Tag: Amy Rodriguez

Photo Courtesy of Roscoe Myrick

NWSL Players of the Week: Aug 12th – 18th

A weekly series where we break down the top performances of players in the NWSL.

The first player of the week comes from an unlikely source, the struggling New Jersey side, Sky Blue FC. It was rookie forward Paige Monaghan who scored a brace for Sky Blue to lift them over a hot Chicago Red Stars team.

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Monaghan first impacted the game in the 71st minute when she received the ball near the end line before cutting it back and firing a rocket into the top right corner among three enclosing defenders. The goal was truly sensational, and it was the first of Monaghan’s career. There could not have been a better way to open her scoring account in the NWSL. Monaghan struck again in the dying moments of the game with a 93rd minute winner. This time, the rookie latched onto a through ball and used her left foot to beat the Red Stars keeper to her near post with well-placed curling effort. The win was only Sky Blue’s third of the season, but their second against the Red Stars.

The win for Sky Blue snapped the Red Stars five game winning streak. With the victory Sky Blue was able to pull themselves out of last place in the table. The Red Stars missed out on a crucial opportunity to propel themselves into first place and sit in second still four points back of the leaders. Sky Blue faces off next against the Houston Dash on Saturday, August 24th at 8:30 pm ET on Yahoo! Sports.

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The second player of the week is a repeat offender in Amy Rodriguez. Rodriguez scored a 77th minute winner in a 2-1 victory over the Orlando Pride. It was the intelligent diagonal run of Rodriguez that allowed her to find a perfect pass and dispatch a calm finish over the Pride goalkeeper.

Rodriquez who plays for the Utah Royals has now scored three goals in her last three games. Rodriguez continues to prove her ability to show up in the big moments as this goal was defined as the winner. All of them have been crucial in the Royal’s recent success as they have won three straight and moved up the league table into fourth place just six points off the top spot. The goal was Rodriguez’s eight of the season. The Royals have scored eight in their last three games and only given up one over the past three games. Utah’s next match will be against the Washington Spirit today at 7:30 pm ET on Yahoo! Sports.

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The third and final player of the week is the league leader’s Tobin Heath who plays for the Portland Thorns. Heath played a very complete game and recorded an assist on the Thorns 3-1 victory over the Washington Spirit. The assist came from Heath in the 19th minute when she swung a dangerous ball into the box off a corner which was met by the head of Emily Sonnett. The goal doubled the lead of the Thorns and gave them a comfortable cushion over the Spirit.

While Heath will not be credited with the assist on the third goal, it was her delivery again from a corner kick that caused a scramble in the box and ultimately resulted in the Thorns third and final goal.

With the assist, Heath has hit 25 career assists which is the most of any NWSL player. The victory pushes the Thorns four points clear of second place and puts them in good position to remain atop the league table. The next match for the Portland Thorns will be against the second place Chicago Red Stars on Sunday, August 25th at 3 pm ET on ESPNEWS.  

Photo Courtesy of Jamie Smed

NWSL Players of the Week: Aug 4th – Aug 11th

A weekly series where we break down the top performances of players in the NWSL.

The first player of the week is 23-year old goalkeeper Casey Murphy who currently plays for Reign FC. Murphy bolsters an impressive five clean sheets on the season through the eleven games she has played.

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Murphy came up big in back to back games picking up two clean sheets and recording seven saves between the two matches. Murphy made five saves in a shutout win against the Houston Dash on the second of August.

Then, Murphy came up big again with two saves against the first place Portland Thorns in a 1-0 home victory for the Reign. While, it might seem as if the Dash game was more impressive any goalkeeper will tell you that it is the games where there is less action that prove to be more difficult. This is because goalkeepers in these games must stay focused and might need to only make one or two big saves to propel their team to victory.

This win help the fourth place Reign trim the deficit in the standings between them and the first place Thorns. The Reign’s next match will be against the last placed Sky Blue FC on Sunday, August 18.  

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The second player of the week is really going to go to the entire defense of the Chicago Red Stars. The Red Stars who saw a shaky start to their season have heated up as of late propelling them to five straight victories. The victories have been a direct result of their much-improved defensive play as they have tallied four clean sheets in their last five matches.

On the second of August the Red Stars held the Utah Royals scoreless despite the relentless attack. The Royals put in 25 crosses, won six corners and finished the game with 16 shots. The Red Stars defense stood tall. Most recently the Red Stars squeaked by the Washington Spirit by a score of 1-0. Again, the defense did its job as it was able to safely repel the Spirit’s nine shot attempts, two corners, and 18 crosses. The Red Stars fantastic defensive play as of late has earned them the second spot in the league table right behind the Portland Thorns. With a game in hand The Red Stars sit in second just one point behind the Thorns. Their next match comes against the Orlando Pride on Wednesday, August 21.

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The third and final player of the week is the Utah Royals attacker Amy Rodriguez whose goal capped off a 3-1 win against the Reign on Sunday. Rodriquez struck in the 68th minute of the match to give the Royals a two-goal cushion and see out an important victory against the Reign, who sit two points ahead of them in the league table. Both teams have played 16 games each.

The win against the Reign makes it two in a row for the Royals who are trying to improve their position in the table. The goal for Rodriguez makes it her second goal in three games. On Wednesday, August 7, Rodriguez found the back of the net in the 48th minute to finish off a 3-0 victory over Sky Blue FC. The latest two goals bring her tally up to seven goals on the year.

Rodriguez has shown her versatility as well since she has scored four goals with her right foot and three with her left foot. After the latest victory the Royals will look to grab their third win in a row when they face off against the second to last-placed Orlando Pride on Saturday, August 17th.

Coverage of the NWSL can be followed on Yahoo! Sports and the ESPN networks. Check back in for next round’s Players of the Week.