NOTES TO KNOW

*Below is a selection of moments to watch for and notes to know entering the 2023 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Bud Light. Playoff coverage begins Friday, October 20, with the first of two quarterfinal matchups, as No. 4 seed OL Reign hosts No. 5 seed Angel City FC at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. The No. 3 seed North Carolina Courage host No. 6 seed NJ/NY Gotham FC in the second and final contest of the round on Sunday, October 22 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.*Additional match details can be found below.

NOTES TO KNOW

NOT DONE YET

While OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe and NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Ali Krieger are both in their final season, neither is going out quietly, as the former United States women’s national team teammates each gave their clubs a boost to reach the playoffs in Week 22. Rapinoe scored her 50th and 51st career goals in the Reign’s 3-0 win against the Chicago Red Stars, her ninth career regular season brace. Meanwhile, Krieger kept Gotham FC afloat with a sliding goal-line clearance, earning her Save of the Week, voted on by fans, in a 2-2 draw against the Kansas City Current to earn a spot in the playoffs. With two storied careers nearing their end, Rapinoe and Krieger both look to go out with their first NWSL Championship title. OL Reign will host Angel City FC in the first quarterfinal match on Friday, October 20 at Lumen Field in Seattle, kicking off at 10 p.m. ET on Paramount+. Gotham FC will face the North Carolina Courage on Sunday, October 22 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC, kicking off at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.

PREVIOUS MATCHUPS

Across the regular season and the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, OL Reign and Angel City have met four times in 2023. OL Reign took the first matchup, winning 2-0 on the road in the clubs’ first Challenge Cup meeting. The second Challenge Cup match on May 3 resulted in a scoreless draw. The two clubs met again later that month, with the Reign winning 4-1 in Week 9 of the regular season. They would not match up again until Week 17, with Angel City defeating OL Reign for the first time in the regular season in a 2-1 decision. The first of four 2023 battles between NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage came in Week 4 of the regular season, with Gotham FC winning 1-0 on April 22 as former Courage striker Lynn Williams found net against her old club. The two clubs matched up in the Challenge Cup on May 3, resulting in a 1-1 draw. In the next meeting, a Challenge Cup match on August 5, Gotham FC won 2-0 at home. Their final matchup of the regular season came in Week 18, with each club scoring three goals in a dramatic draw in North Carolina.

MILESTONES AND RECORDS

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

While OL Reign has yet to win an NWSL Championship, the club has won the NWSL Shield three times, most recently in 2022, and has qualified for the playoffs for the seventh time. Originally known as Seattle Reign FC, the club has been in the NWSL since the league’s inaugural season in 2013. Its opponent, Angel City, was one of two expansion clubs to join the league in 2022 and will make its first playoff appearance on Friday. Entering the league in 2013 as Sky Blue FC, NJ/NY Gotham FC is one of the NWSL’s original eight franchises but is still looking for its first win and first goal in its third playoff appearance. Its opponent, the North Carolina Courage, joined the league in 2017 after the Western NY Flash franchise was relocated and rebranded. The Courage continued the winning ways of the 2016 champion Flash, reaching the Championship in all of its first three seasons — falling to Portland in 2017, and winning the title in both 2018 and 2019. North Carolina also won 3 straight NWSL Shields from 2017 to 2019 and became the first club to win the Shield and the Championship in the same year. In 2019, the Courage became the first to win the NWSL Championship on their home field. While OL Reign and the Courage look to expand their trophy cases, Angel City and Gotham FC both seek their first playoff wins and hardware for their shelves.

PLAYOFF LEADERBOARDS

Gotham FC forward Lynn Williams (36) and OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe (27) have two highest shot totals in NWSL Playoff history and are tied for fifth in goals (3), with Reign defender Emily Sonnett close behind (2). Rapinoe and Williams are also tied for second in playoff assists (2 apiece), while Williams is the all-time playoff leader in extra time goals (3) and shots on goal (18). Williams is third all-time in career playoff minutes and needs 78 minutes to become just the second player to play 1000 minutes in the NWSL playoffs.

QUARTERFINALS MATCH SCHEDULE

Friday, October 20

OL Reign vs. Angel City FC | Lumen Field | 10 p.m. ET | Paramount+

Sunday, October 22

North Carolina Courage vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC | WakeMed Soccer Park | 7 p.m. ET | CBS Sports Network For more details about the 2023 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Bud Light, click here.