The North Carolina Courage secured a convincing 3-1 victory over the Seattle Reign on Saturday, extending their winning streak to four matches and moving them into sixth place in the league table.
Ashley Sanchez was the catalyst, delivering her second brace of the season and pushing her tally to nine goals in the 2025‑26 campaign, which places her second in the NWSL Golden Boot race behind only Barbra Banda.
A Brace That Moves the Needle
Sally Menti opened the scoring for Seattle in the 19th minute, but Sanchez answered just three minutes later to level the match and shift momentum.
The Courage then added two unanswered goals, the first coming from a Riley Jackson penalty in the 64th minute and the second from Sanchez in the 71st minute, sealing the win.
With the result, North Carolina climbs to sixth place in the NWSL table, while Seattle drops further down the standings, highlighting the competitive nature of the race for playoff spots.
Barbra Banda, the league’s current Golden Boot leader, has been sidelined since late May due to a thigh injury, leaving a vacancy that Sanchez is beginning to fill.
Temwa Chawinga of the Kansas City Current also found the net, moving to eight goals and securing third place in the scoring chart.
The Courage’s next fixtures will test their momentum as they prepare to face the Orlando Pride and Racing Louisville in upcoming matches, aiming to climb higher in the table.
Implications for the Golden Boot Race
Sanchez’s resurgence places her firmly in the conversation for the Golden Boot, trailing only Banda, while Chawinga and others chase the lead, promising a tightly contested finish to the season.