Top 5 Goals: NCAA Soccer Week 5, NWSL, D1 Arkema

European domestic leagues, the NWSL, and NCAA soccer are all in season, with games constantly stuffed within the calendar. With so many different leagues, there are a variety of different styles of play to enjoy and satisfy your soccer needs. With so many goals to choose from, we narrowed it down to the five best from this week, featuring stars from around the world. Let’s take a closer look at the best women’s soccer goals from the NWSL, NCAA Soccer, and DI Arkema.  

5. Mallory Pugh – Chicago Red Stars

Mal Pugh turned on the 𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙧𝙤 ⚡ to speed things up!

What. A. Goal. 🤯@MalPugh | #CHIvKC pic.twitter.com/oP7YsUdZo0

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 15, 2022

Mallory Pugh’s late push for MVP continues wreaking havoc against opposing defenses. Alex Morgan might lead the league in goals, but Pugh has ten goals and also leads the league in assists with six. It doesn’t matter where Pugh picks the ball up from, she’s always a threat to score.

Four different Kansas City defenders have a crack at her, but none of them get anywhere close to her. It’s unfair how fast Pugh is faster with the ball at her feet than the players chasing her. After composing herself, the attacker calmly slotted the ball home to finish a solo spectacular of a goal. 

4. Ava Seelenfreund – Brown Bears

That placement 🥵#NCAASoccer #SCTop10 x 🎥 @BrownU_WSoccer pic.twitter.com/irbzcMYBDR

— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) September 16, 2022

Brown is hot on the trail of Harvard for the best team in the Ivy League, and Ava Seelenfreund is their star player leading the way. This free kick represents all the hard work and practice on the training ground, and she made it look easy.

The striker lined up the free kick from straight away, which is even harder to score from with a far harder angle to bend the ball and beat the keeper. However, that didn’t stop Seelenfruend from going for it from long range. The ball flew off her foot and curved and dipped right into the top corner, a perfectly struck free kick to seal the victory for Brown. 

3. Natalie Tavana – Seton Hall Pirates

NATALIE TAVANA GOES YARD ‼️#NCAASoccer x 🎥 @SHUWSOC pic.twitter.com/ianP5fRzlB

— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) September 16, 2022

This was a beautiful strike from Natalie Tavana, but it had some venom in it as well. Tavana let it rip, and the ball was destined to reach the top corner. Watch how the ball starts to go straight towards the goal and then immediately knuckles away from the goalie. It’s impossible to stop.

What makes this goal better is how the entire team celebrates with her afterward. Perfect technique from the sophomore to help secure a nice win at home for Seton Hall. 

2. Lindsey Horan – Lyon

HORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! ☄️#WatchWithAta #D1Arkema pic.twitter.com/5wsQN4kq6w

— ata football (@atafball) September 18, 2022

The Great Horan was just that for Lyon over the weekend. It simply does not get better than this. The best indicator is watching how the keeper reacts. The keeper doesn’t even dive–not even a courtesy dive because of how perfectly the ball is struck.

Horan’s technique is among the best in the world because few players can get the ball to dip from looking like it might go over the crossbar to into the top corner. The Great Horan strikes again. Good luck to the rest of Europe trying to stop her this season. 

1. Sami Baytosh – Arizona Wildcats

You better hold onto your seats for this one. 😉#NCAASoccer #SCTop10 x 🎥 @ArizonaSoccer pic.twitter.com/VIuAh6NGsF

— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) September 18, 2022

This goal left me speechless after watching it. I’m not even sure what to say or how to describe this goal. The defender does well to get in the way of the cross, and it seems like the danger is gone; she did everything right.

Yet, somehow Sami Baytosh decided to shoot from the ground with her back to the goal. The keeper is only slightly off her line, and Baytosh puts the perfect amount of touch as the ball doesn’t even hit the ground when she goes for goal. This looks more like a trick shot you’d try to impress people on social media than something you’d try in a game. Yet the result is the same, with the ball in the back of the net.

This is a mindblowing, jaw-dropping goal that you probably won’t ever see done on a soccer pitch again. That’s how rare it is; it might just be the goal of the season. 

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