Top 5 Goals: FA WSL, NWSL Challenge Cup Final, NWSL Regular Season

Over the past week, champions around the world have been crowned, and history has been made. Chelsea managed to win the FA WSL title on the last day, VFL Wolfsburg clinched the Frauen Bundesliga, and the North Carolina Courage captured the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. Some of these goals are moments you will have to see to believe. Let’s take a look at the best women’s soccer goals from the NWSL Challenge Cup Final, NWSL Regular Season and the FA WSL. 

5. Ashley Hatch – Washington Spirit

Who else but @ash_hatch33?? 🎯

The @WashSpirit pull level in Cary! #NCvWAS | #CueTheChaos pic.twitter.com/WurzPFnWnZ

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 7, 2022

No matter how times the Spirit get knocked down, they always show how resilient they are. After the Courage scored first in the Challenge Cup Final, the Spirit refused to sit back and kept attacking North Carolina.

Eventually, they would be rewarded for some lovely team play that starts with Ashley Sanchez. Sanchez finds Rodman in space, who played in a perfect probing ball into the path of Ashley Hatch. Hatch picked her head up, saw the target, and slotted it home nicely past the keeper, a great team goal from the Spirit. 

4. Kerolin Nicoli – North Carolina Courage

😱 A debilitating break from @TheNCCourage! 😱@kerolinnicolii opens the scoring in the #NWSLChallengeCup Final! #NCvWAS | #CueTheChaos pic.twitter.com/lzk2LnPAKD

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 7, 2022

This goal is all about Debinha creating it near midfield. Kelley O’Hara might think she has Debinha trapped near the sideline, but a tricky dummy allows for Debinha to make O’Hara look silly. Then the Brazilian magician was off to the races taking all the space in front of her, playing in a lovely ball to her compatriot in, Kerolin Nicoli.

Kerolin was named MVP of the Challenge Cup, and rightfully so with goals like these. Kerolin saw the defenders and made the read to cut onto her right foot and then go back to the far post after Aubrey Kingsbury moved toward the middle. Kingsbury got a hand to it, but Kerolin’s finish had just enough power to find the net, a spicy goal for sure. 

3. Jessica McDonald – Racing Louisville

You just know @J_Mac1422 had to score on Mother's Day 🥰#RGNvLOU | #AllTheAction pic.twitter.com/2BJPMkZhmM

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 8, 2022

Mother’s Day was a little extra special for Jessica McDonald, who scored this incredible goal to go with being an incredible mom.

CeCe Kizer did a great job finding J-Mac open in the box, who took one touch to settle herself. It’s almost because the ball came to a complete stop that McDonald went for more of a chipped shot than trying to keep the shot on the ground. The ball had just enough height on it to go over the outstretched hand of the keeper.

It takes the right amount of finesse and technique to score that, which Jessica McDonald has in bundles. 

2. Sam Kerr – Chelsea

SAM KERR 🚀🚀🚀🚀

What a goal to equalise! #WatchWithAta #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/EauyE8K50L

— ata football (@atafball) May 8, 2022

Sam Kerr basically took the game into her own hands with the FA WSL title on the line. They needed to beat Manchester United, and Kerr helped do that in a big way. The technique displayed on this goal is perfection.

Once the ball bounced out to Kerr, one might think she’d try to settle the ball first. Well, Kerr did the exact opposite and struck it on the one time, with her knee over the ball and her foot through. It’s a sumptuous strike that would’ve taken the top spot on the list if Sam Kerr didn’t find a way to outdo herself in the exact same game. 

1. Sam Kerr – Chelsea

WOW, that is special, @samkerr1 ☄️

BRB going to watch this on repeat for a few hours… #WatchWithAta #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/rpryQPySwY

— ata football (@atafball) May 8, 2022

This absolutely has to be in the discussion for the FIFA Puskas Award, which is the award given to the best goal of the entire year, men’s or women’s. Sam Kerr is simply a footballing genius. For her to have the awareness to know where she and the goalie are while taking the ball off her chest and then turning and hitting it on the volley, it’s surreal.

There’s not much that can be said other than it’s an incredible goal that will be played for many years to come. Sam Kerr has once again reminded us that she’s one of the best in the world. 

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