Published August 27, 2026
Evelyn Ijeh has quietly become one of the NWSL’s most productive forwards, and her Aug. 1 hat trick against Orlando Pride made her the first Swedish player to score one in league history. The North Carolina Courage forward has 10 goals and three assists through 18 appearances this season, forming the league’s most dynamic attacking partnership alongside Ashley Sanchez after a rough opening stretch that produced no goal contributions in her first seven matches.
Key Takeaways
- Evelyn Ijeh became the first Swedish player to score a hat trick in NWSL history on Aug. 1, leading North Carolina Courage to a 5-0 win over Orlando Pride — the eighth hat trick in club history.
- The 25-year-old forward has 10 goals and three assists through 18 appearances in her first NWSL season, after going without a goal contribution in her first seven matches.
- Ijeh signed with North Carolina on a four-year contract in January 2026, arriving via transfer from AC Milan after a winding path through Swedish, Mexican and Italian club soccer.
- She and Ashley Sanchez have combined for 23 goals this season, the most productive attacking partnership in the NWSL and a driving force behind North Carolina’s playoff push.
- Ijeh has been capped by Sweden since June 2024, including a start against France in Euro 2025 qualifying, and remains part of the national team picture as Sweden builds toward 2027 World Cup qualifying.
Evelyn Ijeh Makes NWSL History for North Carolina
Evelyn Ijeh’s breakout NWSL season crystallized on Aug. 1, when she scored a hat trick in North Carolina Courage’s 5-0 win over Orlando Pride at WakeMed Soccer Park — the largest margin of victory in the league this season and the eighth hat trick in club history. It also made her the first Swedish player to score one in NWSL history, a distinction that capped a stretch in which she’d already begun asserting herself as one of the league’s most dangerous forwards.
The path to that moment wasn’t a straight line. Ijeh, born in Malmö, began her professional career at 16 with IFK Göteborg before moving through BK Häcken, Lidköpings FK and Växjö DFF in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan. She then left Europe’s north for its south and beyond: a transfer to Liga MX Femenil side Tigres UANL in 2023, followed by a loan and eventual permanent move to Serie A’s AC Milan in early 2024. When North Carolina signed her to a four-year contract in January 2026, it marked her first move to North America and, ultimately, her first taste of the NWSL.
That transition took time. Ijeh went without a goal or assist in her first seven NWSL appearances as she adjusted to a new league, a new country and a new style of play. Since then, she’s been one of the most productive attackers in the sport: three goals and two assists across a four-game stretch in July, the Aug. 1 hat trick, and two more goals — her eighth and ninth of the season — scored just six minutes apart in an early-August match.
Why It Matters
Ijeh’s emergence has coincided with a genuine North Carolina turnaround. The Courage narrowly missed the playoffs a year ago; this season, an attack that’s scored 34 goals in 19 matches has the club firmly inside the top eight. She and Ashley Sanchez — who this week set the record for the latest goal in NWSL history — have combined for 23 goals, the most productive scoring partnership in the league and a big part of why North Carolina’s attack has looked genuinely dangerous rather than dependent on a single player.
Her slow start matters too, in a different way. A player who goes seven matches without a goal contribution before becoming one of the league’s most dangerous attackers is a useful reminder that international transfers, even talented ones, often take real time to translate — patience that paid off for North Carolina’s coaching staff and front office alike.
Where Does Ijeh Fit With Sweden’s National Team?
Ijeh has been part of Sweden’s senior picture since June 2024, when she was first called into camp for UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying matches against France and England, starting against France in Dijon. Her NWSL breakout arrives at a useful moment for that international case as well: Sweden, like most of Europe, is deep into building toward 2027 World Cup qualifying, and a forward scoring at this rate in a competitive foreign league is exactly the kind of form a national team staff tracks closely, even from outside its own domestic league.
What Comes Next
North Carolina continues its playoff push with Ijeh and Sanchez both playing the best soccer of their NWSL careers simultaneously — a rare and valuable overlap for a club aiming to return to the postseason after missing out last year. For Ijeh individually, the next marker is simple: keep producing at this rate, and both a deep NWSL playoff run and continued involvement with Sweden’s national team picture become realistic possibilities heading into 2027.
Conclusion
Evelyn Ijeh’s first NWSL season didn’t start the way her hat trick and her history-making moment might suggest — it started quietly, with seven matches of nothing before the breakthrough arrived. That arc, more than the record itself, is the real story: a well-traveled 25-year-old forward who needed time to adjust to a new league and then took over once she did, turning North Carolina’s attack into one of the NWSL’s most dangerous in the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What history did Evelyn Ijeh make in the NWSL?
Evelyn Ijeh became the first Swedish player to score a hat trick in NWSL history on Aug. 1, 2026, leading North Carolina Courage to a 5-0 win over Orlando Pride.
How many goals does Evelyn Ijeh have this season?
Ijeh has 10 goals and three assists through 18 NWSL appearances in her first season with North Carolina Courage, after going without a goal contribution in her first seven matches.
Where did Evelyn Ijeh play before the NWSL?
Ijeh began her career in Sweden with IFK Göteborg, BK Häcken, Lidköpings FK and Växjö DFF, before moving to Liga MX Femenil’s Tigres UANL in 2023 and then Serie A’s AC Milan in 2024. She signed with North Carolina Courage in January 2026.
Is Evelyn Ijeh part of the Sweden national team?
Yes. Ijeh has been capped by Sweden since June 2024, including a start against France during UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying, and remains part of the national team’s picture as Sweden builds toward 2027 World Cup qualifying.