The National Women’s Soccer League’s first-ever Decision Day chaos was on full display as the standings rotated continuously up until the final whistle to determine the final spots in the 2023 NWSL Playoffs.
Playoff Race
Heading into the final weekend of the season, the league-leading Portland Thorns only needed to defeat Angel City FC in order to clinch the 2023 NWSL Shield, presented by CarMax. However, Angel City shocked the league with a dominant 5-1 win, relegating the Thorns to second place. And with a 2-0 win over Racing Louisville, the San Diego Wave clinched the Shield in just their second season in the league.
Meanwhile, the 5-1 win catapulted Angel City into fifth place. OL Reign and Gotham FC also cemented places in the playoff race with results on Decision day, leaving Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit on the outside looking in.
The NWSL Playoff Quarterfinals are set to begin this weekend with OL Reign hosting Angel City for a chance to play San Diego in the semifinal, and North Carolina facing Gotham with the winner advancing to play Portland in the semis.
End-of-Season Award Watch
Decision Day also brought the season-long Golden Boot race to an end with United States Women's National Team forward Sophia Smith taking the title for her 11 goals in 17 games with the Portland Thorns. North Carolina’s Kerolin narrowly missed the honor, netting 10 goals in 19 games played.
Portland’s Sam Coffey also finished the year as the top assist contributor with eight on the year, ahead of five players who finished in second with five assists apiece.
Meanwhile, six players earned Iron Women status, appearing in every minute for each of their clubs, including Jane Campbell (HOU), Sarah Gorden (LA), Abby Erceg (LOU), Katie Lund (LOU), Lauren Millet (LOU), Kaleigh Kurtz (NC) and Sam Staab (WAS).
Forward Messiah Bright finished the year leading all rookies with six goals, while fellow Orlando Pride teammate Emily Madril led all rookies in minutes played with 1,977.
Utah Connections
Ashley Hatch leads the way for players with Utah connections, finishing the year with nine goals and two assists. However the Washington Spirit missed the playoffs by one point after failing to get a victory on Decision Day.
Other former BYU players Cameron Tucker and Mikayla Cluff have been consistent contributors to their respective teams (Houston Dash and Orlando Pride). Both teams just missed the playoff mark, thus ending their seasons.
Sandy, Utah native and former BYU Cougar Michele Vasconcelos has appeared in 13 matches for Portland, scoring her first goal with the Club back in June.
Utah-born Olivia Moultrie recently had her option exercised by Portland for an additional season, making her a Restricted Free Agent at the end of next year. The 18-year-old has recorded two goals and three assists in 20 matches. She also recently received her first call-up to the United States Women’s National Team, giving her a chance to make her debut in her hometown at America First Field on Thursday, October 26 when the team faces Colombia.
Both Vasconcelos and Moultire will compete for the Portland Thorns in the NWSL Playoffs, seeking a back-to-back Championship.
Happenings Around the League
NWSL legends Ali Kreiger, Cheyna Matthews and Megan Rapinoe played in their final regular-season matches, with all three previously announcing their intents to retire at the end of the year.
For Matthews it marked the end of a career as the Chicago Red Stars failed to make the postseason. Matthews finished her career with 13 goals and four assists in 88 matches, playing for Washington Spirit and Racing Louisville before finishing with the Red Stars.
Rapinoe played a pivotal role in booking OL Reign’s ticket to the postseason, scoring two goals on the way to a 3-0 victory. Krieger also proved to be vital for her squad, making an impressive goal-line save to keep Gotham’s postseason hopes alive.
