They boys girls are back in town!
Women’s professional soccer is back.
The NWSL kicked off its inaugural season this past weekend, with all eight teams taking to the pitch for a full weekend of soccer.
The first game on Saturday (April 13) had FC Kansas City hosting the Portland Thorns to a 1-1 draw in Overland Park, Kansas. The most exciting news?
The game was a sell-out.
That’s right. 6,784 fans packed Shawnee Mission District Stadium to capacity to watch the teams battle for 90 minutes. The action started fast and furious with the first ever NWSL goal being scored in only the third minute by Renae Cuellar. Cuellar, a FC Kansas City forward, is a player joining the league from the Mexican National team. The crowd got a double dose of international flair as Christine Sinclair, the most prolific scorer in Canadian soccer, evened things up in the 66th minute off of a penalty kick.
Sunday hosted a full slate with three games all kicking off within an hour and a half time frame. Chicago hosted Seattle, Sky Blue welcomed the visiting WNY Flash, and the Washington Spirit visited the Boston Breakers for the final game of the evening.
Ties seemed to be the theme of the weekend as two of the three, and three of the four games overall ended in 1-1 draws. Only Sky Blue FC was able to come away with a win on the weekend, defeating the Western New York Flash off an own goal in the 42nd minute. Brittany Cameron, the Sky Blue FC goalkeeper, accumulated the only shutout on the weekend, earning her NWSL Player of the Week honors.
Two former club mates in Christine Nairn (SEA) and Tiffany McCarty (WAS) gave their teams goals in their games against Chicago and Boston respectively. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, neither were quite enough to get the victories, as both games ended in 1-1 ties. The two go way back, both members of the Freestate Shooters for their pre-college club days.
Another exciting start to the weekend action was the fact that all of the games were streamed live online. With this capability, fans are able to watch their hometown teams no matter where they are playing.
Overall, the women are off to a nice start for this inaugural season of the new league. NWSL and fans alike are hoping that this buzz continues throughout the entire season. Check in here every week to find out how your favorite team did!
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