Top 5 Goals: NWSL Regular Season Week 2

Week two of the NWSL was more exciting than ever, with even more goals to show for it. Surprisingly, the weekend belonged to Louisville and Orlando, who are showing that this NWSL season is going to be fiercely competitive. There were plenty of great moments to savor, but here are the best women’s soccer goals from week two of the NWSL.

5. Taylor Leach – Kansas City 

A stunner from @tayyyleach24 ?#HOUvKC | https://t.co/0LtSAUK1Jw | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/2IO2oyCJQ0

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 24, 2021

Taylor Leach might not have been a household name going into KC’s matchup with Houston, but everyone will know who she is now. Mariana Laroquette played a perfect, driven delivery into the box, and Leach attacked it with everything she had. The end result was a banger of a goal in stoppage time with KC down a man. Talk about a dramatic ending – Kansas City stole two points from Houston.

4. CeCe Kizer – Racing Louisville

Counter attacking masterclass from @RacingLouFC ?#LOUvWAS | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/Aryjk2eMT7

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 22, 2021

Louisville won their first game in franchise history over the weekend, and this was the goal that sealed it. The Spirit simply had too many players in attack while pressing for the equalizer, and Louisville took advantage. Emina Ekic starred in this game. For this goal, she passed it nicely into the path of CeCe Kizer, who only had the keeper to beat. Kizer had a little time to think about it but kept her composure and tucked it past Aubrey Bledsoe to secure a historic win for Racing Louisville. 

3. Alex Morgan – Orlando Pride

Another game, another goal for @alexmorgan13 ??

? @NWSL pic.twitter.com/xzVZhkyiIW

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) May 23, 2021

Don’t look now, but Alex Morgan has two goals in two games for the Orlando Pride. When she’s embarrassing world-class players like Abby Erceg, she’s impossible to stop. Erceg had a decent angle to stop the attack, but Morgan quickly got around her. Still, Morgan had a tough angle to beat the keeper and somehow did it easily into the far corner. This is shaping up to be a big year for Orlando. 

2. Christine Sinclair – Portland Thorns FC

What a cheeky chip from @sincy12 ?#PORvRGN | https://t.co/bONPZnnmCJ | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/bNBjireYho

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 23, 2021

Christine Sinclair is an ageless wonder whose greatness we need to appreciate now. Not after she retires. This is just another instance proving she can still score from just about anywhere. Karen Bardsley might’ve thought she punched the ball away far enough, but it ended up being a major miscalculation. Her punch went right to Christine Sinclair, who, in just one motion, chipped Bardsley from just outside the box. This is an unreal finish from an unreal player. 

1. Emina Ekic – Racing Lousiville 

Can't write this stuff…

First regular season goal for the hometown hero, @emina_ekic10 ?#LOUvWAS | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/iulYJyi890

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 22, 2021

Christy Holly made one of the best substitutions of the weekend by putting in Emina Ekic; she completely changed the course of the game. The hometown hero showed off a moment of individual brilliance that the match needed – it was 0-0 at the time. Once Ekic won the deflection, she immediately saw the defender’s position and knew to cut inside to her left foot. The shot seemed to be in the air forever, and for Ekic to drive the ball from that spot is no easy task, but it eventually went in. This is a moment Louisville fans will truly never forget.

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