Ashley Sanchez tied Temwa Chawinga’s single-season record for goals when she hit her 20th on Sunday at First Horizon Field. Sanchez’ penalty leveled the Courage match against the Royals in the 37th minute, but the Royals scored a 2nd half goal for a 2-1 victory that leaves the Courage in 9th place with four games to play.
Sanchez, a 2020 draft pick whose regular season career began in 2021, entered the season with 19 career goals over her first five seasons. She peaked at 5 in 2023 and 2024.
Her 2026 season got off to a fast start with her first career brace in a win over Racing Louisville. She came out of the World Cup break with another brace, followed by her only three-game stretch without a goal this season.
Since August 22, Sanchez has been on an explosive run. She had three multi-goal games out of 4 including a hat trick September 6 in Chicago. Sunday’s goal was her 9th in the last seven contests.
In breaking the record on Sunday, Sanchez did it in her and the Courage’s 26th game of the season, the same number Chawinga had to work with in 2024. This is the first NWSL season that will run 30 matches.
Sunday’s loss was the 3rd straight for the Courage and leaves them a point behind the Reign for the final playoff spot. They are 2 points behind the Current and 3 behind Angel City. They still control their path into the playoffs though as they can move ahead of the Reign when the clubs meet for a crucial match Friday night at Lumen Field in Seattle.
