Olivia Moultrie’s 20th birthday is just days away on Sept. 17, but before that, the 19-year-old made history by becoming the highest-scoring teenager in NWSL history.
Moultrie tallied her 14th career goal for the Portland Thorns in a 1-1 draw to the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday. In the 12th minute, Moultrie launched a 20-yard strike off a free kick that arched above the Red Stars goalkeeper's reach.
In an interview after the goal during the broadcast, Moultrie said while she didn’t realize that goal set the record, scoring off set pieces was something she had been working on with assistant coaches.
“I watched [Lionel] Messi become too good at them, so I decided I wanted to add that to my arsenal,” she said.
The Thorns midfielder tied the milestone last month, before surpassing fellow USWNT midfielder Jaedyn Shaw, who previously held the record for most NWSL goals scored by a teenager. Meanwhile, Shaw recently transferred from the North Carolina Courage — the team Moultrie tied the record against — to Gotham FC. Shaw scored in her club debut this past weekend as the 20-year-old continues the strong start to her career she had as a teenager. The future is bright for both midfielders.
The finish was Moultrie’s fourth goal of the season. Her career high for a single season is seven, which she set in 2024. Moultrie made her NWSL debut when she was just 15 years old and later became the youngest player in the league to score at 16 years old in 2022. In 2023, she earned her first USWNT cap and has made nine total appearances and scored two international goals.
The goal in NWSL Matchday 20 of 26 helped keep Portland (8-6-6, 30 points) as a top four team in the league as the regular season’s end draws closer. The San Diego Wave’s (8-6-6, 30 points) recent win has tied the Thorns record-wise, but the Thorns top the Wave in goal differential by two.
