cross that Williams headed on goal, and Stout sent it over the goal for a Flash corner kick. Dahlkemper took the play, and Zerboni put it back in, and Williams finished it to make it 2-0 amid the chaos of not knowing what the call on the field was. Doniak had a nice pass for Williams, who had a cross blocked by Elby, producing a corner kick in the twenty-sixth minute. Dahlkemper took it really high, and Angela Salem of the Breakers cleared it. Eddy crossed one in the twenty-seventh minute to Samantha Mewis, who popped it high and wide left. In the twenty-eighth minute, Doniak crossed it for Williams, and she sent it over the bar on the volley. Kristie Mewis' twenty-ninth minute pass to Simon was offside, and the Breakers lost another attacking opportunity. Stout denied McDonald a chance on an Eddy cross. Samantha Mewis rocketed a shot high and wide in the thirtieth minute. Eddy set up Samantha Mewis for a long shot that went high in the thirty-fourth minute. McDonald created chaos in the box that was cleared by Kristie Mewis after a few bounces. In the thirty-sixth minute, Western New York went forward with McCall Zerboni, and then Williams' shot was saved by Stout and a corner kick emerged for the Flash. Doniak had three crosses miss the mark as various Breakers combined to ultimately clear up the play. Dahlkemper's thirty-eighth minute free kick was too long. Beckmann's cross was cleared by Zerboni in the fortieth minute. McDonald put a ball forward for Williams that Stout got to and cleared in time in the forty-fourth minute. The game has slowed nearing the end of the half. Immediately after on the next Flash attack, Zerboni crossed to Samantha Mewis, who headed it in to make it 3-0. Engen knocked a clearance off of Samantha Mewis in stoppage time. The Breakers saw a yellow card for a Salem foul in stoppage time as well. The half ended at 3-0. The best players for the Flash are LB Eddy, CB Dahlkemper, DM Samantha Mewis, RW Doniak, LW Zerboni, RF McDonald, and LF Williams. The Breakers best efforts have come from CB Engen, RB Elby, DM Schoepfer, and LF Beckmann. Kennedy held off Dowie in the forty-seventh minute to stall a Breakers attack. Engen blocked a McDonald effort on the other side as the Flash countered effectively. The second half has started a bit sloppily on both sides. Kassey Kallman of the Breakers kept Williams from reaching a McDonald pass in the fiftieth minute. Elby had a fifty-first minute cross blocked by Smith of the Flash. Beckmann had a chance that Kennedy eventually cleared. Kristie Mewis' fifty-second minute cross was sent away by Smith. Dowie put a ball on goal with her head from Elby's cross, but D'Angelo denied it. Dowie looped another shot over the goal in the fifty-third minute. Boston built a good attack that ended with a bad touch from Kristie Mewis on Simon's pass. Williams put a ball in for McDonald, which Stout grabbed but took a hit for in the fifty-seventh minute. Kallman sent in a fifty-ninth minute free kick for Julie King, but the Breakers were denied by D'Angelo's catch. Kennedy took a yellow card for a sixty-first minute foul. Kristie Mewis' free kick was caught by D'Angelo. Dahlkemper cleared a first effort in the sixty-third minute from Simon, and D'Angelo handled the second one. Zerboni lost control in the Boston box against King, but Stout cleared it. Erceg headed a McDonald throw-in wide left of the Breakers goal. In the sixty-seventh minute, McDonald was grabbed and fouled by King in front of Stout, leading to a penalty kick. The Flash made it 4-0 as Dahlkemper buried the penalty kick to the bottom right corner, even as Stout guessed the right way. In the sixty-ninth minute, Schoepfer received a yellow card for her foul on Zerboni. Salem cleared the initial Dahlkemper free kick in the seventy-first minute, and Stout covered the second service. Engen took a yellow card in the scrum surrounding that return service. Samantha Mewis blocked a Beckmann cross in the seventy-third minute. In the seventy-fourth minute, Simon's long ball caught Dowie offside. Zerboni made a big steal against King in the seventy-fifth minute. D'Angelo punched away a shot from Kristie Mewis in the seventy-eighth minute. Doniak's cross was punched away in the seventy-ninth minute by Stout, and Williams fired a shot wide left on the rebound. Dahlkemper blocked an eighty-second minute pass from Boston's Brittany Ratcliffe. Williams beat Engen to the ball and crossed to Meredith Speck, but she sent it just over the bar. Speck had a cross in the eighty-fourth minute cross that got blocked by the Breakers defense. Williams sent an eighty-fifth minute shot wide left. The game slowed near the end as well. Williams couldn't corral the rebound off of Stout from her ninetieth minute shot after a forward ball. King sent a cross in to Stephanie Verdoia in stoppage time, but she sent the shot high over the goal. The game ended at 4-0 after Elby's errant cross off of Erceg. McDonald was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match for this game, and the Flash have punched their ticket to the playoffs as the fourth and final team. The Breakers' Dowie made a good impression in the second half.

Saturday wraps up with the Chicago Red Stars bringing in the Washington Spirit. Kelsey Wys and Michele Dalton are the backups in goal. Here's the game. Washington's Tori Huster fired a shot just wide right in the second minute. Chicago's Sofia Huerta turned on a Vanessa DiBernardo pass and put her shot on goal, but Wys was up for the save. Crystal Dunn of the Spirit made a big third minute run that was eventually cleared by Sam Johnson of the Red Stars after Casey Short made a move on Dunn to interrupt her run. In the sixth minute, Christen Press danced around Estelle Johnson and shot around Caprice Dydasco before putting it over Wys' hand for a goal, giving the Red Stars a 1-0 lead. DiBernardo had the assist. Chicago's Julie Johnston cleared a pass from Dunn to Joanna Lohman of the Spirit on their ninth minute attack. Arin Gilliland and Huerta blocked shots from Diana Matheson and Lohman in the tenth minute. Dydasco ended a Chicago attack with an interception on a pass from Huerta toward Press. Whitney Church headed away a Press cross in the twelfth minute. Ali Krieger made a fourteenth minute cross to Christine Nairn as Washington built an attack despite Danielle Colaprico of Chicago blocking a Katie Stengel pass earlier. The cross was too strong for Nairn to produce a shot off of. In the fifteenth minute, Dunn won a corner kick against Short. The Spirit corner kick came from Nairn, but was cleared as far as Dunn initially. Dunn shot it, but Dalton made a diving save to protect the lead. Gilliland's seventeenth minute cross for the Red Stars went over everyone. Matheson's eighteenth minute cross for Washington was caught by Dalton after the Krieger free kick. Dydasco took a shot at goal but sent it over the top left corner in the nineteenth minute. In the twentieth minute, Press put a ball in that caught Cara Walls offside as the Red Stars attack goes to waste. Dunn's twenty-first minute shot for the Spirit was off-target. Lohman tried a cross that Sam Johnson headed away for the Red Stars. In the twenty-sixth minute, the Red Stars went up 2-0 on a Walls goal, passed from Huerta after passes from many members of the team. Johnson, Colaprico, and Short contributed to getting the ball forward for Walls' goal. Johnston cleared a twenty-seventh minute Krieger free kick. Matheson's cross back in found Lohman, but Dalton caught it for the save. Press had a pass deflect off of Church and out for a Chicago corner kick. DiBernardo served this short for Colaprico, who returned it. Matheson deflected the cross into Wys' hands. Gilliland had a cross go too long in the thirtieth minute. Dunn ripped a thirty-second minute shot wide left. Sam Johnson poked a ball away from Stengel and Dunn. Johnston defended crosses from Matheson and Dunn in the thirty-fifth minute. Washington continued to attack, but Sam Johnson led the clearance effort. Press fired a shot on the counterattack around Church, but Wys made the save. Press sent a thirty-seventh minute through ball toward Walls that Wys grabbed away. Lohman's thirty-eighth minute pass was cleared by Short. Johnston followed up by clearing a cross from Matheson. Dunn sent another shot over the bar. DiBernardo set up Press for a shot in the thirty-ninth minute. Lohman, Matheson, and Nairn strung passes together before an excellent forty-first minute through ball to Dunn, who missed just wide right as Dalton pressured her shot. Dunn fired another shot wide right in the forty-second minute against Sam Johnson, Johnston, and Dalton after a Red Stars defensive malfunction in the midfield. Gilliland kept Matheson off of a Dunn through ball in the forty-third minute. Johnston defended against Lohman on Krieger's forty-fifth minute cross. Johnston needed medical attention from the play. The game went into halftime at 2-0. For the Spirit, the top players have been CB Church, RB Krieger, DCM Huster, LW Lohman, and RF Dunn. For the Red Stars, the top players have been GK Dalton, RB Gilliland, CB Johnston, LB Short, DM DiBernardo, RW Huerta, and forwards Press and Walls. Huerta had a remarkable goal in the forty-sixth minute to make it 3-0 after Colaprico poked the ball away from Nairn in the midfield. In the forty-seventh minute, the Spirit got on the board with a solo effort from Dunn on a dribbling shot that got beyond Dalton's outstretched hand. This made it 3-1. Dydasco surrendered a corner kick in the fiftieth minute after Gilliland's run into the box. DiBernardo put it over the net on the poor service. DiBernardo put a cross in front of Wys' goal, trying to pick out Walls, but the Spirit keeper covered it. Nairn had a fifty-second minute free kick for Stengel, who sent it wide right. Huerta drilled a shot off the hands of Wys in the fifty-fourth minute, but it dribbled out for a corner kick. DiBernardo served in long, which Gilliland put back in, but Dydasco sent it away. Press had a couple more chances denied as well for Chicago. A fifty-seventh minute Huerta pass for Press caught the Red Stars forward offside. Krieger countered with a cross for Lohman, but she sent it wide left. Nairn tried a fifty-ninth minute shot that sailed high over the goal. Washington's Cheyna Williams had an attempt broken up by Sam Johnson in the sixty-third minute. Huster sent a sixty-fourth minute shot wide left. Johnston sent a ball forward in the sixty-fifth minute, flicked on by Walls to Press, who couldn't quite control it for Chicago. Gilliland surrendered a corner kick under pressure from the Spirit's Francisca Ordega. Krieger's service went for Huster, who headed it straight at Dalton. Sam Johnson kept Williams in check in the sixty-eighth minute, allowing Dalton to cover it. Nairn had a one-hop cross into the box in the seventieth minute, grabbed by Dalton. Dunn and Ordega tried a seventy-first minute give-and-go, but Dalton grabbed it for the Red Stars. Press led the Red Stars counterattack with a shot over the bar. Huerta had a seventy-fourth minute shot that Wys had to grab, very similar visually to the goal she scored previously. Dunn earned a free kick against Colaprico in the seventy-fifth minute from a very dangerous position. Nairn fired this free kick effort on goal, where Dalton saved it. Washington earned another free kick as Colaprico fouled Ordega in the seventy-eighth minute. Nairn took it for either Lohman or Huster, but the Red Stars cleared it among the chaos. Williams won a corner kick in the eightieth minute off of Gilliland. Krieger sent in the set piece for Williams, and then Huster headed it wide right. Gilliland blocked a Williams shot in the eighty-first minute. Dunn sent a shot wide left in the eighty-second minute after a steal from Chicago's Alyssa Mautz. Williams tried to find Estefania Banini in the eighty-third minute, but the pass was too strong. Washington appears to be taking control of possession late in the game. Jen Hoy tried to find Huerta in the eighty-fourth minute. Press had a through ball right after that Wys grabbed. Huster tried to find Ordega in the eighty-fifth minute, but Dalton got there first. Sam Johnson stole the ball from Williams after Krieger threaded the pass forward. Krieger put a cross in that was deflected out by Chicago. Huerta put a shot over the bar after Hoy's cross, and Press also had an errant attempt. Williams went down injured in the eighty-ninth minute, and she had to be stretchered off the field, leaving the Spirit at 10 players for the remainder of the game. Banini had a shot deflect out for a Spirit corner kick in stoppage time. Nairn went for Krieger, who headed it off the bar, and then it went over the bar on the second effort. Ordega won a corner kick off of Sam Johnson. Nairn served this one in for Huster, who couldn't direct it at the goal. Ordega had a cross go too long for the Spirit, and her next one was grabbed by Dalton. The Red Stars won 3-1, with Huerta the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match.

On Sunday, the first game saw Sky Blue FC bringing in the Portland Thorns FC. Michelle Betos and Caroline Casey are in goal. The game can be found at this link. Portland earned a corner kick as Tobin Heath knocked a cross off of Erica Skroski of Sky Blue in the third minute. The Thorns' set piece went from Heath to Christine Sinclair, but Sky Blue's Maya Hayes defended it well. Allie Long of the Thorns had a through ball go too long in the fourth minute. Sky Blue's Raquel Rodriguez shut down a big run into the box by Heath in the fifth minute, and Sam Kerr led the Sky Blue counterattack, winning a corner kick off of Portland's Katherine Reynolds. Kelley O'Hara served in for Natasha Kai, who scored on the corner kick on a header, making it 1-0 Sky Blue. Kerr cleared an eighth minute Reynolds throw-in toward Long. Lindsey Horan cycled a ball around to Nadia Nadim and Amandine Henry before it got back to Horan, who shot weakly, and Casey saved it. Kristin Grubka made a huge block on a Horan shot from Heath's low cross in the tenth minute. Meghan Klingenberg of the Thorns saved a cross from Nadim, which Casey awkwardly palmed forward before Rodriguez could clear. Nadim won a fourteenth minute corner kick off of Erin Simon of Sky Blue. Heath took the corner kick for Horan, but she couldn't settle it. Emily Sonnett of Portland did well to keep Kai off the ball in the sixteenth minute. In the eighteenth minute, Klingenberg picked out Sinclair on a cross, and Sinclair's header was saved by Casey after a good Portland possession. O'Hara made a steal from Nadim in the nineteenth minute and tried to spring Kai forward, but the play was offside. Henry crossed to Nadim in the twentieth minute, and she sent it over the goal. Simon shut down Horan's pass for Sinclair in the twenty-third minute. Kerr couldn't quite win a corner kick off of Emily Menges, so the Thorns took over with a goal kick in the twenty-fifth minute after Kerr's long run. Nadim won a corner kick in the twenty-eighth minute off of Simon. Heath sent it in, but Rodriguez cleared it. Sarah Killion of Sky Blue sent a ball up for O'Hara and then to Kerr, who collided with Betos in the box, and then Klingenberg poked it away to save the Sky Blue opportunity in the thirtieth minute. O'Hara's thirty-first minute cross was caught by Betos after the forward ball from Christie Rampone of Sky Blue. Heath saw a thirty-fifth minute cross go too long after some stagnant play on both sides in the later parts of the half. In the thirty-sixth minute, Henry's switching ball for Klingenberg caught the Thorns offside. Rodriguez cleared a thirty-eighth minute Nadim cross. Nadim put a cross in, but Skroski blocked it, and Sinclair's second effort was over the bar. Henry won a free kick in the fortieth minute, and Heath took this one for Long, who headed it backwards into the net over Casey to tie the game at 1. Heath sent a forty-second minute shot wide left. Skroski knocked down Nadim to stall a forty-fourth minute Thorns attack that involved a lot of passing in Sky Blue's half of the field. Heath ripped a forty-fifth minute shot that Casey saved. The game went into halftime at 1-1. Leading the way for the Thorns are RB Reynolds, CB Sonnett, LB Klingenberg, DM Long, ACM Horan, and LW Heath. For Sky Blue, top performances came from GK Casey, RB Skroski, CB Grubka, DM Rodriguez, LW O'Hara, RW Kerr, and LF Kai. Rampone blocked a forty-sixth minute Heath cross. Sinclair went down injured in the forty-seventh minute after a Grubka elbow. She came off for a bit, but was able to continue for the Thorns. Skroski cut off Long's pass for Nadim in the fiftieth minute. Kerr settled a Kai header from an O'Hara cross, but Menges cut the angle down, and Rodriguez fired a shot wide right in a flurry of opportunity for Sky Blue. Skroski blocked Heath's cross and knocked her down in the fifty-third minute. Rampone blocked a fifty-fourth minute cross by Henry. Nadim missed her mark after Sinclair's settle and pass on a big Portland chance that went awry. On the Sky Blue counterattack, Sonnett held off Kerr long enough to draw a foul. In the fifty-sixth minute, Sonnett caught Betos off-guard and gave up a corner kick to Sky Blue. O'Hara sent for Hayes, but the Thorns cleared after a bit of a trick play. O'Hara had to shut down Heath on the Portland counterattack in the fifty-seventh minute. Nadim corralled it to keep things going for the Thorns, and crossed it to Horan, who headed it home for a 2-1 Portland lead on the goal. In the fifty-ninth minute, Portland won a free kick as Grubka tackled Heath, and Grubka took a yellow card for her play. Heath stayed down for awhile. Heath got up and took the free kick for Horan, who sent it wide left and Sonnett couldn't keep it in play. Long tried to find Nadim in the sixty-second minute, but Casey covered it just in time. Rampone cleared an Henry through ball for Horan in the sixty-third minute. Heath blocked a sixty-sixth minute Skroski cross. After a big sixty-ninth minute collision between Long and Kai, O'Hara fed Kerr for a shot that Betos had to bobble before saving it. Kai stayed down for quite awhile. Rampone blocked a Long run into the box in the seventy-second minute. Sonnett blocked a seventy-fourth minute shot from a Kerr shot after an impressive move by Rodriguez. O'Hara took the corner kick for Rodriguez, but missed her mark as the Thorns cleared. Klingenberg finished the clearance. Grubka had a seventy-sixth minute long ball for Leah Galton, who was called offside in a somewhat questionable decision. Dagny Brynjarsdottir won a corner kick off of Rampone in the seventy-seventh minute. Heath took it for Horan, who couldn't get anything on her header. Rampone led the counterattack, but couldn't produce anything on it. O'Hara blocked Klingenberg cross in the seventy-ninth minute for another Thorns corner kick. Heath took this one, but Nikki Stanton blocked the low service for Sky Blue. Sinclair crossed a ball in the eighty-second minute for Horan, which Casey got knocked on but still saved. Simon blocked away a Heath cross to Horan in the eighty-third minute. Heath did a free kick in the eighty-fourth minute for Horan, but Rampone cleared it. Portland came back with another Long goal on a pass from Hayley Raso, making it 3-1 as Long turned against Rampone in the box before slotting the goal home. O'Hara set up Kerr for a header that went wide right in the eighty-sixth minute. Reynolds denied an amazing play by Sky Blue, as Kerr got around Klingenberg, O'Hara beat Menges, and then Galton just couldn't place her shot quite right against Reynolds with Betos out of position. Long took a shot from distance in the eighty-ninth minute, sending it over the goal. Grubka shut down Raso in the ninetieth minute as Portland continues to apply pressure. Skroski saw her cross blocked out by Menges in stoppage time, as the Thorns have effectively shut this game down at the end. Raso managed a shot wide left that ended the game at 3-1, earning the Thorns the Supporters Shield this year. Long was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match.

Finally, the NWSL regular season ends with the Houston Dash hosting the Seattle Reign FC. Haley Kopmeyer and Lydia Williams will start in goal. The game was initially broadcast on FS1, but if a YouTube link becomes available, I will add it into the post. Manon Melis of Seattle had a long shot in the first minute, saved by Houston's keeper Williams. The Reign had another chance in the second minute as Melis headed Beverly Yanez's cross wide left. Houston had a good look with an Andressa shot wide right, after Carli Lloyd and Becca Moros strung passes along to her. Yanez saw a fifth minute cross defended by the Dash's Poliana and Denise O'Sullivan. The Reign held on, with Yanez passing to Kim Little, who shot it over the bar. Lloyd had her seventh minute shot for Houston blocked by Seattle's Lauren Barnes. Kendall Fletcher of the Reign blocked a cross from the Dash's Kealia Ohai in the eighth minute. Ohai won a corner kick off of Seattle's Merritt Mathias in the ninth minute. Lloyd went short and give-and-go with Morgan Brian, but it didn't work out. Ellie Brush of Houston blocked a long ball from Mathias to Melis. In the thirteenth minute, Mathias held up Ohai after getting burned on the play, and Mathias earned a yellow card for her foul. Lloyd took the free kick for goal, sending it wide right. Megan Rapinoe ripped a fifteenth minute shot that Williams saved on a back-heel pass from Rumi Utsugi for a good Reign opportunity. Ohai had an eighteenth minute cross that never got Janine Beckie, as Barnes covered it for Seattle. In the twenty-first minute, a Reign attack ended with Rapinoe's cross to Melis, who directed it on goal and forced Williams into a diving save. Kopmeyer put on an emergency goaltending clinic in the twenty-second minute, punching a cross from Poliana away from Lloyd, and then blocking shots from O'Sullivan and Brian. Fletcher defended Beckie's cross away from Brian in the twenty-fourth minute as the Dash build a few good chances. Seattle nearly had a chance as Melis took a forward ball from Rapinoe and pressured the back pass from Cami Privett to Williams. Poliana intercepted a Melis pass for Rapinoe in the twenty-ninth minute to halt a building Seattle attack. Yanez had a shot wide right that Williams caught after Seattle retook the ball. Mathias surrendered a corner kick to Ohai and the Dash in the thirtieth minute after Lloyd's through ball. Brian went short and lost it to Utsugi, who sprung Rapinoe for a one-on-one with Brush, but Moros cleaned it up in the end for Houston. Rapinoe and Little went back-and-forth before Little found Melis in the thirty-third minute, and her shot was saved by Williams on a low drive. In the thirty-fifth minute, Ohai won a corner kick off of Mathias. Brian went for Lloyd and Privett, but Seattle's Jess Fishlock poked it away. Utsugi broke up a pass from Lloyd to Brian in the thirty-seventh minute. O'Sullivan took a cross from Beckie, and shot it on goal, but Mathias bounced it out to Barnes, and the Reign took a goal kick. Houston made it 1-0 with an Ohai goal in the thirty-ninth minute, a long-range strike that looked more like a cross after the pass from O'Sullivan. Fletcher just barely shut down an Ohai pass to Lloyd in the fortieth minute. Brush cleared a Yanez pass, springing the Dash attack that saw Moros and Andressa string passes to O'Sullivan, and then Lloyd had to dance on it a bit in the box before taking her shot against Kopmeyer and finding the top left corner for a 2-0 Houston lead. Moros blocked a Yanez shot in stoppage time. Brush blocked a shot from Fishlock as well, and the game went into halftime at 2-0. The best Reign players have been CBs Barnes and Fletcher, RF Yanez, and CF Melis. For the Dash, the top players were GK Williams, LB Moros, RB Poliana, DM Brian, ACM O'Sullivan, LW Lloyd, and LF Ohai. In the forty-eighth minute, Houston had the first good chance with Ohai going to Brian, and her cross in for Lloyd was blocked by Fletcher, but O'Sullivan sent it wide left on the rebound. Brush gave Seattle a corner kick as she broke up Rapinoe's pass for Yanez. The forty-ninth minute set piece came from Rapinoe and she sent it way too long. In the fiftieth minute, Beckie orchestrated a good chance that Ohai drove at goal to make a corner kick chance. Brian's service was cleared by Fishlock in the fifty-first minute. Privett and Brush kept Fishlock from doing anything with a Melis cross in the fifty-second minute. Beckie ran through a lot of Reign players, passing to Ohai around Fletcher, and she sent it back to Lloyd, who sent it over the bar in the fifty-fourth minute. Andressa, Lloyd, and Beckie combined for another shot that Barnes blocked as Beckie took too long to release on. Barnes blocked a fifty-sixth minute Ohai shot that Lloyd set up. Seattle got on the board with a Melis goal in the sixtieth minute, chipping Williams on a pass from Fishlock to make it 2-1 in the game. Seattle's Keelin Winters blocked a sixty-second minute Ohai shot. Poliana put another Dash shot on goal in the sixty-third minute, saved by Kopmeyer on the ground. Privett headed away a Rapinoe cross in the sixty-fourth minute. Utsugi fouled Beckie on a long-ball from Lloyd, giving the Dash a dangerous free kick chance in the sixty-sixth minute. Andressa took it for Poliana, but it was too tall and went out of bounds harmlessly. Barnes blocked an Ohai cross in the sixty-eighth minute. The Reign have had some counterattacks killed by offside calls recently. Melis tried to do it all herself in the seventy-first minute, but touches from Brush and Brian hindered her pursuit, and Williams got to the ball to end the threat. Fletcher surrendered a corner kick under pressure from Lloyd in the seventy-second minute. Brian went for Lloyd, but it didn't get there. The Reign tied it with a Little goal in the seventy-sixth minute, with a little help from the referee as Utsugi's pass for Fishlock hit the referee. Little buried it against Williams, and the game is tied at 2 with plenty left to play for despite no postseason hope left. Barnes stopped Andressa's run forward in the seventy-ninth minute. Williams caught an eightieth minute cross from Melis. In the eighty-first minute, Carson Pickett of Seattle set up Yanez for a goal, giving the Reign a 3-2 lead. Daly's cross went off Fishlock for a corner kick in the eighty-second minute. Lloyd went give-and-go with Brian to put a ball in the box, which came back out to Brian, and her cross deflected off of Ohai. Poliana had a cross into Rachel Daly, but she couldn't shoot in the eighty-fourth minute. Utsugi cleared Ohai's eighty-fifth minute cross. Moros won a Houston corner kick in the eighty-sixth minute off of Barnes. Andressa went for Daly, but it was cleared by the Reign in a moment of chaos. Daly's cross got deflected back to Brian, who shot over the goal in the eighty-seventh minute. Brush blocked a Melis shot in the eighty-eighth minute. Lloyd couldn't handle Ohai's cross in the eighty-ninth minute. Fletcher cleared an Ohai cross away in stoppage time. Ohai took a shot on the next chance, and Kopmeyer saved it. Lloyd finished off a Dash possession with a shot wide left after Daly held possession late in the game. The Reign took the win 3-2, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being Yanez for her game-winner. The Reign also saw DM Fishlock and ACM Little look good in the second half.

Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 20

GK Michele Dalton
RB Ali Krieger
CB Kristin Grubka
CB Kendall Fletcher
LB Meghan Klingenberg
DM Allie Long
RW Sofia Huerta
LW Heather O'Reilly (out of position)
RF Beverly Yanez
CF Jessica McDonald (out of position)
LF Lynn Williams

It's the end of the season now. Here's what we currently know: The Washington Spirit will host the Chicago Red Stars on Friday night, and the Portland Thorns host the Western New York Flash on Sunday afternoon. The winners of those games go to the final two weeks from this post's date. Also, Lynn Williams of the Western New York Flash won the Golden Boot on the tiebreaker of assists, with Kealia Ohai coming in second, each scoring 11 goals. What's left to be determined is who will play for the finals, and who will earn the rest of the awards for the league. That means, Goalkeeper, Defender, Rookie, and Coach of the Year, MVP, and the Best XI are still to be decided. What I'll do in the next couple of days is go through my preseason post and take a look at how well my predictions worked out for the awards, as well as giving my updated choices based on the full season of games. As mentioned at the top of the post, please vote for the NWSL Awards when you get the chance, and as always, follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.