Friday, May 3
Utah Royals FC (1-5-1) vs. Angel City FC (3-3-1) - 1-2 (Attendance: 10,731)
The weekend started in Utah as the Royals – led by assistant coach Fredric Brillant in the absence of head coach Amy Rodriguez due to a red card suspension – welcomed a team from California for the first time. Alyssa Thompson, who has contributed to goals in the last three matches, got the party started after dribbling the ball down Utah’s right flank, sending in a cross for Sydney Leroux to head in. Ten minutes later, Thompson was brought down in the box, earning her team a penalty which Claire Emslie, who has now scored in her last three matches, handily put away.
The Royals got on the board in the second half when Dutch midfielder Dana Foederer scored her first professional goal. However, it was not enough and the match ended with Angel City taking home three points.
Watch the full highlights here.
Seattle Reign FC (2-5-0) vs. San Diego Wave (2-3-1) - 2-1 (Attendance: 7,030)
The 2023 Shield winners flew north to take on Reign FC, the second time the two clubs have faced off this season. Last match, the results were much the same – a close match with the home team taking all the points. However, this match proved to be more dramatic: an early red card for Reign FC put them to ten players and mere minutes later, San Diego Wave scored after Kyra Carusa found the back of the net.
All was not lost, however. In the 33rd minute, Bethany Balcer intercepted a pass from Kailen Sheridan, maintaining her footing long enough to slide it into goal and tying things up. And in the 88th minute, Veronica Latsko put Reign FC in the driver’s seat of their own destiny, catapulting a set piece from Reign FC midfielder Ji So-Yun up and over Sheridan’s head. Wave midfielder Kristen McNabb was sent off with a red card in the waning minutes of the match, further complicating their center back situation (Naomi Girma and Abby Dahlkemper are currently sidelined with injuries).
Saturday, May 4
NJ/NY Gotham FC (2-2-2) vs. North Carolina Courage (4-4-0) - 1-0 (Attendance: 6,184)
Gotham FC is back in the win column thanks to an early goal by captain Lynn Williams – her first of the season and the club’s 300th in history. The loss for North Carolina now means they’ve won all of their home games and lost all of their away games so far this season. The Courage now turn their focus to a road match against Kansas City to face one of the most goal-hungry squads in the league.
Watch the full highlights here.
Portland Thorns FC (4-3-1) vs. Washington Spirit (5-3-0) - 2-1 (Attendance: 17,039)
The start to the season is distantly in Portland’s rearview mirror as they hosted the Washington Spirit on a rainy Saturday evening and came away with all three points. In the 3rd minute, Thorns midfielder Hina Sugita sent the ball to the top of the box just as Sam Coffey made a darting run towards goal. The power of her kick sent the ball lifting just out of reach of Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury’s outstretched gloves, putting the home team up a goal.
Their lead was doubled in the 21st minute as Christine Sinclair, taking advantage of the chaos during a set piece, tapped in the ball. In the 86th minute, Trinity Rodman’s darting cross found Lena Silano, who redirected it into the net, putting the Spirit on the scoreboard. It wasn’t enough, however, and the match ended soon after with the home team as the victors.
Sunday, May 5
Houston Dash (1-3-3) - Kansas City Current (5-0-2) - 1-1 (Attendance: 5,099)
Speaking of rain: much like Portland, Houston also experienced some weather. With the Current up by a goal after Vanessa DiBernardo found Temwa Chawinga in the box, both teams headed to the locker room at the half fully expecting to reemerge soon after. However, the severity of the weather led to an unexpected four-hour delay, shifting the dynamics of the game entirely by the time play resumed. That much would prove to be true when, in the 70th minute, rookie Amanda West calmly collected the ball at the top of the box while the Current backline scrambled for her first professional goal. As the final whistle blew, both teams settled for a draw.
Watch the full highlights here.
Orlando Pride (5-0-3) vs. Racing Louisville (7-1-1) - 1-0 (Attendance: 6,837)
Orlando Pride hosted Racing Louisville on Sunday evening and with her fourth goal of the season, Barbra Banda powered the Pride to a home victory. With Kansas City’s draw earlier in the day, it was enough to put Orlando at the top of the table by a single point (although Kansas City has a game in hand). Another side effect of the results: Louisville’s unbeaten streak is officially over, making the Pride and Current the only unbeaten teams this season so far.
Watch the full highlights here.
Bay FC (2-6-0) vs. Chicago Red Stars (4-3-1) - 1-2 (Attendance: 14,317)
The good news for Bay FC is: they’re 5th in the league in regards to scoring. The bad news? They lead the league in goals conceded. That seemed to be the case in the last match of the weekend as they hosted the Chicago Red Stars in San Jose. Bay FC midfielder Tess Boade opened the scoring when Alyssa Naeher, intending to clear the ball out of the box, hit Boade’s back, sending the ball into the net.
Chicago was redeemed in the 30th minute when Penelope Hocking received a long ball from the back by Sam Staab, shaking her defender and sliding it past Bay FC goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland. Chicago would then seal the deal in the middle of the second half when Red Stars forward Ally Schlegel scored her fourth goal of the 2024 season.