The six NWSL matchups this week brought blowouts, bangers and upsets. Just Women’s Sports highlights the best of the action.

The Portland Thorns claimed the top spot in the standings following a tight 2-1 victory over the Washington Spirit, while Kansas City established itself as a playoff contender.

The Top Three NWSL Plays of the Week:

Megan Rapinoe’s Brace

Megan Rapinoe’s busy Sunday included a brace and an assist to lift OL Reign to a 4-1 thumping over Gotham FC.

The veteran striker made her mark on the match early, launching a throw-in into the path of a streaking Rose Lavelle, who one-timed the ball for the go-ahead goal.

.@mPinoe gets the assist off the throw in as @roselavelle puts @OLReign up early 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Q7kHmkAph7

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) August 14, 2022

Then, in the 42nd minute, Rapinoe did what she does best, burying a penalty kick from the spot to double OL Reign’s lead.

The last time Rapinoe missed a penalty during an NWSL match came four years ago in 2018. She holds a perfect record from the spot during the run of play in international competition. That gives Rapinoe a career penalty kick record of 17 for 18, excluding shootouts, according to ShePlaysNWSL,

.@mPinoe BURIES it to double the lead pic.twitter.com/po41kFUEN6

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) August 14, 2022

The 37-year-old’s dominance continued into the second half, as she one-timed a rocket past the Gotham FC goalkeeper for her third goal in two games.

Never count out Rapinoe, who looks to be in top form once again.

1 touch for @mPinoe for her 3rd goal in her last 2 games pic.twitter.com/x69K3OUPZe

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) August 14, 2022

Claire Lavogez’s game-winning Banger

The North Carolina Courage and Kansas City Current exchanged barbs in a thrilling offensive exchange Saturday.

The scoresheet was tied at 3-3 heading into the game’s final 10 minutes, with Kristen Hamilton, Lo’eau LaBonta and Cece Kizer getting on the board for Kansas City and Diana Ordóñez, Debinha and Kaleigh Kurtz scoring for the Courage.

Kansas City’s Claire Lavogez, who entered the match at the half, notched the decider in the 79th minute in thrilling fashion. The French midfielder dribbled up the spine of the pitch before ripping a top-shelf banger from outside the box to clinch the game for the Current, who are unbeaten in their last 10 matches.

GAME WINNING STUNNER BY @ClaireLavogez‼️ pic.twitter.com/7DDjVkic5y

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) August 14, 2022

Morgan Weaver’s stoppage-time heroics

The Washington Sprit’s Wednesday night matchup against the Portland Thorns was defined by chaos.

First, the Spirit got on the board in the 76th minute after a strange miscue from Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby. Portland responded minutes later with a frenzied close-range finish of their own.

Morgan Weaver, who entered the match in the 74th minute, took control of the game, scoring a stoppage-time winner in the 92nd minute. Dribbling through a series of Washington defenders, Weaver cut in from the flank before squaring up for a left-footed far-post laser.

The game-winner secured Portland’s place atop the NWSL standings, three points clear of the Houston Dash, San Diego Wave and Kansas City Current.

Stoppage time winner 🫡 @morganvweaver pic.twitter.com/iOEvU4trjP

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) August 11, 2022

The PWHL is officially expanding, with the second-year pro women's hockey league awarding Vancouver its seventh franchise on Wednesday.

The league's first-ever expansion squad faces a short run-up, joining the current six-team roster when the puck drops on the 2025/26 PWHL season.

"To be able to grow this fast is just a testament to the great sport, our great athletes, and how people feel about the work that we’re doing and what our players are putting out on the ice," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer.

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Vancouver fanbase bolstered city's PWHL bid

Commenting on the eight-month expansion evaluation process, Scheer called Vancouver's bid "unbelievably robust," and noted that the city's "engaged, vibrant, fun" fanbase and its "remarkable commitment to growing the game of hockey" helped earn the Canadian community a team.

That commitment was on display at the PWHL's recent 2025 Takeover Tour, which drew major crowds as the league tested expansion prospects in non-market cities across North America.

Vancouver stood out, notching the the fourth-largest crowd in PWHL history when 19,038 fans showed up on January 8th — and claiming the highest social media engagement across all nine Tour stops.

That fan enthusiasm helped push Vancouver across the PWHL's expansion line, with the new team already making league history.

Besides marking the league's first-ever footprint on the the West Coast, Vancouver will become the first PWHL team to serve as the primary tenant in its home venue at the Pacific Coliseum.

The 17,713-seat arena and its adjacent PNE Agrodome — PWHL Vancouver's main training facility — will undergo extensive upgrades for the incoming franchise.

"The expansion brings greater visibility to the West Coast, expands out geographic footprint, and, most importantly, grows the game," said PWHL EVP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.

League eyes next steps for expansion team

While the PWHL still has over 20 proposals from markets requesting a team — and rumors swirling that Seattle could join Vancouver as a 2025/26 season expansion contingent — the league is currently making more concrete plans for its official seventh squad.

"With this team comes more opportunities for the best women's hockey players in the world to continue competing in one league," remarked Hefford. "The talent pool has never been deeper, and with a strong 2025 draft class ahead, we're pleased that even more women are going to be able to play at the professional level."

Details for an upcoming expansion draft to begin stocking Vancouver's roster will be announced shortly, and the team will also take part in the 2025 PWHL Draft on June 24th.

"The PWHL is setting a new standard for women's hockey. The game has never been faster, more physical, or more skilled," Hefford added. "We're so excited for this city to experience the parity and the competitiveness that our league has every single game."

The NWSL is heading back to the ballpark, with 2024 expansion side Bay FC announcing Tuesday that the club will take on the Washington Spirit inside Oracle Park, the home of MLB's San Francisco Giants.

Shifting the August 23rd match to the baseball diamond isn't just a spectacle — the move builds on Bay FC's continuous ambitions to claim the top NWSL attendance record by filling the Bay Area ballpark's 40,260 seats.

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Though the 25-year-old Oracle Park has previously hosted men's contests, August's NWSL match will be the first professional women's soccer game in the venue's history.

Similarly, while this will be the first NWSL competition in San Francisco's baseball venue, it's not the first league match in an MLB stadium.

Last summer, the Chicago Stars hosted Bay FC at Wrigley Field, packing an NWSL-record 35,038 soccer fans into the MLB home of the Chicago Cubs.

That June 8th, 2024, attendance surpassed the previous league-record crowd of 34,130 that attended USWNT icon Megan Rapinoe's final Seattle home game in 2023.

How to attend Bay FC vs. Washington at Oracle Park

To be a part of the potentially record-breaking August 23rd crowd, tickets will be available for general purchase beginning at 12 PM ET on May 6th.

Fans interested in securing pre-sale tickets can add their names to the online list.

In Tuesday night's NWSL action, Portland upset a rising Gotham side 4-1 behind three debut goals from the Thorns' promising rookie class.

The rare midweek match came courtesy of next month's Concacaf W Champions Cup. Both Gotham and Portland advanced to the international club event's semifinals last October, forcing them to pull double-duty and add this week's extra regular-season NWSL game to accommodate the tournament's schedule.

The tight turnaround certainly didn't rattle the Thorns.

Portland newcomers Marie-Yasmine "Mimi" Alidou, Caiya Hanks, and Jayden Perry all earned their first NWSL goals in the match, before offseason signee Deyna Castellanos reinforced the victory with an 80th-minute chip.

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As for Gotham, 32-year-old star forward Esther provided a bright spot for the NJ/NY squad, notching her fifth goal of the young season to boost herself to the top of the league's early Golden Boot race.

Despite the loss, Friday's strong outing against Angel City has Gotham still holding steady at No. 4 in the standings. However, both No. 5 Portland and No. 6 ACFC are close on the Bats' heels, with all three teams currently tied at eight points apiece.

"What I told the team is that we lost the battle tonight, but this is a long war," said Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros following the match. "We're there together on this."

How to watch Gotham, Portland this weekend

Gotham will take the pitch once again on Saturday, when they'll face East Coast rivals Washington at 1 PM ET. Live coverage will air on CBS.

Meanwhile, Portland will close out the NWSL's sixth matchday by hosting Racing Louisville at 4 PM ET on Sunday, streaming live on Paramount+.

The Soccer Tournament (TST) presented by RBC Wealth Management revealed its 2025 women's bracket on Tuesday, with 16 7v7 teams gearing up to compete for the $1 million winner-take-all grand prize this June.

The US Women's Team is back to defend their 2024 title, fueled by World Cup-winning USWNT vets Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, and Ali Krieger, plus retired Scotland national and Bay FC defender Jen Beattie.

Additional teams participating in the competition include 7v7 offshoots of NWSL clubs Angel City, KC Current, and 2024 runners-up NC Courage, as well as former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo's Solo FC.

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Returning to Cary, North Carolina, for its third year, TST doubled the size of its women's bracket after a successful eight-team debut in 2024.

"Our inaugural women's championship game viewership performed exceptionally well, as we grew our audience 452% from the beginning of the game until the moment the game-winning goal was scored," TST founder and CEO Jon Mugar told The Athletic.

"TST soccer is electrifying," Mugar added. "Our goal is to become the preeminent soccer festival in the world. Judging by the number of returning fans and teams, we are well on our way."

How to attend, watch the 2025 TST 7v7 contest

TST's 7v7 women's competition kicks off on June 5th and runs through the $1 million championship game on June 9th.

Tickets to attend are currently available online.

All matches will air live on either YouTube or ESPN platforms.