The Orlando Pride extend unbeaten streak, and Utah Royals put on a high-scoring performance over Houston Dash
Orlando Pride was the team to watch over the weekend, and made it very clear once again why they are at the top – undefeated now for 19 consecutive games, and sitting at a league-best 13-0-5 on the season. Meanwhile, Kansas City Current struggled for the third-straight week, falling to North Carolina Courage 2-1. INDIVISA is back with another week of NWSL Power Rankings.
Getty14. Houston Dash ⬇️
It was a battle from the bottom of the standings, and the Houston Dash fell 3-1 to Utah Royals FC at home. The Dash have been struggling all season, and currently only have three wins, 10 losses, and five draws.
In good news, the Dash did score, which snaps their six-game streak without scoring a goal.
The Dash will be tested on the road against NJ/NY Gotham FC next weekend.
AdvertisementUSA Today Sports 13. Utah Royals ⬆️
The Utah Royals earned their fourth win of the season, dominating the Houston Dash 3-1.
Utah took the lead in the 44th minute thanks to Ana Tejada's scrappy play in the box. She capitalized, getting Utah on the board just before halftime.
Utah's second goal came from Claudia Zornoza, who converted a penalty kick in the 55th minute. Just minutes later, Utah added to their lead with a breakaway opportunity starting from Zornoza. She picked off a ball around half field and played a through ball to a racing Paige Monaghan, who then buried her breakaway shot, to finish up Utah's scoring on the night.
USA TODAY Sports12. San Diego Wave ↔️
San Diego Wave FC came back to equalize with the Washington Spirit on Sunday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
Fans are still hoping for a season turnaround, with Landon Donovan at the helm of the Wave now on an interim basis, and with Naomi Girma back on the pitch. It may still take some time to figure out the pieces to the puzzle for the Wave, however some promising performances against the Spirit last weekend were hopeful signs.
Defender Kristen McNabb earned her first goal of the season and French international Delphine Cascarino earned her first start for the Wave after making her NWSL debut last weekend for the club. The Wave have some work to do to climb up the league standings, and face the North Carolina Courage next weekend.
USA Today Images11. Portland Thorns ⬇️
Portland had a tough go, despite some tricky end line work from Sophia Smith. The Thorns fell to Bay FC 3-1, and will have a challenging task as they face the Washington Spirit next weekend.
Question marks reamin for the Thorns, including their offensive execution, and ability to break lines up the field. The Thorns will have to find some solutions fast, as the season is going by quickly.