PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC opened play in 2017 Thorns Spring Invitational presented by Tillamook against the Chicago Red Stars in front of 6,802 fans at Providence Park on Sunday evening, marking their first preseason fixture of 2017. The match was the first of three for Portland in a seven-day stretch as part of the club’s annual preseason tournament that also features the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team and the Houston Dash.
Nadia Nadim tallied the lone goal of the match for Portland in a 1-0 win, recording her fourth career preseason goal for Thorns FC. In the 26th minute, Nadim stepped to the spot and converted a penalty kick after Allie Long was dragged down from behind in front of goal after receiving a headed pass from Mana Shim.
A total of 17 different players saw action in the match for Portland, including Kendall Johnson, who made her preseason debut and her first appearance in a match since the 2015 regular season. Emily Menges, Emily Sonnett, Amandine Henry, Allie Long and Christine Sinclair all logged 90 minutes in Thorns FC’s preseason opener.
Adrianna Franch made her 2017 preseason debut for Portland, helping the team register a clean sheet, making five saves in the contest. Franch made two key stops early in the first half to keep the Red Stars off the board, tipping a long-distance shot from Courtney Raetzman off the crossbar in the eighth minute, while in the 18th minute Franch dove to her left to snag a shot from Vanessa DiBernardo direct off a free kick.
Additionally, the Houston Dash and U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team squared off in the opening match of the tournament. The two teams combined to score three goals in the final 16 minutes as Houston recorded a 2-1 win.
Portland continues play in the 2017 Thorns Spring Invitational presented by Tillamook on Wednesday, March 29, against the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team at Providence Park; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific). The match will be streamed live on www.thornsfc.com. Chicago and the Houston Dash will square off in Wednesday’s first match; kickoff is set for 5 p.m. (Pacific).
Portland Thorns FC vs. Chicago Red Stars (NWSL Preseason)
March 26, 2017 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Chicago Red Stars 0 0 0
Portland Thorns FC 1 0 1
Scoring Summary
POR: Nadim (penalty kick), 26
Misconduct Summary
n/a
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Franch, D Boureille (Flynn, 75), D Sonnett, D Menges, D Klingenberg (Johnson, 58), M Henry, M Long, M Shim (Herndon, 67), F Nadim (Raso, 38, Hubly, 75), F Sinclair ©, F Weber (Cox, 75)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Eckerstrom, D Boon
TOTAL SHOTS: 7; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 10; OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 5
CHI: GK Dalton, D Gilliland, D Gorden, D Naughton, D Short (Comeau, 46), M DiBernardo © (Luba, 46), M Colaprico (Proffitt, 46), M Mautz, M Raetzman (Kaskie,60), F McCaffrey (Green, 60), F Walls (Kolander, 60)
Substitutes Not Used: M Ratcliffe
TOTAL SHOTS: 15; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5; FOULS: 7; OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 6 SAVES: 3
Attendance: 6,802
Weather: Showers, 48 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
