BOYDS, Md. – Playing their third match as part of a four-game road swing, Portland Thorns FC registered their second consecutive clean sheet on the road, picking up a point in a 0-0 draw against the Washington Spirit in front of 4,333 fans at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday night.
Making her second straight start, goalkeeper Adrianna Franch made six saves and posted a clean sheet, helping Portland (2-0-2, 8pts) remain unbeaten through its first four games of the season.
Franch tallied three saves in the first half, tipping a lofted volley by Washington midfielder Tori Huster over the crossbar in the 26th minute and quickly coming off her line in the 40th minute to deny forward Cali Farquharson a one-on-one opportunity inside the penalty box.
Portland created several scoring chances in the match. Midfielder Lindsey Horan nearly put Thorns FC in front in the 34th minute, redirecting a corner kick from midfielder Tobin Heath with a header that missed just wide of the left post.
In the second half, forward Nadia Nadim delivered a powerful shot from a tight angle at the near post in the 48th minute, but Washington goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe made a save on the play. In the 67th minute, Horan split two defenders with a pass into the box for midfielder Allie Long, but Long was pushed from behind by a Spirit defender and Labbe blocked her attempt to shoot with her feet.
Franch again kept Washington off the board, getting her hand to an acrobatic volley attempt by Washington (3-0-1, 10pts) forward Crystal Dunn in the 73rd minute. Playing down a player for the final seven minutes after Heath was shown a second yellow card, Franch made a critical stop deep in second-half stoppage time on a powerful strike inside the box from Spirit midfielder Christine Nairn to secure a point on the road.
Up next, Thorns FC close out their four-game road swing against Cascadia-rival Seattle Reign FC on Saturday, May 14, at Memorial Stadium. Saturday’s match kicks off at 7 p.m. (Pacific) and features a live webstream at www.thornsfc.com.
Notes:
- Midfielder Allie Long started her 30th consecutive match for Portland, dating back to the 2014 season.
- Portland has not allowed a goal in the second half of a match in each of its first four games this season.
- Thorns FC improved to 4-1-4 all-time against the Spirit, including a mark of 2-1-2 in road matches.
- Long, midfielder Lindsey Horan, and defenders Meghan Klingenberg, Emily Menges and Emily Sonnett have played every minute of Portland’s first four matches this season.
- Portland has opened four consecutive seasons unbeaten in its first four matches.
Portland Thorns FC (2-0-2, 8pts) at Washington Spirit (3-0-1, 10pts)
May 7, 2016 – Maryland SoccerPlex (Boyds, Md.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Thorns FC 0 0 0
Washington Spirit 0 0 0
Scoring Summary
none
Misconduct Summary
WSH: Oyster (Caution), 17
POR: Sonnett (Caution), 26
POR: Heath (Caution), 59
POR: Heath (Caution), 88
POR: Heath (Ejection), 88
POR: Horan (Caution), 90+5
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Franch, D Reynolds, D Sonnett, D Menges, D Klingenberg, M Long, M Horan, M Shim (Raso, 64), M Brynjarsdottir (Morris, 90+4), M Heath ©, F Nadim (Weber, 85)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Betos, M Boureille, D Berryhill
TOTAL SHOTS: 7 (Horan, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Three players tied, 1); FOULS: 15 (Heath, Horan, 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 10; SAVES: 6
WSH: GK Labbe, D Oyster, D Zadorsky, D Krieger, D Kleiner, M Matheson, M Lohman (Nairn, 78), M Huster, F Banini (Williams, 64), F Farquharson (Stengel, 83), F Dunn
Substitutes Not Used: GK Wys, D Dydasco, D Church, D Johnson
TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Dunn, 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Dunn, 2); FOULS: 10 (Dunn, 4); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 3
Referee: Christopher Spivey
Assistant Referees: Nick Uranga, Kevin Broadley
4th Official: Gary Gutierrez
Attendance: 4,333
Weather: Cloudy, 65 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
