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The regular season is in full swing for the National Women's Soccer League, and it just never disappoints. Week five action has concluded and that means a quarter of the season is already in the record books. There were multiple draws, a goalkeeper equalizer, teenagers making an impact in the game, and more. Fans can watch NWSL matches live and on-demand with Paramount+.

Let's look at what you need to see and know from the weekend:

Scores

Kansas City Current 2, NJ/NY Gotham FC 0
Portland Thorns 3, Angel City 3
Orlando Pride 3, San Diego Wave 1
Chicago Red Stars 1, Washington Spirit 1
Racing Louisville 2, OL Reign 2
North Carolina Courage 1, Houston Dash 0

A goalkeeper stoppage time equalizer

Portland Thorns FC and Angel City FC delivered a wild 3-3 draw to remember for the ages. It had six goals (one penalty) and it also delivered Julie Ertz's first goal as an Angel City player. Considering the frantic back and forth of the game, it almost felt inevitable at times that the match would conclude with more goals as the game went on. But no one could predict that Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby would deliver the defining equalizer on a backheel shot off a set piece corner in the dying moments. 

Miller starts over Franch during Kansas City win streak

Cassie Miller has started the last three matches for Kansas City and the group has won their last three matches including their first-round Challenge Cup group game. It's a massive turnaround for the Current after dropping their first three games of the regular season and parting ways with former head coach Matt Potter. The franchise stated the dismissal was due to issues related to Potter's "leadership and employment responsibilities."

Kansas City conceded nine goals over those early weeks and now have three wins with three clean sheets. Miller's recent starting streak in goal came with the introduction of interim head coach Caroline Sjöblom during the Challenge Cup. While Sjoblom hasn't outright defined a starter, she has said that Miller's consecutive starts are based off "competition between two good goalkeepers," and that she wants "to reward players for great performances." 

Adrianna Franch has been the starting goalkeeper of the Current since her arrival mid-season in 2021. She helped lead the Current to an NWSL Championship appearance in 2022 and her strong form led to her return to national team camps. She's been part of the U.S. women's national team's build-up toward the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as a third keeper alongside Alyssa Naeher and Casey Murphy.

While the goalkeeping competition for Kansas City is still in the early phases, it highlights a layer of curiosity for U.S. national team evaluation.

Teenagers changing the league

The 2023 regular season introduced a new Under-18 entry mechanism and clubs have utilized it to sign some of the league's youngest players. Washington Spirit midfielder Chloe Ricketts has played in three matches this season and is the youngest player to feature for the team at 15 years old.

San Diego Wave FC forward Melanie Barcenas set a new league record for the youngest player to ever feature in a regular season match. She subbed into the match against Orlando Pride in the 71st minute and set the milestone at 15 years and 177 days old. She achieved the record by just over a month as she's 39 days younger than Ricketts.

17-year-old Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie completes the trio of under-18 players performing in NWSL. Moultrie's path to the league wasn't as clear (and required litigation) but the rising star has been impactful for the team this season. She recorded an assist during Portland's second goal on Saturday.

Alyssa Thompson, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, is still turning heads across the league. While she wasn't signed with the new U-18 mechanism, but she's still a high school senior and is off to a bright start with Angel City FC. The future of the league is looking bright with this young stars prepared, in time, tom carry the torch. Chaos meter level: 7