Overview
- Sanchez scored a hat trick Sunday to reach 18 goals and become the NWSL single-season scoring leader among American players.
- Her three goals came in the 11th minute, a 69th-minute penalty, and an 82nd-minute header, and the hat trick was the first of her professional career.
- North Carolina won the match 6-0 over the Chicago Stars, a result that helped the Courage move toward higher playoff seeding with 39 points in 23 matches.
- Sanchez has now surpassed the U.S. marks set by Crystal Dunn and Alex Morgan and sits two to three goals shy of Temwa Chawinga’s all-time NWSL single-season total as reported by outlets.
- Her scoring surge, which exploded in August and accelerated with the hat trick, has intensified discussion that coach Emma Hayes could recall her to the USWNT for the October matches against Spain.