PORTLAND, Ore. – Rallying from a two-goal deficit, Portland Thorns FC scored three second-half goals in a 3-3 draw against the Washington Spirit before a sellout crowd of 21,144 fans at Providence Park on Sunday night.
Alex Morgan and midfielder Tobin Heath each tallied goals, helping lead the comeback for Portland in the second half. Morgan opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, chipping the ball over goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris after midfielder Lianne Sanderson lofted a pass over the Washington backline into space for Morgan.
Thorns FC (6-8-5, 23pts) registered a 17-6 advantage in the second half in shots, including a 7-2 edge in shots on goal. Controlling the majority of the possession in the second half, midfielder
Allie Long played Heath into space with a quick pass and defender Estelle Johnson pulled Heath down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Heath stepped to the spot and calmly slotted the ball inside the left post as Harris dove the opposite direction to level the score at 2-2 in the 71st minute.
Portland remained on the front foot in search of the game-winning goal and took a 3-2 lead in the 80th minute. Defender
Rachel Van Hollebeke served a ball from the right side to the back post and Morgan directed the ball back across the front of the goal with a header for forward Jodie Taylor who finished from close range, tallying her second goal of the season.
Less than a minute later, forward Crystal Dunn tallied her second goal of the match, tying the game at 3-3 as she collected a loose ball and slotted a shot inside the right post. Dunn also registered a goal in first-half stoppage time to give the Spirit a two-goal halftime lead.
Portland saw several close chances just miss in the final minutes of second-half stoppage time. Taylor received a pass from Long and sent a curling shot just inches wide of the left post, while midfielder
Kaylyn Kyle put a header on frame, connecting with a well-placed cross by midfielder Sinead Farrelly.
Thorns FC finished their 2015 home schedule with a record of 5-2-3 at Providence Park as they played in front of their second sellout crowd of the season. In 10 home matches this season, Portland set a new record for attendance with an average of 15,639 in the team’s third NWSL season.
Portland closes out the 2015 NWSL season on the road against the Western New York Flash on Friday, Sept. 4, at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. Friday’s match kicks off at 4 p.m. (Pacific) with a web stream at
Portland Thorns FC (6-8-5, 23pts) vs. Washington Spirit (8-5-6, 30pts)
Aug. 30, 2015 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half               1         2          F
Portland Thorns FCÂ Â Â Â Â Â 0Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3Â Â Â Â Â
Washington Spirit          2       1     3Â
Scoring Summary
WSH: Ordega (Dunn), 6
WSH: Dunn (Nairn), 45+1
POR: Morgan (Sanderson), 53
POR: Heath (penalty kick), 71
POR: Taylor (Morgan), 80
WSH: Dunn, 81
Misconduct Summary
WSH: Matheson (Caution), 17
POR: Long (Caution), 67
POR: Williamson (Caution), 86
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Nadine Angerer, D Rachel Van Hollebeke (Shim, 85), D Kat Williamson ©, D Clare Polkinghorne, D Kendall Johnson, M Allie Long, M McCall Zerboni (Kyle, 34), M Sinead Farrelly, M Lianne Sanderson (Taylor, 64), M Tobin Heath, F Alex Morgan
Substitutes Not Used: GK Michelle Betos, D/M Steph Catley, F Ayo, D/M Alyssa Kleiner
TOTAL SHOTS: 23 (Heath, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Morgan, 3); FOULS: 9 (Farrelly, 3); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 10; SAVES: 3
WSH: GK Ashlyn Harris, D Whitney Church, D Megan Oyster, D Estelle Johnson, D Katherine Reynolds, M Ali Krieger ©, M Joanna Lohman (Huster, 71), M Christine Nairn, M Diana Matheson, M Francisca Ordega (Okobi, 76), F Crystal Dunn
Substitutes Not Used: GK Kelsey Wys, M Angela Salem, D Josephine Chukwunonye, M Amanda Da Costa
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Dunn, Krieger, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Dunn, Ordega, 2); FOULS: 11 (Ordega, 4); OFFSIDES: 5; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 5
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
Assistant Referees: Joshua Haimes, J.J. Blodgett
4th Official: Jeremy Riley
Attendance: 21,144
Weather: Cloudy, 70 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
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