The NWSL Playoffs kicked off on Sunday with a pair of entertaining and down-to-the wire matchups that ultimately saw the Kansas City Current and San Diego Wave FC book their places in next weekend’s semifinal matches.
In the first of the day’s two opening round matchups, the Current – who finished fifth overall in the standings – squared off against the fourth-seeded Houston Dash at PNC Stadium as both clubs made their postseason debut. The visitors from KC grabbed the lead with an early penalty kick in the fifth minute before the Dash equalized in the 21st minute. The hard-fought match, which saw quality chances and a combined six yellow cards handed out between the two teams, remained tied 1-1 and seemed destined to head to extra time until the 10th-minute of second-half stoppage time. That’s when the Current came up with the game winning goal after a nifty buildup down the left flank resulted in a tap-in from close range.
With the 2-1 victory secured, Kansas City will now face off against top-seed and 2022 NWSL Shield Winners OL Reign in the semifinal on Sunday, Oct. 23 at Lumen Field (7:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network).
The second playoff match of the day between San Diego and the Chicago Red Stars was contested in front of an NWSL postseason record crowd of 26,215 fans at San Diego’s Snapdragon Field, surpassing the mark of 21,284 set earlier that day in Houston, which was the largest crowd ever for the Dash and second largest ever for a women’s soccer match in the state of Texas.
Like in the earlier match, the visiting team struck first as the Red Stars took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute, capitalizing on a Wave error out of the back. San Diego nearly equalized off an Alex Morgan header right before the half, but Chicago’s Alyssa Naeher was there to make the save. San Diego came up with the equalizer in the 67th minute after a dangerous cross was played into the Red Stars penalty box. Despite chances for both sides, neither team could find a winner in regulation and the match headed into overtime.
Both sides created quality chances in extra time, but it was San Diego who ultimately prevailed when Morgan, the 2022 NWSL Golden Boot winner and MVP Candidate, found the back of the net in the 110
th minute with a low driven shot from the left side of the box. Morgan’s game-winner, which marked her 24
th goal across all competitions this year for club or for country, lifted San Diego – the first expansion side in NWSL history to qualify for the playoffs in its first season – into the semifinal round and a matchup on Sunday against Portland Thorns FC (5 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network).
WATCH: MORGAN SENDS WAVE TO SEMIS WITH EXTRA TIME WINNER
Lindsey Horan continues to find the back of the net in France, scoring her third goal of the D1 Féminine season in Olympique Lyon’s 3-1 win over Bordeaux on Monday. Horan opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a right-footed half-volley, tallying her team-leading third goal in four league appearances.
WATCH: HORAN CONTINUES HOT START IN LYON
Broadcast information on upcoming matches featuring U.S. Women’s National Team players can be found below. All times listed are ET.
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Wednesday, October 19
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UEFA Women’s Champions League: Olympique Lyon vs. Arsenal
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3:00 p.m.
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DAZN
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Sunday, October 23
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NWSL Playoffs: Portland Thorns FC vs. San Diego Wave FC
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5:00 p.m.
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CBS Sports Network
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NWSL Playoffs: OL Reign vs. Kansas City Current
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7:30 p.m.
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CBS Sports Network
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