Olivia Moultrie has become the leading teenage goalscorer in NWSL history.
Her 13th-minute free kick for Portland Thorns against Chicago Stars was her 14th goal in regular season play since her debut for the Thorns in 2021.
But she admitted after the game that she had forgotten about the milestone coming up, even though she had been reminded about it by her club’s press team a few weeks ago.
“I was like, ‘I’m going to get it – I’ve got four games, I’m going to get it,'” she said in her post-match press conference.
“That [record] had been in the back of my mind. Obviously that is not the first priority for me – [my priority is] can my team win the game?
“But I was very excited about it – [even though I had] forgotten in the moment because all I was worried about was winning!”
Olivia Moultrie: Inspired by Lionel Messi
And she said she’d been watching a lot of footage of Lionel Messi’s free kicks and using that as inspiration.
“I’ve watched Messi become too good at them so I’ve decided that I want to add it to my arsenal!” she said at half-time.
She added afterwards: “If I want to be the best, I want to learn from the best, and I try to apply that in every area of my life, and I think he is arguably, one of for sure, but maybe the best at those in the entire world.
“I wanted to add another thing that made me dangerous.”
Moultrie turns 20 on Wednesday (17th September). She started her senior career with Portland Thorns in 2021, and famously filed a lawsuit against the NWSL as a 15-year-old to ask them to change their rule that stopped her from playing in regular season matches.
She made her senior debut for the US women’s national team in December 2024.
When she scored twice against the Dominican Republic in February 2024, she became the third American woman aged 18 or younger to score two or more goals at international level, joining Mia Hamm and Cindy Parlow Cone.
She has played over 5,000 minutes in NWSL competition, making her the youngest player to do so. When she passed that milestone earlier in the season, head coach Rob Gale said: “You’ve seen her grow up and develop in front of your eyes.
“When she gets turned in between the line, she makes things happen, and she’s got the bravery to do it again and again and again.”
