Only one group of Challenge Cup matches remain before the championship match between Portland and the top team in the East Division. The second-to-last group of matches featured a handful of players shining offensively, the return of a dangerous Houston Dash attack, and two matches featuring comebacks and a lot of goals. Also, it’s now a two-team race for the East Division. Two results from Group 4 created a lot of drama going into the final group stage matches.
Racing Louisville FC v. NC Courage
Racing Louisville’s Lynn Family Stadium hosted a mass vaccination event, in their stadium, in the days leading up to Monday’s match. The shots continued into the third Challenge Cup match for both sides, with another back and forth, goal-scoring, a duel for both Racing and the NC Courage.
Facing North Carolina is a challenge for any team. They’re a side that hasn’t lost two matches in a row since May of 2017. An expansion team like Louisville had a tall task but stepped up to the challenge. Right away, Racing goalkeeper Michelle Betos had to make a save to keep the match level. After withstanding an initial Courage attack, Louisville went on the offensive.
In the 24th minute, breakout Louisville forward CeCe Kizer got on the end of a surgical cross by defender Erin Simon, heading in a goal for a 1-0 lead. Then came Debinha.
It’s not easy to limit the effectiveness of Brazilian star Debinha, but for the first half, Louisville kept her somewhat calm. The young defensive line held its shape and pressured both Debinha and her teammates into interceptions, but keeping her down for 90 minutes isn’t possible. In the 32nd minute, she broke an attempted tackle and quickly chipped a pass into the penalty area. Courage midfielder Kristen Hamilton scored a headed goal on the subsequent corner kick.
Her impact became more direct in the second half. At the 57th minute mark, Debinha moved into an open spot at the tip of the 18-yard-box, off the ball. Forward Jess McDonald found her for the go-ahead goal; a powerful goal into the top left corner that Betos wasn’t able to reach. She’d bring more in the last ten minutes.
To Louisville’s credit, they could feel dejected after going down, but instead, they went on the offensive. In the first two Challenge Cup matches, Louisville scored their two goals off a counter and free-kick. Racing played patiently in their offensive end, and creatively built plays. Just seconds into coming into the match, forward substitute Jorian Baucom finished a Kizer cross to bring Louisville level.
A coincidence turned into a trend, near the end of the match; conceding the late goal. In minute 84, Betos saved a Debinha shot but was able to get another chance of the deflection. Right before the ball crossed the goal line, Louisville substitute Julia Ashley tried to clear it off the line, from a difficult angle, but couldn’t stop the momentum and scored the own goal. With the loss, Louisville is out of Challenge Cup contention for the East division spot in the championship game.
Racing Louisville 2 NC Courage 3
Kansas City NWSL v. Houston Dash
Many teams had a hurdle of playing in the Challenge Cup without their international stars. Going into their third match, Houston looked the most affected by the absences. They hadn’t scored a goal in matches against Chicago Red Stars and OL Reign, but Monday night they would make up for lost time.
Kansas City had a difficult night controlling a charging Dash side. To their credit, they looked dangerous when forward Amy Rodriguez and midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta connected in the offensive half, but Houston didn’t give them too many chances.
Midfielders Shea Groom and Kristie Mewis gave KC fits. Groom ran past KC with ease. In the 24th minute, US International Mewis got the ball at her feet, just inside the corner of the penalty area, and after shifting the ball from her right to left foot, she scored her first of two goals on the night.
KC had 64% possession in the first half but had to slow down the Dash counter. Their defensive backline did well in keeping a high line and forced three offsides calls on Houston. In the final minute of the first half, KC defender Rachel Corsie tangled up with England forward Rachel Daly, and a penalty kick was given. Daly converted for a 2-0 halftime lead.
The second half saw Houston sustaining longer periods of possession. Kansas City looked more dangerous on offense though. After not recording a shot on goal in the first half, the second saw four. They would finally score one in the 77th minute, but not before Houston cushioned their lead in the 71st.
Canadian forward Nichelle Prince turned on another gear to sprint past the KC defense. She sent a pass right in front of the goal, where Mewis buried it, securing her brace. KC showed that they weren’t going to go away that easily. Midfield substitute Addie McCain won the ball on a midfield tackle on Houston’s Sophie Schmidt, to LaBonta. From there, LaBonta found a charging run by Michele Vasconcelos who scored on the break.
Houston still won with a 3-1 score line, but KC had moments in the second half where they showed their potential. Their roster went through an overhaul, and the team relocated, in a few short months of the 2021 offseason, after relocating from Utah. Their growth will take time.
Kansas City NWSL 1 Houston Dash 3
Washington Spirit v. NJ/NY Gotham FC
There are some 0-0 draws, in soccer, that feel like nothing happened. While the score line wasn’t as dynamic for either side, especially after both teams came off matches with goals, big saves, and a red card, it was a battle between Gotham and Washington.
Washington hosted the match at Audi Field, which also hosts DC United matches in Major League Soccer. In front of a limited allowed crowd of over 2,000, both sides had their chances. They combined for 42 shots throughout the contest, but many were slightly off target or met with strong defensive performances.
For the hosts, they were without Kelley O’Hara, who left their 0-1 loss to Orlando last week after a red card. Head Coach Richie Burke returned defender Tori Huster in the right back position, after moving the defender into a defensive midfield role for O’Hara’s debut.
Gotham came in after scoring three goals on the return of Midge Purce and Carli Lloyd from international duty. The Spirit’s back line of Emily Sonnett and Saori Takarada forced bad shots, and shots from distance. Gotham’s veteran center back duo of Estelle Johnson and Gina Lewandowski matched them for the entire 90 minutes.
The contest was wide open. While Washington had just under 59% of the possession, Gotham was strong on the tackle and won more duels throughout the match. Offensively, forwards Paige Monaghan and Purce had Gotham’s best chances.
In the 7th minute, Purce dribbled through Spirit defenders, in the penalty box. Once she got into an open position, she took a strong shot on target. It went past goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe but rung off the post. Before the half, Purce had another charging offensive run. Bledsoe stopped the shot, but Monaghan dove in for a second chance shot off the deflection. Washington’s Bledsoe took a knock in the save but kept the score at zeros going into the half.
Washington’s offense came alive in the first ten minutes of the second half. Midfielder Andi Sullivan was the catalyst for most of it. In the 49th minute, she anticipated a Gotham pass at midfield and took the possession into the penalty area. She found Trinity Rodman, who sent a pass back into Sullivan in a dangerous area, but Lewandowski turned the almost guaranteed goal into a poor effort.
A minute later, Sullivan lobbed a cross into the 18-yard-box for forward Ashley Hatch. Hatch gave Washington their best chance of the night on a header, but it hit off the crossbar. This was followed up by another Sullivan shot, this time just wide, and stops by DiDi Haracic in Gotham’s net.
Gotham’s draw keeps them atop the East Division standings in the Challenge Cup. NC Courage is behind them by one point. It’s setting up for an interesting final match of the group stage. Gotham welcomes Racing Louisville FC, on Sunday, and the Courage face Orlando, in Cary, NC on Saturday evening. If Gotham wins, they’re in.
Washington Spirit 0 NJ/NY Gotham FC 0
OL Reign v. Chicago Red Stars
OL Reign and Chicago went into Tuesday’s match in similar positions. Both didn’t have a Challenge Cup win under their belts in 2021. Also, they had trouble finding the back of the net. In their previous two matches, the Reign didn’t score a goal. In three matches, Chicago had just one. Both sides found better offensive chances, but only one side came away with points in a five-goal game.
Chicago controlled much of the match offensively like they did in their previous three matches of the tournament. The Red Stars had 22 of the matches 30 shots and got five on target. They made them count this time, though. In the 38th minute, fullback Casey Krueger’s throw-in got to the feet of Mallory Pugh. Pugh sidestepped the Reign defense and scored the first goal of the match. Their one-goal lead was their first lead of the Challenge Cup in 2021.
The lead lasted just three minutes. Defender Tierna Davidson, for Chicago, gave up the ball on a poor clearance. The ball got to midfielder Sofia Huerta who slotted the match-tying goal into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. In the second half, OL Reign put the match away. The Tacoma-based Reign had much of the possession and attacking pressure. They took a page out of Chicago’s own offensive book.
Against the Portland Thorns, last Wednesday, a lot was made about Head Coach Farid Benstiti not starting midfielder Jess Fishlock or forward Megan Rapinoe. As teams welcomed back their international stars, OL took their time and lost 0-2 partly due to their patience. Against Chicago, Benstiti started both internationals. In the second half, sophomore NWSL forward Tziarra King came on for Rapinoe at halftime and was a gamechanger.
In the 70th minute, Huerta turned on a Chicago defender and found King making a run into the penalty box. King sent a short cross to the feet of Leah Pruitt, who gave OL the 2-1 lead.
King put the match away for good in the 87th, when this time she shot from the left corner of the penalty area, hitting it off the right post and into the net. Although Chicago midfielder Morgan Gautrat added one for Chicago in the 90th minute, on a nice volley from a clearance, it didn’t secure Chicago any points.
Chicago’s tournament is done. Now they prepare for their regular season away trip to Portland on May 16. OL Reign has one final match, against Kansas City NWSL. Portland already secured the West Division in the Challenge Cup.
OL Reign 3 Chicago Red Stars 2
Tournament Standings
So far, only Portland has qualified for the championship match, on May 8. In the East, Gotham, NC Courage, and Orlando all still have an opportunity to win the East Division.
Best XI
The BWS XI chooses the best 11 players from the most recent group of Challenge Cup matches. In group four, Mewis is the only one of the group that made their debut in the tournament. Let BWS know what you think in the comments or on Twitter at Beyond Women’s Sports.
Upcoming Matches
Only four matches remain in the Challenge Cup group stage. They’re spread out from Saturday to Monday, before the final on May 8, at 1 p.m. ET.
Saturday, May 1 – NC Courage v. Orlando Pride – 7:30 pm ET
Sunday, May 2 – NJ/NY Gotham FC v. Racing Louisville FC – 12:30 pm ET
Sunday, May 2 – Houston Dash v. Portland Thorns – 7:30 pm ET
Monday, May 3 – Kansas City NWSL v. OL Reign – 8:00 pm ET
Check back to Beyond Women’s Sports throughout the year for more from the NWSL, WNBA and more.
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