Two matches remain in the NWSL regular season, with only one team (San Diego Wave) having already clinched a playoff spot, and every other team still eligible to qualify for one of the remaining five playoff spots. With a tight race coming down to the wire for the NWSL Shield, three different players vying for the Golden Boot, and a number of other intriguing narratives around the league including a home farewell to an NWSL all-timer. There’s no limit in the amount of storylines to follow this October.
Playoff Race
San Diego Wave FC currently lead the pack with 33 points, having leap-frogged Portland Thorns FC (32 points) after beating the defending champions 2-0 last week. The Wave will face North Carolina Courage (4th place) on the road before closing out the season at home against Racing Louisville FC (10th place) for a chance to clinch the no. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Portland plays at home this week looking to fend off NJ/NY Gotham FC, who sits two points behind them in third. Gotham has just a two-point advantage over the sixth and final playoff spot OL Reign heading into the penultimate week, with North Carolina and Washington Spirit in fourth and fifth respectively.
The bottom six teams on the table still have a chance to push for a playoff spot, with only six points separating sixth place OL Reign and 12th-place Kansas City Current.
End-of-Season Award Watch
USWNT star Sophia Smith still leads the pack in the Golden Boot race with 11 goals, while Brazilian, Kerolin, is sneaking behind having scored her tenth goal of the season in a 1-1 draw against OL Reign. Former Brigham Young University standout Ashley Hatch sits in third with nine for Washington Spirit and a massive chance to add to her total tonight.
Portland’s Sam Coffey leads the league with seven assists, with a three-way tie for second between Julia Banchi, Megan Rapinoe, and the aforementioned Smith all on five assists.
Houston Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell recorded her league-leading eighth clean sheet last week against Gotham, while San Diego’s Kailen Sheridan and North Carolina’s Casey Murphy each have seven.
Utah Connections
Ashley Hatch leads the way for players with Utah connections, looking to reach double-digits in goals scored for just the second time in her career. With two matches remaining, Hatch has the opportunity to tie or break the league record of six penalty kick goals in a season, trailing by only one.
Other former BYU players CameronTucker and Mikayla Cluff have been consistent contributors to their respective teams (Houston Dash and Orlando Pride). Both currently sit on the outside looking in for the NWSL 2023 playoffs, just outside of the 6th and final playoff seed with two to play.
Sandy 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 19 matches.
Happenings Around the League
The biggest story by far this week, besides the playoff hunt, will be the final regular season home match for OL Reign veteran and USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe. More than 28,000 tickets have been sold for the team’s matchup against Washington Spirit in Seattle, as the Club looks to not only clinch a playoff spot but also break the NWSL attendance record set by San Diego Wave (32,000).
Rapinoe played for six different clubs before joining OL Reign in the NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013. Since then, she has played in 113 matches, scoring the most goals in team history with 49. Internationally, the former U.S. captain is a two-time FIFA World Cup winner and an Olympic gold medalist, having played in 203 matches for the Stars and Stripes, scoring a record 63 goals.
Her final home match with OL Reign will be a spectacle, as both teams are in desperate need of points to maintain their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs, and the home crowd will have one last opportunity to watch the legend take the pitch.
