With their first NWSL win since July 5th, Portland ended Orlando's record 24-match unbeaten streak on Friday.
Thorns forward Morgan Weaver’s 13th-minute opening goal marked the first time the Pride trailed in a game since March 22nd.
Portland captain Christine Sinclair notched her 78th goal across all NWSL competitions to secure the 2-0 finish. The soon-to-retire legend's 55th-minute strike puts her just behind league-leader Lynn Williams, who scored her 80th goal in Gotham's 2-0 win over Chicago on Saturday.
The Pride, who secured the 2024 NWSL Shield earlier this month, notably did not start their three leading scorers: Barbra Banda, Marta, and Adriana. All entered in Friday's second half to face a Thorns side still missing top scorer Sophia Smith due to ankle injury.
Seventh-place Portland will look to clinch their postseason spot in the NWSL season's final two matchdays, a fact cheekily pointed out by Marta after the Thorns's victory.
Chawinga bags NWSL scoring record
With her season's 19th goal in Saturday's 1-0 win over Bay FC, Kansas City striker Temwa Chawinga surpassed former Chicago Red Star Sam Kerr's 2019 scoring tally to etch her name into the NWSL record books. Like Kerr, none of the Malawian's goals in her record-setting run have come from penalties.
"[The single-season scoring record] means a lot to me because it’s a very difficult league… So I thank my teammates and I thank God for giving me this chance to be here," Chawinga said after the game.
“We know teams now are trying to close her down and close the space down in the area where she gets most of her chances,” KC boss Vlatko Andonovski told reporters after the match. “She ran out and hit a bomb.”
The all-but-guaranteed 2024 NWSL Golden Boot winner now boasts six more goals than the league's second-leading scorer, the Pride's aforementioned Banda.
The weekend's results also saw the fourth-place Current earn a first-ever home playoff match alongside second-place Washington and third-place Gotham, while sixth-place Chicago officially secured their postseason berth.

Lacasse hat trick sees Seattle eliminated from playoffs
Utah forward Cloé Lacasse's Sunday hat trick didn’t just lift the Royals 3-0 over the Seattle Reign, it also made NWSL history.
The Canadian national opened scoring off of a third-minute corner kick, tying Utah's record for the fastest goal before firing off two more before halftime.
The feat marked the first hat trick of the 2024 NWSL season as well as the first in Utah Royals history, with Lacasse joining Crystal Dunn as the only other NWSL player to ever book three first-half goals.
Now on a three-game winning streak, the victory keeps 10th-place Utah in the postseason hunt, while also eliminating Seattle from playoff contention.
In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins takes a look at the first games of the 2024 WNBA semifinals, discussion whether or not Aces and Lynx fans can find the silver lining in their teams' respective shortcomings heading into Game 2.
Then, she shouts out the big winners and losers of this weekend's NWSL's slate, including this season's historic Golden Boot race and the competition to clinch one of the final playoff spots.
The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.
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KC Current forward Temwa Chawinga notched her 17th regular-season goal in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Gotham, closing in on former Chicago Red Star Sam Kerr's single-season NWSL scoring record.
After scoring off a corner kick via a dynamic run and a touch around the keeper on Saturday, Chawinga needs just one more goal to tie Kerr's 2019 record.
Chawinga is already running away with the NWSL Golden Boot race. With four matches left in the 2024 regular season, the Malawi National Team captain has a four-goal lead over Orlando forward Barbra Banda.
Notably, Kansas City had a little help from the stands on Saturday, when a fan headed Current forward Michelle Cooper's overshot ball back inbounds with impeccable form.

Portland extends regular-season NWSL winless streak
The Thorns's struggles continued this weekend. Portland hasn't won a regular-season game since July 5th, and they extended that streak with Saturday's tepid 2-0 loss to the 10th-place San Diego Wave. The loss marked their second to San Diego in under two weeks, as the Thorns fell to the Wave in Concacaf W Champions Cup play earlier this month.
The 2022 NWSL champs, who've struggled to create and capitalize on offense, have been without USWNT star Sophia Smith for the last two matches as the forward deals with an ankle injury.
Following the permanent hiring of manager Rob Gale, Portland sits seventh in the NWSL standings and are currently tied for points with eighth-place Bay FC. With just four regular-season games left, the continuation of the Thorns's winless streak could mean a 2024 postseason without the usually dominant club.
With 13th-place Utah next on their NWSL schedule, Portland will take aim at their first three-point finish in three months on Saturday.
Much like the league's top teams, individual NWSL MVP contenders continue to make their mark coming out of the Olympic break.
KC Current forward Temwa Chawinga now tops the 2024 Golden Boot race, having scored her season's 13th goal last weekend against the Spirit. In that same game, Washington midfielder Croix Bethune tied Tobin Heath's single-season assist record with her 10th of the year.

Stacked field means big choice for award voters
With so many deserving candidates, 2024's MVP award-winner could come down to whichever factors voters value the most.
Chawinga sits first in the league in goals scored and second in assists this season, finding the back of the net against nine different teams along the way. But Orlando forward Barbra Banda isn't far behind. Banda scored one less goal in four fewer games played than Chawinga, all while guiding the Pride to an unprecedented unbeaten streak.
Bethune likely has Rookie of the Year on lock, but she's also on the MVP watchlist with five goals and 10 assists in her debut season.

USWNT attackers also in the NWSL award hunt
Another steady presence on the leaderboard, 2022 MVP Sophia Smith has racked up 10 goals and six assists for the Thorns so far this season, while USWNT teammate Trinity Rodman has also kept herself award-relevant, registering her season's sixth goal last weekend.
This season's attacking firepower has truly set a new standard, leaving many worthy award candidates likely to garner votes by the time NWSL Championship weekend rolls around.
Sophia Smith returned to NWSL play over the weekend. And while she didn’t score a goal to extend her lead in the NWSL Golden Boot race, nobody within striking distance of her 11-goal tally did either.
There’s just one game remaining in the regular season, meaning that Kerolin would need to score a brace in order to secure the Golden Boot. Both Ashley Hatch and Debinha would need a hat trick, as Smith’s five assists still put her ahead in the tiebreak.
The Portland Thorns star entered her team’s 1-0 win over Gotham FC on Saturday in the 83rd minute, marking her first NWSL appearance in 41 days after suffering a mild MCL sprain on Aug. 28. And she’s returned in a good place, with Portland atop the NWSL rankings and her atop the Golden Boot race.
Sophia Smith enters the chat. 🙌
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) October 7, 2023
The Golden Boot race leader gets a standing ovation on her return after being out for 41 days with an injury. 🔥
Tune in NOW to @paramountplus for all the action. 📲 pic.twitter.com/zLpeJSHLGk
Add a point: Debinha
Debinha was one of six players to get in on the scoring onslaught for Kansas City in their 6-3 win over Chicago on Saturday. Debinha’s goal was the team’s fourth of the match and came just after halftime. It was also the ninth of the season for the Brazilian star, pulling her into a tie for third with Hatch.
No other Golden Boot leaders scored over the weekend, making the race for the award a bit clearer as the NWSL heads into the final games of the regular season.
After VAR review, @Debinha7 puts @thekccurrent up two again 💪 pic.twitter.com/ZHBwAYG5lA
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 8, 2023
One for the future: Alyssa Thompson
While 18-year-old Jaedyn Shaw leads all teenagers this season in scoring, another 18-year-old provided an immediate and much-needed boost for Angel City in their 2-1 comeback win on Sunday night. Thompson’s goal in the 68th minute, coming not long after after she entered the game as a substitute, pulled Angel City level and set them up to keep their playoff hopes alive.
It also added to a record-breaking season for teenagers in the league, with players 18 and younger scoring 13 total goals in 2023, more than the goals scored by that age group in 10 years combined. Shaw leads them all with five, but Thompson now has four — which also makes her Angel City’s scoring leader this season.
NWSL leaderboard
- 11 goals
- Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns
- 10 goals
- Kerolin, North Carolina Courage
- 9 goals
- Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit
- Debinha, Kansas City Current
- 7 goals
- Lynn Williams, Gotham FC
- Morgan Weaver, Portland Thorns
- 6 goals
- Messiah Bright, Orlando Pride
- Bethany Balcer, OL Reign
- Adriana, Orlando Pride
- Alex Morgan, San Diego Wave
- 5 goals
- Savannah DeMelo, Racing Louisville
- Crystal Dunn, Portland Thorns
- Cece Kizer, Kansas City Current
- Tyler Lussi, North Carolina Courage
- Ashley Sanchez, Washington Spirit
- Jordyn Huitema, OL Reign
- Jaedyn Shaw, San Diego Wave
Messiah Bright is in the conversation for the NWSL Golden Boot in her first professional season, showing off the scoring touch that made her a top college player.
The race for the scoring title tightened over the weekend, with North Carolina’s Kerolin (10) pulling within one goal of Portland’s Sophia Smith (11). While the top stars are pulling away from the pack, Bright leads all rookies with six goals, so she could have a different award — Rookie of the Year — on lock.
After scoring 50 goals across five seasons at TCU, Bright saw her stock drop on draft day. Projected as a first-round pick by many prognosticators, she dropped to No. 21 overall, which has turned out to be quite the steal for the Orlando Pride.
The 23-year-old forward has started in 14 of her 20 regular-season appearances for Orlando, and she has been scoring goals from all over the place. One of her goals came off her left foot, three off her right and two from headers.
She has 12 total shots on target this season, meaning that her conversion rate on shots on target sits at 50% and ranks sixth in the league. Bright’s efficiency in goalscoring has put her in the top 10 in the league in goals (T-7th), goals per 90 (5th), xG (6th), xG/90 (4th), non-penalty goals (4th), non-penalty goals/90 (3rd) and goals per shot on target (6th).
Bright is good on aerials, too, having won 37, which puts her ninth in the league. And has had 27 successful take-ons, which also ranks ninth in the league.
All together, that’s not a bad rookie season for Bright, especially on a team in Orlando that has struggled offensively. But the Pride are trending upward, having won three of their last five. With two matches to go, they sit within striking distance of the NWSL playoffs — and if they do make it, Bright will have been a huge part of that turnaround.
And the Pride will be able to grow with their young star, as she signed a three-year deal with the club ahead of the 2023 season.
“I am beyond excited to be able to stay in purple and call Orlando home for the next few years,” Bright said at the time. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play professional soccer, and I finally get to do that with such an amazing team.”
The month of Messiah 👑
— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) September 1, 2023
Congratulations @messiah_bright on earning @NWSL Player of the Month AND Rookie of the Month honors!
Kerolin pulled within one goal of Sophia Smith for the top spot in the NWSL Golden Boot race in the latest match week, setting up for an exciting end to the season.
With just two games remaining in the regular season, Kerolin could overtake the injured Smith if she scores in each of the North Carolina Courages’s final two contests. But Smith has been back in training with the Portland Thorns, and she could make a surprise return before the playoffs.
And while it’s likely too late for Alex Morgan to take the title, she did get her first goal in four months, bringing an end to her scoring drought. Several other players joined her in scoring their sixth goals on the season, with Adriana and Bethany Balcer also finding the back of the net over the weekend.
Trending upward: Kerolin, North Carolina Courage
Kerolin’s goal against OL Reign provided the game-saver the Courage needed to stay in the running for the NWSL Shield. Her goal in the 1-1 draw assured her team of a crucial standings point. It also marked her second in the last three games, so the 23-year-old is peaking at the right time.
With just two games left in the regular season, the Brazilian forward will need to stay hot to overtake Smith for the Golden Boot. She needs two goals to do so, as the tiebreaker would go to the Thorns forward.
All tied up!
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 2, 2023
Kurtz over the top to Kerolin to even the score. pic.twitter.com/qxMCv5uOWu
Things we love to see: An Alex Morgan goal
Entering the most recent NWSL weekend, it had been far too long since Alex Morgan scored a goal – for club or country. A four-month drought is not something we’re accustomed to seeing from the star striker, so to have her score in the San Diego Wave’s 2-0 win over the Portland Thorns – a key win in the race for the Shield – was like taking that first sip of ice-cold water on a hot summer’s day.
The goal was nothing to sneeze at, either, with Morgan heading the ball from 10 yards out on a cross from Christen Westphal. And with a new head coach coming soon to the USWNT, one can only hope that the goal-scoring extends to the international level.
🚨ALEX MORGAN GOAL🚨@alexmorgan13 doubles San Diego's lead!! pic.twitter.com/GGAUaNnISa
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 1, 2023
NWSL leaderboard
- 11 goals
- Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns
- 10 goals
- Kerolin, North Carolina Courage
- 9 goals
- Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit
- 8 goals
- Debinha, Kansas City Current
- 7 goals
- Lynn Williams, Gotham FC
- Morgan Weaver, Portland Thorns
- 6 goals
- Messiah Bright, Orlando Pride
- Bethany Balcer, OL Reign
- Adriana, Orlando Pride
- Alex Morgan, San Diego Wave
- 5 goals
- Savannah DeMelo, Racing Louisville
- Crystal Dunn, Portland Thorns
- Cece Kizer, Kansas City Current
- Tyler Lussi, North Carolina Courage
- Ashley Sanchez, Washington Spirit
- Jordyn Huitema, OL Reign
- Jaedyn Shaw, San Diego Wave