This Saturday featured six matches in the National Women’s Soccer League, marking historic moments for expansion teams, showcasing goals from young players, and causing shifts in the standings.
Denver Sets NWSL Attendance Record
Denver Summit FC played its home opener at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium, finishing in a 0-0 draw against the Washington Spirit. Although they didn’t score, the event was significant for the league.
The home opener attracted 63,004 fans, breaking the record for attendance at a U.S. professional women’s sporting event. The previous record was set by Bay FC in August 2025 with 40,091 fans attending a match against the Spirit at Oracle Park in San Francisco, where the Spirit won 3-2.
This time, Denver’s defense kept the Spirit from scoring. Washington almost found the net in stoppage time, but Hal Hershfelt’s shot went wide. The Spirit are still seeking their first win of the season and currently sit at 12th place with a record of 0-1-3. Denver is in 7th place with a record of 1-1-2.
Boston Legacy FC, the second expansion team this season, remains at the bottom of the table after losing 2-1 at home to the Utah Royals.
However, Boston achieved its first-ever goal with Aïssata Traoré scoring in the 73rd minute with assistance from Amanda Gutierres. The Royals, on the other hand, maintained their lead throughout the match, with Tatumn Milazzo scoring in the 34th minute from a set piece.
Utah earned a penalty in the second half, which Lara Prašnikar converted to double their lead.
Alex Pfeiffer Stars for Bay FC
Bay FC claimed a 3-1 victory over the North Carolina Courage, marking its first road win since April 2025, largely thanks to Alex Pfeiffer.
The 18-year-old forward scored early in the match and played a key role in creating two additional goals before halftime.
Pfeiffer assisted Cristiana Girelli, leading to a goal by Keira Barry, and shortly after, she set up Dorian Bailey for another goal. Despite a late score from Manaka Matsukubo for North Carolina, the Courage couldn’t recover.
Possession was nearly equal, but Bay FC had seven shots on target compared to North Carolina’s two.
Kansas City Suffers Third Straight Loss
The Kansas City Current lost their third consecutive match, unable to score against the Portland Thorns, who featured Sophia Wilson in her first start of the season.
The match marked a showdown between new coaches, with Portland’s Robert Vilahamn achieving three wins, while Kansas City’s Chris Armas struggled to replicate last season’s success.
Kansas City generated some offense early on, but Portland controlled the possession. Wilson drew a second-half penalty, which Olivia Moultrie converted easily, making her the youngest player to reach 20 regular season goals.
Portland sealed the win with a header from Reilyn Turner in the 63rd minute, extending their streak to four wins.
Kansas City now sits fourth from the bottom in the standings.
San Diego Overwhelms Chicago
The San Diego Wave celebrated signing Catarina Macario with a 2-0 win over the Chicago Stars.
Although Chicago held off San Diego in the first half, a breakthrough came in the 56th minute when Dudinha assisted Lia Godfrey for a goal. Melanie Barcenas scored the second goal for San Diego in the 73rd minute.
With Kansas City’s recent struggles, Chicago’s earlier win against them on March 22 is beginning to seem less surprising.
Maddie Mercado Scores Again for Seattle
Maddie Mercado netted her second goal in as many games for the Seattle Reign in a 2-1 victory over Racing Louisville.
Mercado opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a shot past Louisville’s goalkeeper. Nerilia Mondesir later scored Seattle’s second goal just before halftime.
Louisville, missing Emma Sears due to injury, didn’t register their first shot on target until the 52nd minute. Macey Blackburn scored a header in the 94th minute, but it came too late to change the outcome.