NOTES TO KNOW

NOTES TO KNOW

PLAYOFF PICTURE
A busy weekend of regular season action shook up the standings, as Portland Thorns FC defeated the North Carolina Courage, 2-1, to snatch possession of first place in the regular season table. The Thorns now have 28 points, two more than the second-place Courage who have a handful of teams biting at their ankles. NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit both sit just one point out of second place at 25, while OL Reign and San Diego Wave FC round out the top six with 24 points apiece. The Orlando Pride moved up to seventh place with a key win over the Chicago Red Stars and now sit within striking distance of a playoff spot with 22 points.

ORLANDO’S NEW FACES
The Orlando Pride gave a warm welcome to Marta and Adriana in their first game back from the World Cup. New roster additions Rafaelle Souza and Mariana Larroquette made their Pride debuts and introduced themselves to the fans at Exploria Stadium with a goal each. Appearing in her first NWSL match since August 20, 2014, nine years to the day, Rafaelle quickly scored just minutes into her return. A corner kick in the 15th minute from her World Cup teammate Adriana set up Rafaelle for a header that slipped past Red Stars keeper Alyssa Naeher. Messiah Bright’s brace put the Pride up 3-0 with goals in the 24th and 49th minutes. Larroquette took the field for the first time in the 61st minute and only needed three minutes to score in her first NWSL match since 2021. Orlando Pride fans have plenty to cheer for as their newcomers try to help the team make a late push into the playoffs.

HOME COOKING
Home teams were undefeated this weekend, combining for a 4-0-2 record. The Kansas City Current, San Diego Wave, Orlando Pride and Portland Thorns all won at home, while Racing Louisville FC and the Houston Dash both forced 1-1 draws.

MILESTONES AND RECORDS

FULL HOUSE
With the regular season returning after over a month off, fans showed tremendous support for their clubs in their first games back. The Kansas City Current set a new club record for attendance, as 13,455 fans packed Children’s Mercy Park to watch a 1-0 win over OL Reign on Friday night. The players and fans fed off each other’s energy all night, with the crowd volume reaching 117.3 decibels after AD Franch’s diving save on Jordyn Huitema’s penalty kick. Portland Thorns also put on a show in front of a record crowd, defeating the North Carolina Courage 2-1 on Sunday night in front of 22,107 fans at Providence Park, Portland’s largest home crowd this season.

MAGIC FROM MELANIE
At 15 years, nine months and 20 days old, San Diego Wave FC forward Melanie Barcenas became the youngest player to record an assist in the NWSL on Saturday. Barcenas made a beautiful pass to split that split the defense and got the ball to a streaking Amirah Ali down the center of the field, leading to San Diego’s second goal of the game. Barcenas passes Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie, who recorded her first career assist at 15 years, 10 months and 21 days.

IN GOOD SPIRITS
The Washington Spirit saw multiple players reach milestones in a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dash. Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and forward Ashley Hatch both made their 100th appearances for the Spirit, joining teammate Tori Huster as the only players to record 100 appearances in franchise history. Huster reached an impressive milestone herself, becoming only the 16th player in league history to play at least 13,000 minutes and just the fifth to accomplish the feat all with the same team. In addition, Kingsbury reached 10,000 minutes played and also became the sixth goalkeeper in NWSL history to record 400 saves. Defender Sam Staab set a new NWSL record for most consecutive regular season starts with 84.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT
Portland Thorns FC had a rocky start on Sunday, with defender Kelli Hubly picking up a red card in the 17th minute for denial of a goalscoring opportunity. Courage forward Tyler Lussi would score on the ensuing penalty kick, putting Portland quickly down by a goal. However, goals from Hannah Betfort and Sophia Smith in the 41st and 69th minutes put the Thorns ahead, making them the first team in NWSL history to win a game after a red card in the first half.

WEEK 16 MATCH RESULTS

August 18, 2023

Kansas City Current vs. OL Reign | 1 – 0 | Match Recap

August 19, 2023

Racing Louisville FC vs. Angel City FC | 1 – 1 | Match Recap San Diego Wave FC vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2 – 1 | Match Recap Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit | 1 – 1 | Match Recap

August 20, 2023

Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars | 5 – 0 | Match Recap Portland Thorns FC vs. North Carolina Courage | 2 – 1 | Match Recap