Chelsea Women: Top-five moments throughout the 2023 calendar year

1. Ann-Katrin Berger and Maren Mjelde's heroics vs. Lyon

Date: March 30, 2023

While the men's team was hobbling at this point in its campaign, Hayes' crew was making waves in Europe. Olympique Lyonnais Feminin, the defending European champions had been knocked out once before in the quarterfinal round since the 2015/16 season. That was until the night of March 30.

Epic. What better word to describe that night at Stamford Bridge back in late March. Down by a goal on aggregate with just 10 minutes left in extra time. All looked lost. A matchup with Barcelona in the semifinals seemed out of reach. It probably was for any other side. Not Chelsea Women, though.

Set up by Lauren James' creativity, veteran Maren Mjelde stepped to the penalty spot with the quarterfinal on the line. No. 18 was ice cold, looking as calm as a summer breeze before smashing a rocket into the top corner. Minutes later, that moment was repeated in the penalty shootout. For someone who already has so many special moments at the club, that may have topped them all.

Between the sticks, the clutch gene was also quite evident. German Ann-Katrin Berger, on her 100th CFCW outing not only saved two shots in the shootout, the ones she did stop where against two of the world's best in their respective positions. The atmosphere, similar to a lot of this year's best moments made it even that much more special. In Hayes' final season, the hope is the team can generate another unforgettable European adventure. Matching what the ending on March 30---that's going to be essentially insurmountable.

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