Ashley HatchImagn
Celia BalfSep 17, 2024NWSLWashington SpiritOrlando PrideNorth Carolina CourageNJ/NY Gotham FC

NWSL Power Rankings: Orlando remain unbeaten, Ashley Hatch comes in clutch for the Spirit, Dash fall again

Orlando Pride advance to 21-games unbeaten, Gotham FC stun Seattle in eventful NWSL weekend

It was a wild weekend of NWSL games, including some scoreless battles and highlight-worthy goals.

The Orlando Pride advanced to 21-games unbeaten, and Gotham FC beat Seattle Reign FC at home, in a Monday night match-up.

Let's dive into INDIVISA's weekly NWSL power rankings.

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    14Houston Dash ↔️

    This season is getting away from Houston, who are now winless in nine games.

    The Dash fell to the Spirit 3-0, and the chance of them securing a playoff berth could be slipping away.

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    13Utah Royals ⬇️

    San Diego hadn't won a game since May, and did so against Utah, on the road.

    The Royals were scored on twice within the game's first six minutes. Utah sits in second-to-last in the league standings with an overall record of 4-13-3.

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    12San Diego Wave ⬆️

    It was a good day for San Diego, who earned their first road win of the season. The Wave defeated Utah Royals 2-0, scoring two goals within the first six minutes.

    The Wave still have a lot of work to do to climb back in the league standings, and make everyone forget that they were winless for 12 games. Amirah Ali scored twice, earning her team a triumphant three points.

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    11Portland Thorns ↔️

    The Portland Thorns fell to Chicago 1-0. The Thorns had some promising chances from Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver, however Chicago was the better team, earning their first win since before the Olympics.

    Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold had a penalty save against Mallory Swanson, but aside from that the Thorns struggled to capitalize off of chances and now have four losses in a row.

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    10Chicago Red Stars ↔️

    The Chicago Red Stars picked up three points over Portland, thanks to Ally Schlegel's goal in the 16th minute.

    Mallory Swanson's penalty kick was saved, and other than that the Chicago side struggled to create many more chances in a relatively close game against Portland.

    Even with the 1-0 victory, the Red Stars still sit behind Portland in the league standings at seventh place.

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    9Bay FC ↔️

    Bay FC earned one point in their draw against the North Carolina Courage. Asisat Oshoala scored an early go-ahead easy tap in finish, however the game quickly shifted when Bay FC gave the ball up that allowed the Courage to capitalize and tie the match.

    Bay FC will next play league leaders, the Orlando Pride.

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    8Angel City FC ⬇️

    Angel City FC could have benefited from a win over Racing Louisville, however the Los Angeles squad fell 2-1 on the road.

    Angel City scored first, but somewhat fell apart not long after, allowing Louisville to score twice, first in the 26th minute and then much later in the 68th minute.

    Angel City sits at 10th place in the league standings, and have some tough games ahead against all of the NWSL's top teams to round out the season.

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    7Racing Louisville ⬆️

    Racing Louisville earned a statement win over Angel City FC at home. Despite going down a goal early to Angel City, the team crawled back to put two team goals into the back of the net.

    Louisville equalized in the 26th minute off of a header from Bethany Balcer. In the 68th minute, it was Janine Beckie's interception that eventually would be the difference-maker in the 2-1 win.

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    6Seattle Reign ↔️

    The Reign were unbeaten in seven games, until Monday. Their home defeat against Gotham was tough, considering the team had been in top form and riding four straight wins.

    Reign FC goalkeeper Claudia Dickey made several key stops in the first half, however Gotham was hard to stop with their pinging of the ball, collective pressure, and possession all over the field.

    Reign FC will have some work to do to climb their way back up the standings, as they currently sit close to the bottom in 11th place.

  • USA TODAY Sports

    5North Carolina Courage ⬇️

    The North Carolina Courage drop in this week's rankings not because of them, but because of everyone else. The Courage extended their home unbeaten streak to 19 games, and Ashley Sanchez became the first player in NWSL history to score against every club.

    The Courage will next face Racing Louisville on Saturday.

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    4NJ/NY Gotham FC ⬆️

    Since when does the NWSL have games on Mondays? This year, it seems.

    In a late-night clash between Reign FC and Gotham, Gotham put their mark on the road, earning a 2-0 result over the home team.

    Gotham scored a goal each half, the first coming from Delanie Sheehan and the second from Esther in the 76th minute. With the win, Gotham moved up the league standings to third place.

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    3Kansas City Current ⬆️

    Kansas City Current put on a strong defensive effort stopping the Orlando Pride from getting on the board.

    Almuth Schult was the game-changer for the Current, prevailing a clean sheet and keeping Barbra, Marta, and all of the Pride off of the scoreboard. That was the second consecutive shutout for Kansas City.

    The Current are in fourth place in the league standings, with an 11-3-6 overall record.

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    2Washington Spirit ↔️

    The Washington Spirit put a stamp on Houston Dash over the weekend, defeating them 3-0.

    Ashley Hatch started the scoring flow for the Spirit, getting her team on the board first. Hatch went on to score another, her fourth of the season. With the win, the Spirit clinched a playoff berth.

    One of the game's highlights had to be Trinity Rodman's "sleep" celebration, that came after she danced around many Dash defenders and struck the ball from outside the 18-yard box. Rodman now has eight goals this season, and 23 on her career.

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    1Orlando Pride ↔️

    It was the match-up of all matchups, as two top teams in the NWSL league standings battled in a Friday marquee game.

    The Orlando Pride (14-0-6, 48 points) extended their unbeaten streak to 21 games, earning a 0-0 draw against Kansas City Current at Inter&Co Stadium.

    The Pride and the Current are both offensive powerhouses, with two of the league's top goal scorers, respectively, but this was a defensive match.

    Orlando has now shut out opponents in four-straight matches, setting a record for longest clean sheet streak in Pride history.

    The Pride have already secured their playoff spot, and will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive as they head to face Bay FC next weekend.