NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week 9

NWSL Week 9 Chicago Red Stars vs. Orlando Pride Recap

(Photo courtesy of NWSL)

In this week’s NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week, the Orlando Pride (4-3-3, 15 points) defeated the Chicago Red Stars (2-3-6, 12 points) 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, in front of 5,047 fans.

Orlando forward Rachel Hill got the Pride on the board early, scoring in just the 2^nd minute. Four minutes later, a pair of soccer superstars connected, when Marta served a ball into Alex Morgan for a header goal to put the Pride up 2-0. Chicago answered in the 21^st minute. Orlando goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris made a “goal of the week” type save on a Sam Kerr breakaway, but Kerr would get another chance after a poor clearance by the Pride. The Red Stars quickly regained possession and Kerr headed home a Yuki Nagasato cross for her third goal of the season. In the 60^th minute, Kerr and Nagasato struck again. Kerr beat the Orlando defense with a well-timed run and slotted the ball past Harris to make it 2-2.

Now, it was only fitting that the second-half would be dominated by a second-half sub. After entering the match in the 52^nd minute to replace Marta, Sydney Leroux scored on a diving header in the 61^st minute. Leroux got her brace just two minutes later to put the Pride up 4-2. Pride midfielder Dani Weatherholt finished off the scoring in the 83^rd minute off an assist from Morgan.  

Player of the Match:

Orlando Pride midfielder Dani Weatherholt

(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)

Pride midfielder Dani Weatherholt is the “Player of the Match”. Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan and Rachel Hill were all deserving of this honor. Leroux for her second half brace, Morgan for scoring her 30^th career NWSL goal and Hill for scoring the fastest goal in Pride history, but the day belonged to Weatherholt. Saturday showed that Weatherholt is an amazing player on the field and an amazing person off of it. She was featured on the Lifetime pre-game show, where discussed her friendship with Zayne Burton, a young a cancer patient. (If you didn’t see it, I highly recommend you watch. Also, keep tissues nearby.) Then, she found the back of the net for her 2^nd career NWSL goal. 

What’s next?

The Pride will travel to Seattle to face the Reign on Sunday, June 3. Kickoff is set for 9:00pm ET. This match will be streaming live on go90.

The Red Stars will hit the road to take on the Washington Spirit on Saturday June 2, at 3:30pm ET in the next NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week.

NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week 8

NWSL Week 8 Utah Royals FC vs. Houston Dash Recap

(Photo courtesy of NWSL)

It was very fitting that on the same day as “The Royal Wedding”, the NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week would see the Utah Royals record their second win in club history. The Royals (2-1-5, 11 points) defeated the Houston Dash (1-4-4, 7 points) 1-0 in front of 8,323 fans Saturday afternoon at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Utah midfielder Erika Tymrak provided the game’s only goal in the 51^st minute. Tyrmak not only scored her first goal as a member of the Royals, but also made her first start of the 2018 season. With Tymrak’s goal, seven different players have now scored all seven goals scored for the team.

Player of the Match:

Houston Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell

(Photo Credit: Yi-Chin Lee of the Houston Chronicle)

Houston Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell is the “Player of the Match”. Erika Tymrak and a few other players also deserve the honor, but Campbell was the lone bright spot for the Dash. Campbell has been running hot or cold since joining the NWSL, but Saturday was a good day for her. She made two big saves within a seven-minute span to keep the game scoreless going into halftime. In the 30^th minute, Campbell had a nice stop on Utah forward Amy Rodriguez. Then, in the 37^th minute, Campbell stoned Diana Matheson after Utah was awarded a penalty kick for a foul inside the box.

What’s next?

The Royals will travel to Portland on Friday, May 25 to take on the Thorns. This match will be streaming live on go90.

The Dash will host Seattle Reign FC on Wednesday, May 23. This match will be streaming live on go90.

The Chicago Red Stars will host the Orlando Pride on Saturday, May 26 at 3:30pm ET in the next NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week.

NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week 7

NWSL Week 7 Portland Thorns FC vs. Orlando Pride Recap

 The Orlando Pride (3-2-3, 12 pts.) defeated the Portland Thorns (2-3-3, 9 pts.) for the first time in franchise history on Saturday afternoon in this week’s NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week. Including last year’s playoff loss, the Pride had been 0-5-1 vs. the Thorns before Saturday’s 2-1 victory.

Orlando forward Alex Morgan and midfielder Christine Nairn scored their first goals of the 2018 season to extend the team’s unbeaten streak to five straight games. In the 11^th minute, Morgan took advantage of a defensive error by Portland defender Mallory Weber. The Pride doubled their lead in the 21st minute after Nairn fired a beautiful shot past goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom and into the back of the net. (Nairn’s highlight reel finish was #7 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays) Portland forward Christine Sinclair headed in a corner kick from forward Tobin Heath in the 23^rd minute to cut Orlando’s lead in half. But the two-goal deficit was too much for Portland to overcome, Orlando’s defense held strong for the remaining 67 minutes.

What’s next?

The Thorns will travel to Washington on Saturday, May 19 to take on the Spirit. This match will be streaming live on go90.

The Pride will host the North Carolina Courage on Wednesday, May 23. This match will be streaming live on go90.

Utah Royals FC will host the Houston Dash on Saturday, May 19 at 3:30pm ET in the next NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week.

NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week 6

NWSL Week 6 Portland Thorns FC vs. Seattle Reign FC Recap

(Photo courtesy of NWSL)

Seattle Reign FC (3-1-1, 10 pts.) defeated Portland Thorns FC 3-2 (2-2-2, 8 pts.) on Saturday afternoon in this week’s NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week. A crowd of 16,054 filled Providence Park in Portland, Oregon to witness the first edition of “The Cascadia Rivalry” for the 2018 season.

This match featured the return to Portland for Seattle Reign FC midfielder Allie Long, who played five seasons for the Thorns, and Reign goalkeeper Michelle Betos, who won the 2015 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year during her time with the team, as they played their first game against their former club.

The Reign took a 1-0 lead into halftime after forward Beverly Yanez headed in a corner kick in the 36^th minute. In the second half, Thorns defender Emily Sonnett claimed Portland’s equalizer in the 61^st minute. Seattle reclaimed the lead in the 64^th minute after forward Jodie Taylor scored on a penalty kick. Portland made it 2-2 in the 70th minute as midfielder Lindsey Horan headed in a cross from defender Meghan Klingenberg.  Seattle took a 3-2 lead in the 75th minute, a lead they would not relinquish despite Portland’s all-out attack in the final 15 minutes of the match. Seattle’s Rumi Utsugi was 25 yards out when she put the ball into the bottom right corner of the net for the game-winning goal.

Player of the Match:

Portland Thorns FC defender Midge Purce
(Photo courtesy of NWSL)

This match featured the biggest names making the biggest impact on the game. Michelle Betos, Lindsey Horan, Tobin Heath, Allie Long and a few others are all deserving of the title of “Player of the Match”. Betos had several big saves at the end of the game to secure the win for Seattle. Portland really started cooking after Tobin Heath entered the game as a second half substitution. But I’m going with Midge Purce. In the second half when the Thorns started to get something going, Purce was a big reason why that happened. Purce was all over the field for Portland. She was making plays both on offense and defense. Purce’s performance in the match was so impressive it had many fans calling for her to get a call up to the next USWNT camp. And I agree with them 100 “purcent”.   

What’s next?

The Thorns will play the Houston Dash on Wednesday. This match will be streaming live on go90.

The Reign will host Sky Blue FC on Saturday, May 12. This match will be streaming live on go90.

The Portland Thorns will host the Orlando Pride on Saturday, May 12 at 3:30pm ET in the next NWSL Lifetime Game of the Week.