Sophia Smith ties Alex Morgan in NWSL Golden Boot race

Sophia Smith cannot be stopped, with the star forward notching her 11th goal of the NWSL regular-season Friday night.

The Portland Thorns striker logged a brace in the team’s 3-3 draw against North Carolina to pull level with USWNT teammate Alex Morgan in the league’s Golden Boot Race.

Smith opened up scoring in the game’s 8^th minute, weaving through a string of Courage defenders before burying the night’s go-ahead goal. Her impressive individual effort marked Smith’s 10^th goal of the season, making the 21-year-old the youngest player in NWSL history to score ten goals in a single season.

So, so special from @sophsssmith 😱@ThornsFC jumps in front inside eight minutes!#PORvNC | #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/3g5AlRvmF4

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 6, 2022

In the 76^th minute, Smith stamped her name on the scoresheet again, making a well-timed run behind North Carolina’s backline for the Golden-Boot-tying finish.

She. Just. Can't. Stop. Scoring. 👀@sophsssmith with another finish, @olivia_moultrie with a phenomenal through pass and @ThornsFC is in front once again!#PORvNC | #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/l2ubO0OWVu

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 6, 2022

Smith antagonized the Courage defense throughout the match, pulling apart the backline with her ability to hold up play and dribble out of trouble. The Thorns star forced two saves for a shot accuracy of 75 percent while creating two chances for a dominant performance in the final third.

“There are phenomenal athletes in this league, and you see a lot of players get a lot of chances, and they miss them or squander them. She’s been lethal this year, just amazing,” Portland head coach Rhian Wilkinson said after the match. “With Soph, you just let her play with instincts, she just gets sharper and sharper with them.”