As the NWSL regular season gets back underway this weekend, Just Women’s Sports is taking a look at where the Golden Boot race stands and who could end up being the league’s top scorer.

Alex Morgan won last year’s Golden Boot award with 15 goals, and she currently has five goals for the San Diego Wave this season. Reigning league MVP and Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith was close behind Morgan in 2022 and now holds the top spot in the league, while 2021 winner and Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch is tied for second.

Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns
10 goals

Smith entered the international break on a high, scoring a hat trick in her final game with Portland before leaving to represent the U.S. women’s national team at the World Cup. In addition to her 10 goals this season, she has five assists, which ranks second in the league behind teammate Sam Coffey.

Of Smith’s goals, four have come off her left foot and six off her right. Her goals from inside and outside of the box are split evenly.

Who else but @sophsssmith?! 🎯@ThornsFC is on top in Seattle! pic.twitter.com/HYcjCsUpiE

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 4, 2023

Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit
8 goals

The former Golden Boot winner is in the hunt again this season with eight goals. After being left off the USWNT’s World Cup roster, Hatch scored two goals during the Challenge Cup while the regular season was paused. Now, she re-enters the regular season with momentum after others in the race were out with their international squads.

Kerolin, North Carolina Courage
8 goals

Brazilian star Kerolin had eight goals before leaving for the World Cup, seven of which came inside the box. She also scored all of them with her right foot. Kerolin held the Golden Boot lead before Smith’s pre-World Cup hat trick, and could jump back to the front if she picks up where she left off before the international break.

She can't be stopped!!

Kerolin gets a first-half brace, and her 6th goal of the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HuCKTfDgzO

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 11, 2023

Lynn Williams, Gotham FC
7 goals

Williams was in the midst of a breakout season with her new club following a return from injury. She’s been the centerpiece of Gotham’s offense this season, scoring seven goals — which is more than Gotham scored as the team all of last year. Six of her goals have come inside the box, and she’s had 30 shots on target out of 48 total shots.

Other top scorers

6 goals

Debinha, Kansas City Current

5 goals

Bethany Balcer, OL Reign
Savannah DeMelo, Racing Louisville
Crystal Dunn, Portland Thorns
Alex Morgan, San Diego Wave

4 goals

Messiah Bright, Orlando Pride
Jordyn Huitema, OL Reign
Cece Kizer, Kansas City Current
Veronica Latsko, OL Reign
Tyler Lussi, North Carolina Courage
Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit
Ashley Sanchez, Washington Spirit
Jaedyn Shaw, San Diego Wave
Ella Stevens, Chicago Red Stars
Morgan Weaver, Portland Thorns

The first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs ends on Friday night, when the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury and No. 5 New York Liberty return to Arizona for a winner-take-all Game 3 — with a trip to the semifinals on the line.

"The message is, 'Everybody keep our heads up. This is a series, and Phoenix is a tough team,'" Liberty star Breanna Stewart said ahead of Friday's matchup.

Still battling an MCL sprain in her left knee, Stewart hopes for more quality time on the court to help New York bounce back from the Mercury's Game 2 blowout win.

While neither team has successfully defended at home so far, Phoenix will look for a boost from the Mercury fans as they try to oust the defending WNBA champs.

"It's just nice for everyone to get a home game," said Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. "[But] in order to win a series, you got to win on the road."

"You see how competitive, how balanced this is," said Stewart, commenting on the league's new home-away-home first-round format. "How important it is for these kind of series to be going back and forth."

How to watch the New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury in Game 3

It's win-or-go-home for both the No. 5 New York Liberty and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs on Friday.

The high-stakes matchup will tip off at 9 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.

The 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year race ended in a tie on Thursday, as dominant seasons at both ends of the court saw Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson and Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith each receive 29 of the media panel's 72 total votes.

After finishing first this season in blocks per game (2.3), total rebounds (407), defensive rebounds (316), and combined steals and blocks (156), Wilson became just the fourth player in WNBA history named Defensive Player of the Year at least three times — adding this year's title to her previous 2022 and 2023 honors.

As for Smith, who picked up the award for the first time this year, the Lynx star ranked second overall in combined steals and blocks (135), third in both blocks per game (1.9) and total blocks (80), and tied for 10th in total steals (55) on the season.

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Also snagging votes were Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams, who came in second with nine votes, as well as Phoenix Mercury triple-double phenom Alyssa Thomas and fellow Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who received three and two votes, respectively.

The win by both Wilson and Smith marks the first time in history that the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honor has ended in a tie, reflecting both the top-notch level of talent on display across the league as well as the hyper-competitive nature of the 2025 end-of-year awards race on display across multiple categories.

Next up on the league's awards docket is Saturday's Sixth Player of the Year announcement, followed by the highly anticipated reveal of the 2025 WNBA MVP on Sunday.

The NWSL promises a tense mid-table battle this weekend, as the No. 4 Portland Thorns take on the No. 5 San Diego Wave with both teams looking to keep late-season lags at bay.

After strong starts, the Thorns and Wave each have just one win in their last five games, with San Diego aiming to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to Gotham last weekend.

Even more, both clubs currently sit in a four-way tie for points on the NWSL table, giving Saturday's match extra weight in potentially shifting the standings this weekend.

"It's a really important moment for us as a team," said San Diego head coach Jonas Eidevall. "Because adversity will happen to people or teams at various points, and everything about now is how we respond."

Portland will also look to regain ground, perhaps drawing inspiration from the past after announcing Wednesday that the club plans to retire legendary forward Christine Sinclair's jersey in an October 4th ceremony.

Sinclair established herself as the Portland Thorns' all-time leading scorer, retiring last year with 79 goals across all NWSL competitions — the second-most ever scored by an NWSL player.

How to watch the Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave

The No. 4 Portland Thorns will host the No. 5 San Diego Wave at 10 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the NWSL match airing on ION.

No. 2 Las Vegas narrowly avoided a 2025 first-round postseason series upset on Thursday night, defeating the No. 7 Seattle Storm 74-73 in a deciding Game 3 to advance to the Aces' seventh-straight WNBA semifinals.

Aces star A'ja Wilson put her team on her back with another dominant performance, posting 38 points — including 25 in the second half — to outscore the rest of the Las Vegas lineup entirely.

"I am so proud of my team, we were resilient, that's what we need to be in these playoffs and I love each and every last one of them," Wilson said postgame.

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Las Vegas got off to a slow start this year, but a late-season surge fueled by a renewed focus on depth saw the 2023 WNBA champs take the No. 2 playoff seed — and book yet another trip to the WNBA semifinals.

"I remember Chelsea [Gray] saying in a timeout, 'There's no time for my-bads anymore,'" said Wilson. "We have to play perfect basketball."

How to watch the Las Vegas Aces in the 2025 WNBA semifinals

Up next for No. 2 Las Vegas is a No. 6 Indiana side punching above their weight.

That said, the Fever did score a 2-1 record against the Aces in the 2025 regular season — and Las Vegas's lone win over Indiana came back in June.

"They haven't seen the real Aces yet," Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon said of the Fever. "They caught us when we were a bit in turmoil."

The Aces will take aim at Indiana in Sunday's 3 PM ET semifinals opener, airing live on ABC.