Morgan Weaver needed just one touch to put an exclamation mark on the Portland Thorns’ incredible scoring streak.

With 10 minutes left in regulation of a game on July 16, Weaver intercepted a pass from Gotham goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris intended for defender Mandy Freeman. As Freeman looped around to meet the ball, Weaver connected with her left foot and caught an unsuspecting Harris out of position.

Portland was already up 4-0 on Gotham when Weaver added to the tally, and her goal was one of 23 scored by 12 different Thorns players during an eight-game unbeaten streak heading into the break. The Thorns are also first in the NWSL with 29 goals so far this season.

The stretch was particularly impressive, as it came over a period of time when several key players were on international duty and the Thorns had to rely on a less experienced cast.

“In terms of connectivity, in terms of asking the team to play a certain way, (this stretch) couldn’t have gone better,” coach Rhian Wilkinson said. “We used our depth, we used new faces, and everyone knew their role and fought for one another.”

When the NWSL regular season resumes Friday night, the Thorns will look to keep up their streak against Racing Louisville FC. Before kickoff, here’s a look at the team’s 12 goal scorers.

Hina Sugita

Sugita is in her first season with the Thorns after playing eight years of pro soccer in Japan. The midfielder has scored three times this season, with two coming during the Thorns’ unbeaten stretch. All three goals have come off of her left foot and from inside the box. Sugita is also a member of the Japanese women’s national team.

Sophia Smith

A member of the U.S. women’s national team, Smith notched five goals for the Thorns during their unbeaten streak before traveling to Mexico to help the USWNT win the Concacaf Championship. Smith is second in the NWSL with eight goals and first with 30 shots, 20 of which she put on goal.

Kelli Hubly

The defender’s header off a corner kick on June 3 against Angel City was her first and only goal of the season. She found herself unmarked and connected on the header in the 3-0 victory. Hubly has played in the NWSL for four seasons, and the June 3 goal was the first of her career.

Christine Sinclair

The Canadian scored twice against Angel City, and then again against the San Diego Wave, before taking up captain duties for her country during the Concacaf tournament. The 39-year-old has four goals this season for the Thorns and is currently second on the NWSL’s all-time goal scorers list with 58.

Olivia Moultrie

When Moultrie scored her first of two goals so far this season in a June 12 win over Houston, she made history. The 16-year-old’s goal came in the 74th minute of a 4-0 win and made her the youngest scorer ever in NWSL play. The record was previously held by 18-year-old Ellie Carpenter, who was also playing for Portland at the time.

Becky Sauerbrunn

Another experienced vet, Sauerbrunn has played professional soccer since 2005 while also appearing for the USWNT. The defender’s goal in a June 19 6-0 shutout of OL Reign was her first of the season and the first of her Thorns career. The 37-year-old also led the USWNT’s backline in the Concacaf tournament earlier this month.

Natalie Kuikka

The Finnish midfielder was signed to a two-year deal that started in 2021 after enjoying a successful collegiate career at Florida State. Kuikka scored nine goals during her four years as a Seminole, but her right-footed tally on June 19 was her first with the Thorns. She’s appeared in nine games for Portland this season.

Taylor Porter

The 24-year-old midfielder has scored twice for Portland this season. Her first goal was in the 6-0 win over OL Reign, and the second came in the 5-0 win over Gotham. This is her second season with the Thorns, after she signed with the team in 2021 when players from the USWNT were participating in the Olympics.

Yazmeen Ryan

Despite scoring just one goal this season — a header in a 1-1 draw with Angel City on July 1 — Ryan has been an active contributor to the Thorns’ offense this season. The 23-year-old midfielder leads the NWSL with four assists.

Marissa Everett

Portland re-signed Everett on Feb. 3 to a one-year deal. She initially joined the club in 2019 as a national team replacement player. The 24-year-old, who has played in five games this season, scored her first goal on July 16 while also registering a season-high four shots.

Hannah Betfort

Portland’s fourth goal in the win over Gotham on July 16 came off the head of Betfort, for her first of the season. The 23-year-old attacker played one minute in her debut for the Thorns on June 8 and has made six appearances since.

Morgan Weaver

The final goal during Portland’s unbeaten stretch leading into the break came off the left foot of Weaver. She has two goals in 10 games this season, the first coming in her debut on April 30 in a 3-0 win over Kansas City. Weaver joined Portland in 2020 as the second pick of the College Draft after scoring 43 goals at Washington State.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

The first time Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune experienced an NWSL playoff game at DC's "Rowdy Audi" Field, it was from the sidelines. The promising young star had experienced a major setback, injuring her MCL while throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at nearby Nationals Park — just weeks after winning Olympic gold with the USWNT. "

"Sitting in the stands watching the game wasn't ideal," she told JWS this week. "But it was still very fun and very cool, just to have that whole experience, seeing Audi full and rowdy and the fans just very excited."

Bethune's changing fortunes — she'd go on to win both 2024 Rookie of the Year and Midfielder of the Year despite her late-August season-ending injury — underlined a 2024 season of extremes for the Spirit. Washington finished second in the NWSL standings, entering the postseason confident before ultimately ceding the championship game to Shield-winners Orlando.

This year, the club is hoping to finish the job, once again locked into second place and hunting the franchise's second NWSL title. And for Bethune and her teammates, the sense of deja vu is palpable.

The Spirit emerges from a season of constant change

The Spirit underwent their second midseason coaching change in two years this past June, when manager Jonatan Giraldez left to take over fellow Michele Kang-owned club, France's OL Lyonnes. Adrián González — last season's interim coach — reclaimed the team's top leadership role, guiding the Spirit to their second straight No. 2 finish in a surprising show of consistency for a club undergoing significant change.

"Things happen, not everything is permanent," Bethune said plainly, commenting on the staffing changes "I learned this in my college recruiting process: You don't pick a school for the coach, because the coach can always move."

And while Washington added significant depth over the course of 2025 — namely bringing on international standouts like Italy's Sofia Cantore and Nigeria's Gift Monday — the roster has struggled to overcome lingering injuries and absences. Bethune officially returned to play in April, registering two goals and two assists through 20 regular-season games, but overall availability has continued to plague the squad despite the training staff's best efforts.

Captain Andi Sullivan and starting outside back Casey Krueger are currently both on maternity leave. And superstar Trinity Rodman remains questionable after a freak knock to the knee in late October — two months after originally returning from a lengthy back injury.

Bethune misses NWSL Decision Day as injury issues take a toll

Last Sunday's Decision Day loss to the eliminated Utah Royals saw even more attrition, with impact players Leicy Santos, Gift Monday, and Rose Kouassi all left off the gameday roster. Even Bethune missed Sunday's regular-season finale with a thigh injury, though she's now listed as available after training alongside club medical staff this week.

This is when experience facing adversity comes in handy for the 24-year-old. "When I'm playing, I feel like I can see everything, but when you're not playing, you can really see everything," she said, stressing the perspective she's gained from sitting on the sidelines. "Just seeing how the game should flow, or how it is flowing."

Bethune has also learned to avoid pushing her body too hard if she's not feeling 100%, a mantra that can be both frustrating and, at times, liberating.

"I feel like, over the years, I've done very well at understanding when my body is telling me something, and listening to that," she said.

Returning from injury is difficult for any player, but particularly for those as creative on the pitch as Bethune. Known for confidence on the ball, audacious passing vision in the midfield, and the ability to turn towards goal herself if she senses weakness, the Georgia grad became a household name last year thanks to a free-wheeling partnership with fellow USWNT standout Rodman.

It took some time for Bethune to re-find her footing this season, learning how to not overthink exactly what makes her such a special player.

"Feeling like myself is just feeling like Croix Bethune," she said. "Doing what I do — momentum, rhythm, cheekiness, just feeling smooth and calm in the game."

Bethune looks to lean on Spirit culture ahead of quarterfinal test

Shaky availability — and the related threat of yet again falling short of the NWSL title — still looms over the Spirit as they head into this weekend's quarterfinal matchup against an extra-motivated Racing Louisville. But Bethune thinks the Spirit can lean on their depth for that creative spark, as injured players inch closer to a healthy return with every passing day.

"We're big on our culture," she explained. "The culture that we have off the field, within the team, is very strong. And when we incorporate the staff and the coaches, we're all on the same page."

Even without a full-strength roster, the Spirit have shown an ability to bend without breaking, riding the ups and downs of a topsy-turvy season without slipping from the league's top ranks. And that level of togetherness can be difficult to derail.

"Versatility, being close — we have a lot of options," Bethune said of her team's postseason strategy. "We have a lot of people that can play a lot of different positions."

"Once we get that rhythm," she added, "it's pretty scary for the defense."

The two newest PWHL teams are re-introducing themselves this week, as the third-year league officially revealed the team names and branding for 2025/26 expansion sides Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes on Thursday.

"The Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes are bold, distinctive, and true to who we are as a league," PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer said in a league statement. "Each team identity is deeply connected to its home — Seattle draws inspiration from the waterways that shape its landscape, and Vancouver from its abundance of unique wildlife."

While the Torrent's letter "S" evokes Seattle's waterways, Vancouver's branding utilizes a local city bird — the "fiercely protective Common Goldeneye" — for "its speed, strength, and precision in flight."

"The Goldeneyes name is powerful, bold, and tough," said Vancouver forward and local product Jenn Gardiner. "This identity is a perfect reflection of who we are, where we come from, and that we will be relentless to play against every single night."

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While the PWHL always planned to unveil the expansion sides' individual identities ahead of the 2025/26 season, both teams will still follow suit from the league's inaugural year by sporting generic PWHL branding throughout their debut campaigns.

In what Scheer calls "the start of an incredible Pacific Northwest rivalry," both the visiting Seattle Torrent and host Vancouver Goldeneyes will make their PWHL debuts against each other when the puck drops on the league's third season on Friday, November 21st.

How to purchase Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes merch

While the Torrent and Goldeneyes will don generic jerseys this season, fully branded merchandise for the 2025/26 PWHL expansion teams hit the league's online shop for fans to purchase on Thursday.

New offseason league Project B is raising more than eyebrows, with the international upstart reportedly far exceeding WNBA salaries as it builds out its pro women's basketball roster ahead of a planned 2026 debut.

According to Front Office Sports (FOS), Project B is offering athletes like inaugural signee Nneka Ogwumike multimillion dollar salaries, with indications that multi-year deals could see paydays reach upwards of eight figures.

Project B also gave the Seattle Storm star equity in the venture, putting WNBA stakeholders on edge as CBA negotiations continue to simmer Stateside.

Sources also reportedly told FOS that the budding league has already signed additional WNBA players.

While the winter league's F1-style tournament structure doesn't directly compete with the WNBA calendar, history shows that players will sometimes de-prioritized domestic league play if offered enough money to compete overseas.

One of the most notable instances of this occurred when now-retired superstar Diana Taurasi sat out the entire 2015 WNBA season after top EuroLeague side UMMC Ekaterinburg paid her $1.5 million to forgo that summer's competition.

Other offseason leagues are also making financial inroads that supersede the WNBA's current salary offerings, with 54 WNBA players set to take the Unrivaled 3×3 court in the winter league's 2026 season in January — including equity-holder Paige Bueckers.

Even more, big names like four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson, 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, 2024 champion Sabrina Ionescu, and two-time All-Star Angel Reese opted out of joining the 2026 Unrivaled season, leaving some speculating that seven-figure deals could see those stars instead eyeing a jump to Project B.

Ultimately, the reports of additional options for lucrative offseason contracts only increases the drama surrounding the US league's ongoing CBA negotiations, putting even more pressure on the WNBA to offer an attractive financial agreement to its athletes.

Despite missing the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season due to injury, USC superstar JuJu Watkins is staying busy, with the junior guard buying into 2026 NWSL expansion side Boston Legacy FC's investment group this week.

Besides padding her portfolio, the move also sees Watkins make history as the first-ever NCAA athlete to actively invest in a professional women's sports franchise.

"Boston Legacy FC is creating a space for women to achieve, lead, and inspire others at the highest level," Watkins said in a Thursday club press release. "I'm proud to be part of the movement pushing women's sports forward."

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The 20-year-old reigning Naismith Player of the Year now joins a Boston Legacy investment core that includes the likes of Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams as well as three-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Aly Raisman and actor Elizabeth Banks.

"JuJu's investment marks a groundbreaking moment for women's sports and the power of NIL," said Legacy owner Jennifer Epstein. "She's showing that today's student-athletes aren't just building their own brands — they're shaping the future of the game."

How to become a part of Boston Legacy FC history

Fans looking to take part in NWSL history can snag seats to the first-ever Boston Legacy match at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

Tickets to the expansion club's debut are currently on sale at BostonLegacyFC.com.