Match Recap & Highlights: Portland Thorns 2-0 OL Reign
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Match Recap & Highlights: Portland Thorns 2-0 OL Reign
The Thorns won the Cascadia Rivalry with Sophia Smith and Christine Sinclair getting the goals.
The Portland Thorns won in Lumen Field for the first time, tallying their first regular season away win in Seattle since 2017 behind an early goal from Sophia Smith, and a late one from Christine Sinclair.
Saturday was big for the Portland and Seattle teams with a doubleheader that saw the Timbers play first while the Thorns finished off the Cascadia Rivalry day.
Regarding the starting XI, Megan Klingenberg was back after missing last week's game and coach Mike Norris decided to give Olivia Moultrie a nod.
As always, Sophia Smith was the most dangerous forward on the Thorns but she still had to break her seven games drought which she did at minute 17.
OL Reign looked a little flat at first but Elyse Bennett started to create some problems for the Thorns at the end of the first half.
The second half didn’t go better for the Reign and the visitors scored once more.
Highlights
5’ Sophia Smith passes the ball to Hina Sugita on the right. The Japanese international sent a low cross to Smith who couldn’t get to the ball on time.
11’ Kuikka clears a ball that otherwise Megan Rapinoe would’ve headed and that was dangerously close to the Thorns goal.
15’ Smith passes the ball to Weaver. Her first touch is a little heavy and the ball goes to the corner.
17’ SOPHIA SMITH SCORES! She hits the ball from outside the box in front of two defenders that try to close her down but can’t do it on time.
23’ Emily Menges clears Rapinoe’s on-frame shot.
31’ Elyse Bennett’s shoot is just inches wide.
43’ Morgan Weaver shoots, but it was high.
45’ Free kick for Portland. Olivia Moultrie goes for goal but the shot is wide.
50’ Weaver sends the perfect ball to Sugita, she connects with the cross on the far post but can’t direct it properly.
55’ Great ball by Huerta to Rapinoe. She shoots but Bella Bixby doesn’t hesitate to grab that ball.
60’ Chance for OL Reign but it goes wide. Bixby ends up injured while trying to defend her goal. After being treated by the medic, she’s good to go.
65’ Crystal Dunn shoots but it sails high.
66’ Substitutions: Becky Sauerbrunn and Christine Sinclair enter for Menges and Moultrie.
70’ Substitutions: Reyna Reyes enters for Natalia Kuikka.
87’ CHRISTINE SINCLAIR GOAL! Klingenberg sends a long pass to Weaver. She cruises to get to it and waits until Sinclair gets to the box from behind. The Canadian finishes with expertise.
89’ Substitution: Michele Vasconcelos enters for Sugita.
90+1’ Smith shoots but it goes wide.
Final thoughts
Thanks to this win, the Thorns are temporarily back in first place. We will have to wait until Gotham’s game tomorrow to see if Portland remains in the top spot or not.
It was good to see Sophia Smith scoring again. For sure that goal will give her confidence and will bring tranquility to some nervous fans who were begging for her to score again.
Weaver had a great game and her skills helped the team to secure the win. It was nice to see Olivia as a starter in such a pivotal match and it was also nice to see Sinc make an impact as a sub.
Finally a big shout-out to our defense and our midfield. It is important to say that Crystal and Sam killed it in the middle of the park, winning a total of 19 duels between both of them (Coffey = 9, Dunn = 10)
The Thorns will be back next Sunday, June 11, to play Orlando in Florida. But for now, the mission has been accomplished. The “Jersey Curse” has been broken and the Reign have been beatn. Let’s go home.
Match Recap & Highlights: Portland Thorns 2-0 OL Reign
Had to be awfully sweet for Sinc to back up the off-season "F@$% Seattle" trash-talk and come on to Pinoe's and Fishlock's home turf and give them a taste of their own medicine with that celebration.
Thoughts:
- That's the platonic ideal of how the substitutions should be managed: Moultrie starts, Sinc finishes when we have a lead. Reyes brings the energy when the defenders start to flag a little.
- Coffey my WOTM. Nearly perfect and completely under control the entire second half. Helped that Seattle had to play Balcer at the ten with no Fishlock or Lavelle and thus really struggled with ball progression (seriously Harvey, Quinn AND Sonnett at home??), but still a really, really good performance.
- Soph back: Not just with the goal (shoulda been two, figure your shit out VAR!), but her touch was much more confident and precise than it has been over the past month. Defenders have to see Smith on the half turn in their nightmares.
- Reyes was flawless in her 20 minutes. Third straight really nice outing from her. Looks much more composed on the ball than in her first few appearances.
- Weaver's late game energy is a marvel, and she's noticeably better at composing herself in the box to find the last pass than in years past.
- FBs were still high for the most part, but dropped back much more than they have been. Seemed like Dunn held a slightly deeper starting position as well, but I'll wait to see the pass maps to know for sure. Both FBs had a case of the giveaways in the first half and Pinoe got the better of Kuikka a few times, but nothing too severe.
Great win! Now gotta do the business on the road against Chicago and Orlando and we'll be looking pretty good heading into July.