- Won the NWSL championship last year
- Ambition to win it all "six more times"
- Top USWNT prospect
WHAT HAPPENED? Portland Thorns won the NWSL in 2022, beating Kansas City in the final. USWNT star Sophia Smith was crowned as the league's MVP for her exploits in front of the goal. However, 17-year-old Olivia Moultrie also garnered a lot of the buzz for being the youngest-ever goalscorer in the history of NWSL when she netted against the Houston Dash aged just 16.
WHAT THEY SAID: "It was such a cool moment - just jitters the whole time," Moultrie told Insider. "Like, couldn't even come down from the high kind of thing. I don't even know if I processed it for a second. Obviously winning championships is a big part of what I wanna do in my career."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Moultrie came on as a substitute in the final for Portland, helping the team clinch the title. While she's unlikely to be part of the USWNT's 2023 Women's World Cup push, she could be a key figure in the 2027 tournament.
"Like, I'm 17 and we just won a championship," Moultrie said. "And I get to do it and try for it and work for it so many more times. I got one and now I can try to get six more kind of thing. So it was a really cool, pretty good start."
IN A PHOTO:
Next Match
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT? In her third full season with the Portland Thorns, Moultrie has continued to grow in stature at the club playing alongside big names such as Christine Sinclair. The U20 USWNT star has featured in all three games so far, earning one start. The Thorns are currently unbeaten in the 2023 NWSL regular season, with the best goal differential in the league of +7.