North Carolina win Shield in crazy NWSL weekend

Week 19 of the NWSL season was action-packed, with four games on Sunday afternoon. Here’s a quick recap of all of the happenings around the league.

After a week of for the Tournament of Nations, the NWSL got back underway with several games on Sunday with implications on the playoff race. North Carolina clinched the 2018 Shield, Orlando were unable to help themselves in the standings, Utah kept their playoff hopes alive and Seattle took an even stronger hold on the second playoff spot.

North Carolina clinch Shield for second straight year

The North Carolina Courage played host to Portland on Sunday afternoon in the first game of the day. North Carolina took a commanding two-goal lead into the locker room thanks to Lynn Williams’ brace. That was all the Courage needed to secure their second straight Shield title with a 2-1 win.

Lindsey Horan got one back for the visitors off a free-kick in the 49th minute, but it wouldn’t be enough for the comeback. Earlier in the week, Horan scored a goal for the USWNT, also off a free-kick. Despite Horan’s dominance on free kicks, teams still leave her open. That’s definitely a not-so-secret weapon for the Thorns heading toward the end of the season.

Orlando and Sky Blue play to crazy 2-2 draw

After a 0-0 first half, it looked as if the second would be similarly slow paced. It looked wrong. Marta opened the scoring in the 51st minute to give the Orlando Pride the lead. It didn’t last long as Imani Dorsey slotted one back for Sky Blue. Six minutes later, Sky Blue took the lead for the very first time all season. In the 73rd minute, Dani Weatherholt tied the game, and that’s when things got interesting.

There were seven minutes of time added at the end of the game. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Orlando played a ball into the box, which was eventually directed toward the goal, only for Carli Lloyd to extend her hand and stop the ball. That earned her a red card and a penalty for Orlando. Marta stepped up to take the kick but Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan made the stop to preserve a point for Sky Blue in a 2-2 draw.

Utah uses big second half to comeback vs. Houston

With both teams desperately needing points to hang on in the playoff race, Houston and Utah met in Houston on Sunday night. Houston took a 1-0 lead into the break thanks to a goal from Veronica Latsko. That seemed like it would be enough for a Houston win, but Utah’s Christen Press had other plans.

Press tied the game in the 77th minute. Then, just six minutes later, Katie Stengel put the hammer down, chipping Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell to take the lead. The 2-1 victory moves Utah just four points out of a playoff spot with five games remaining on the schedule.

Seattle take care of business against eighth place Washington

With a struggling Washington coming to town, Seattle had a prime opportunity to keep a strong hold on second place in the standings. Seattle controlled the whole game, and broke the deadlock in the 44th minute to take a 1-0 lead into the locker room. The Reign doubled their lead in the 71st minute and put the Spirit to bed. The Spirit’s offensive struggles continued with another shutout. A bright spot for Washington was the return of Mallory Pugh. Pugh had been out since May 27 after injuring her knee against the Houston Dash.

Coming up

The Utah Royals welcome the Washington Spirit to town on Wednesday night for the only midweek game. With the Spirit in a slump, this is a valuable opportunity for Utah to pick up points in search of that final playoff spot.