{{Short description|Women's soccer match in Oregon, US}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox football match | title = 2018 NWSL Championship | event = NWSL Championship | image = | imagesize = | team1 = North Carolina Courage | team1score = 3 | team2 = Portland Thorns FC | team2score = 0 | date = {{Start date|2018|09|22}} | stadium = Providence Park | city = Portland, Oregon, U.S. | player_of_the_match1 = Jessica McDonald<br />(North Carolina Courage) | player_of_the_match1name = Most Valuable Player | referee = Guido Gonzales Jr. | attendance = 21,144 | weather = | previous = 2017 | next = 2019 }}

The '''2018 NWSL Championship''' was the sixth edition of the NWSL Championship, the championship match of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), and took place on September 22, 2018. In a rematch of the 2017 NWSL Championship, the North Carolina Courage became the first NWSL Shield holders to complete the league double, winning 3–0 against defending champions Portland Thorns FC. The match was played at Portland's home field Providence Park.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/mcdonalds-brace-crowns-the-courage-2018-nwsl-champions|title=Courage cap off record-setting season with NWSL Championship win|date=2018-09-22|publisher=National Women's Soccer League|access-date=2025-08-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://equalizersoccer.com/2018/09/22/jessica-mcdonald-nwsl-championship-mvp-career-story/|title=Jess McDonald's remarkable journey continues with NWSL Championship MVP award|date=2018-09-22|last=Theivam|first=Kieran|website=The Equalizer|access-date=2025-08-18}}</ref>

==Road to the final== ===North Carolina Courage=== {{See also|2018 North Carolina Courage season}}

After coming short of the league double in the 2017 NWSL Championship, the North Carolina Courage repeated as NWSL Shield champions in the 2018 season with the best record in the league, with just one loss all year.<ref name="fbr">{{cite web|url=https://fbref.com/en/comps/182/2018/2018-NWSL-Stats|title=2018 NWSL Stats|website=FBref.com|access-date=2025-08-19}}</ref> NWSL Defender of the Year Abby Erceg and returning NWSL Defender of the Year Abby Dahlkemper guided a defense that conceded the fewest goals in the league.<ref name="fbr"/> McCall Zerboni and Crystal Dunn were also named in the NWSL Best XI, and NWSL Golden Boot runner-up Lynn Williams led the league's highest-scoring offense.<ref name="fbr"/> In the playoff semifinals, the Courage won 2–0 over the fourth seed Chicago Red Stars, with goals scored by Jessica McDonald and Sam Mewis, to reach the franchise's third consecutive NWSL final.<ref name="fbr"/>

===Portland Thorns FC=== {{See also|2018 Portland Thorns FC season}}

After winning the 2017 NWSL Championship, Portland Thorns FC placed second in the 2018 regular-season standings.<ref name="fbr"/> They were led by NWSL Most Valuable Player Lindsey Horan, the league's third-highest scorer, along with fellow NWSL Best XI honorees Tobin Heath, Emily Sonnett, and repeating NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Adrianna Franch.<ref name="fbr"/> In the playoff semifinals—the first Cascadia rivalry playoff game—the Thorns won 2–1 against the third seed Seattle Reign FC, with goals from Heath and Horan, to reach their second consecutive NWSL final.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2018/09/nwsl_semifinals_thorns_reign_r.html|title=Portland Thorns reach NWSL final again, best rivals Seattle Reign in wild match|date=2018-09-16|newspaper=The Oregonian|last=Murray|first=Caitlin|access-date=2025-08-19}}</ref>

==Match==

===Details=== {{Football box | date = September 22, 2018 | time = 4:30pm (EDT) | team1 = North Carolina Courage | team2 = Portland Thorns FC | score = 3–0 | report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20180923085451/https://www.nwslsoccer.com/game/north-carolina-courage-vs-portland-thorns-2018-09-22 Report] | goals1 = Debinha {{goal|13}}<br/>McDonald {{goal|40||64}} | stadium = Providence Park<br />Portland, Oregon | attendance = 21,144 | referee = Guido Gonzales Jr. }}

{| width=92% | |- |{{Football kit | pattern_la= | pattern_b=_nccourage18h | pattern_ra= | leftarm=DAC699 | body=01426A | rightarm=DAC699 | shorts=01426A | socks=01426A | title = {{nowrap|North Carolina Courage}} }} |{{Football kit | pattern_la=_ptfc17h | pattern_b=_ptfc17h | pattern_ra=_ptfc17h | pattern_sh= | pattern_s2= | leftarm=C2C2C2 | body=FF0000 | rightarm=C2C2C2 | shorts=FF0000 | socks=FF0000 | title = {{nowrap|Portland Thorns FC}} }} |}

{| style="width:100%;" |- | style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"| {| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" |- |colspan="4"| |- !width=25| !!width=25| |- |GK ||'''99'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Katelyn Rowland |- |LB ||'''15'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Jaelene Hinkle |- |CB ||'''6'''||{{flagicon|NZL}} Abby Erceg (c) |- |CB ||'''13'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Abby Dahlkemper |- |RB ||'''11'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Merritt Mathias |- |MF ||'''10'''||{{flagicon|BRA}} Debinha || || {{suboff|78}} |- |MF ||'''8'''||{{flagicon|IRL}} Denise O'Sullivan || {{yel|42}} |- |MF ||'''5'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Sam Mewis |- |MF ||'''19'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Crystal Dunn || || {{suboff|87}} |- |FW ||'''9'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Lynn Williams |- |FW ||'''14'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Jessica McDonald || {{yel|65}} || {{suboff|90+1}} |- |colspan=3|'''Substitutes:''' |- |GK ||'''1'''||{{flagicon|CAN}} Sabrina D'Angelo |- |FW ||'''23'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Kristen Hamilton || || {{subon|78}} |- |FW ||'''21'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Darian Jenkins || || {{subon|90+1}} |- |DF ||'''31'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Kaleigh Kurtz |- |MF ||'''17'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Heather O'Reilly || || {{subon|87}} |- |MF ||'''16'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Cari Roccaro |- |MF ||'''25'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Meredith Speck |- |colspan=3|'''Manager:''' |- |colspan=4|{{flagicon|ENG}} Paul Riley |} || {| style="font-size:90%; margin:auto" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" |- !width=25| !!width=25| |- |GK ||'''24'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Adrianna Franch |- |LB ||'''25'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Meghan Klingenberg |- |CB ||'''4'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Emily Menges |- |CB ||'''16'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Emily Sonnett |- |LB ||'''15'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} Ellie Carpenter || || {{suboff|90+3}} |- |DM ||'''30'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Celeste Boureille |- |DM ||'''10'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Lindsey Horan |- |AM ||'''17'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Tobin Heath |- |AM ||'''12'''||{{flagicon|CAN}} Christine Sinclair (c) |- |AM ||'''7'''||{{flagicon|SUI}} Ana-Maria Crnogorčević || || {{suboff|68}} |- |FW ||'''9'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} Caitlin Foord |- |colspan=3|'''Substitutes:''' |- |GK ||'''33'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Britt Eckerstrom |- |DF ||'''27'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Elizabeth Ball |- |MF ||'''8'''||{{flagicon|BRA}} Andressinha || || {{subon|68}} |- |FW ||'''34'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Tyler Lussi |- |FW ||'''22'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Ifeoma Onumonu |- |FW ||'''23'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Midge Purce || || {{subon|90+3}} |- |FW ||'''26'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Mallory Weber |- |colspan=3|'''Manager:''' |- |colspan=4|{{flagicon|ENG}} Mark Parsons |} |}

{| width=100% style="font-size:90%" | '''NWSL Championship Most Valuable Player:''' <br />{{flagicon|USA}} Jessica McDonald

'''Assistant referees:''' <br />Brooke Mayo (United States) <br />Adrienne McDonald (United States) <br />'''Fourth official:''' <br />Karen Abt (United States) |style="width:60%; vertical-align:top;"| '''Match rules''' *90 minutes. *30 minutes of extra time if necessary. *Penalty shootout if scores still level. *Maximum of three substitutions. |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{2018 in American soccer}} 2018 * Category:North Carolina Courage Category:Portland Thorns FC Category:September 2018 sports events in the United States Category:2018 in sports in Oregon Category:Sports competitions in Portland, Oregon Category:Soccer competitions in Oregon