Top 5 Goals: NWSL Challenge Cup Week 1, FA WSL, FA Cup, D1 Arkema

After a minor hiatus, Top 5 Goals is back with plenty of incredible options to choose from. Not only is the NWSL Challenge Cup underway, but many other leagues are as well. England and France have their major competitions as we are in peak women’s soccer season worldwide.

This week’s list features the best women’s soccer goals from some incredible players during Women’s History Month; let’s shed a spotlight on their skills. 

5. Catarina Macario – Lyon

Who else but @catarinamacario to open the score ?

It’s the @USWNT player’s 10th goal for Lyon this season ?#WatchWithAta #D1Arkema pic.twitter.com/GpCcoejqah

— ata football (@atafball) March 18, 2022

It’s an incredible sight to see Catarina Macario flourishing both for Lyon and the USWNT. Macario gives both club and country a nice wrinkle to the offense when she plays and creates like this. The midfielder almost looks like her old self at Stanford, scoring goals from all over the field.

This is a tremendous finish because of the placement, there’s just enough power on the strike, but as soon as she receives the ball, she knows exactly what to do with it. It’s in the one place the keeper can’t get a hand to it. There’s more to come from Macario on this list. 

4. Guro Reiten – Chelsea

The cleanest of hits!@guro_reiten doubles @ChelseaFCW's lead ?#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/31SwfDkgzJ

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) March 16, 2022

Guro Reiten’s technique is simply unfair for some of the other players in women’s soccer. Reiten seldom seems to be in a rush; she’s always under control and is tough to take off the ball.

In this case, it was her striking on display. Reiten runs onto the ball at the top of the box with a defending trying to close her down, but the strike is too clean to be stopped by anyone. The ball was rising and swerving before it found the net–the keeper had no chance. 

3. Caroline Weir – Manchester City

Another weekend, another worldie from @itscarolineweir!! ?@VitalityWFACup @ManCityWomenpic.twitter.com/zYN0mIEeZb

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) March 20, 2022

Caroline Weir is having an incredible season for Manchester City. So you’d think that other teams would try to put a body on her in open space. But unfortunately, Everton failed to do so and paid the ultimate price.

Weir noticed no one was coming to step up to pressure the ball and had a license to shoot from long distance. The midfielder put her foot through the ball and watched it fly into the top corner without much fuss. At this rate, we could put a highlight reel together of all of Caroline Weir’s worldies; this is another to add to the list. 

2. Catarina Macario – Lyon 

MACARIO BRACE ? Could this be the goal of the weekend already!? #WatchWithAta #D1Arkema @USWNT pic.twitter.com/py2hpB1I6q

— ata football (@atafball) March 18, 2022

It is scary watching how easy it was for Catarina Macario to score this goal. Most players would take at least a split-second before even thinking of trying to chip this ball into the far corner. But, not Macario; as soon as she trapped the ball down, she had the awareness to know where she was in the box.

Macario immediately caressed the ball into the far corner with a sumptuous chipped finish. Let me remind you, nine times out of ten, anyone else that tries this will miss the attempt by a wide margin.

Catarina Macario is special, and we’re finally getting to see it at the professional level. 

1. Sofia Huerta – OL Reign

Looks like @schuerta is picking up right where she left off in 2021 ?@OLReign | #BoldTogether pic.twitter.com/gz1AmhSNj6

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) March 19, 2022

Sofia Huerta is known for scoring a screamer or two from long distance, and she brought out her skills at the perfect time. There’s no better way to kick off the opening weekend of the NWSL Challenge Cup with the Cascadia rivalry and Huerta delivered.

The ball fell to her favorably outside of the box, but she still had to execute the strike. For the young players reading, this is how to keep your knee over the ball and strike with the laces.

Watch how the ball lasers into the net perfectly; it’s world-class from Sofia Huerta. When she does this from her defensive role, the OL Reign will be even more difficult to beat. 

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