The quest for renewed parity in the NWSL received a boost over the weekend, as the 2025 regular season’s second matchday saw a few bottom-table teams capture key wins.
While the reigning champion Orlando Pride and the Kansas City Current maintained their perfect 2025 season records with respective wins over fellow 2024 semifinalists Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit, teams lower on last year's table claimed valuable points over the weekend.
With a 2-0 Saturday win over Racing Louisville, 2024 expansion team-turned-playoff debutante Bay FC earned three points, while last season’s stragglers San Diego Wave, Seattle Reign, and Houston Dash also put important points on the board — and scored some spectacular goals in the process.
Rookie class fuels big NWSL second matchday wins
In the wake of a superstar exit, the Wave's 3-2 Saturday win over the Utah Royals helped buoy San Diego's early season.
Meanwhile, for Seattle and Houston — last season’s two lowest-ranked finishers — the weekend victories were especially sweet.
The Reign notched a 2-1 road victory over the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, secured by absolute screamers from Seattle's midfield mainstay Jess Fishlock, who scored in her 200th cap with the Reign, and 18-year-old center back Jordyn Bugg, whose stellar strike was her first-ever professional goal.
"Not only are we different, we’re really young," said Seattle head coach Laura Harvey after the match. "To come here with that youth and energy really helped us, matched with the experience of some of the older ones."
The Dash also snagged a 2-1 road win after a scrappy Sunday battle with the Chicago Stars.
After trailing by an early goal from Chicago forward Jameese Joseph, Houston quickly answered back with a corner-kick equalizer off of veteran defender Paige Nielsen in the match's 20th minute.
Notching her career's second-ever goal, rookie midfielder Maggie Graham ultimately put the Dash on top with a second-half game-winner.
Though this season's rookie class enters with an air of uncertainty thank to the elimination of the college draft, it's their young firepower that's pushing last year’s bottom-dwellers up the league's ladder — and perhaps, in a few months, into NWSL playoff contention.