Top 5 Goals: NCAA Soccer Tournament First Round, NWSL Final, England

This week of women’s soccer was one of the best of the year, with all the high-stakes matches across the board. A new NWSL champion was crowned, the first round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament kicked off, and the Barclays Women’s Super League is in full swing. There were plenty of great goals to choose from, but here are the best of the best. Here are the Top 5 Goals from the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, NWSL Final, and England.

5. Agnes Beever-Jones – Chelsea

On fire for @ChelseaFCW!

Just how good has @AggieBjones been for the Blues?#BarclaysWSL pic.twitter.com/THOBhudErK

— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) November 13, 2023

Chelsea have a plethora of riches within their team. Even the lesser-known players are playing at a high level. Agnes Beever-Jones is a 20-year-old starlet who is on the rise, and this goal was a great example of her skill. Jones is running full sprint onto the ball with a defender on her.

The striker showed great body control by stopping on a dime, cutting the ball back, and bending it into the top corner. Jones made it look easy, and at 20 years old, her future is very bright.

4. Lynn Williams – Gotham FC

MIDGE PURCE SKILLS. LYNN WILLIAMS FINISH. 🤩@GOTHAMFC STRIKE FIRST IN THE NWSL FINAL!!! 🦇 pic.twitter.com/649ecZmTxS

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) November 12, 2023

Gotham FC captured their first NWSL title, and Midge Purce and Lynn Williams came through when it mattered most. When Purce has a full head of steam and runs at defenders, she’s impossible to stop. The move was so fluid that she glided past three OL Reign defenders before finding Lynn Williams in the box. All Williams had to do was tap the ball home. The goal went to Lynn Williams, but Midge Purce won MVP of the game for a reason.

3. Caitlin Foord – Arsenal

What a goal! #BarclaysWSL @ArsenalWFC @CaitlinFoord pic.twitter.com/q5ASs0QbYW

— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) November 13, 2023

This is a world-class goal from Caitlin Foord that very few players can pull off. Most would take at least one touch before shooting after running full speed, but Foord can do it all in one motion.

The Aussie struck it perfectly, watching the ball’s flight as the keeper could not get a hand on it while it nestled into the side netting. Foord’s feet are spectacular in how she sets her feet up and slows down simultaneously. That’s a quintessential Arsenal goal if I’ve ever seen one.

2. Bella Sember – North Carolina Tar Heels

Bella Sember!!#NCAASoccer x @uncwomenssoccer pic.twitter.com/75W4KLslW1

— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 10, 2023

North Carolina was trailing Towson in the NCAA Tournament. Yeah, you read that right. Towson was about to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. With less than two minutes to go, Bella Sember took the game into her own hands. Sember had a defender directly in front of her and used a clean stepover move to create space and get the ball onto her left foot. Once she saw her opening, Sember took the long-range effort and kept the ball on the ground, which is always tougher for goalkeepers to stop. The Tar Heels would go on to win in the second half, but this goal from Sember was huge to tie the game up before halftime.

1. Jasmine Aikey – Stanford Cardinal

JASMINE AIKEY YOU DOG ‼️#NCAASoccer x @StanfordWSoccer pic.twitter.com/tE4Eqk12FY

— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 11, 2023

Jasmine Aikey and Stanford had no issues with a solid Pepperdine squad in the NCAA Tournament. Aikey didn’t take long to break the deadlock with a gorgeous move. Her first touch was perfect with how she opened her body up for the shot and allowed her to flow into her next movement, which was the shot. Pepperdine’s defenders reacted a second too late, and that was all that Jasmine Aikey needed. A beautifully bent ball into the top corner let Pepperdine know that Jasmine Aikey and Stanford meant business.

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