SEATTLE, Wash. – Playing the fourth, and final match of a four-game road swing over a span of 22 days, Portland Thorns FC registered at least one point for their fifth straight match, earning a 1-1 draw on the road against Cascadia-rival Seattle Reign FC in front of 4,631 fans on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
With the draw, Thorns FC (2-0-3, 9pts) extended their unbeaten streak to five matches, tied for the longest in club history, as forward Nadia Nadim scored her first goal of the 2016 campaign for Portland less than one minute into the second half.
Midfielder Meg Morris, making her first start for Thorns FC, looped a cross into the box near the penalty spot and Nadim beat a Reign FC defender to the ball, heading it over Seattle goalkeeper Hope Solo coming off her line. Seattle (2-2-1, 7pts) leveled the match just a few minutes later as midfielder Beverly Yanez headed in a corner kick at the back post from defender Lauren Barnes in the 49th minute.
Portland continued to attack in search of a go-ahead goal in the second half, tallying six shots. Midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir settled a cross in the box from Morris, but hit her attempt from close range over the bar in the 52nd minute. Remaining on the attack, midfielder Allie Long saw two scoring opportunities just miss the goal. First catching Solo off her line with a long, lofted shot that bounced off the crossbar in the 57th minute and then again in the 69th minute as she directed a header off a pinpoint cross from Nadim just wide of the post. Additionally, midfielder Lindsey Horan’s diving header off a corner kick from Long in the final minutes of second half sailed past the post.
Thorns FC limited Seattle’s chances in the first half, allowing just three total shots and no shots on goal, while Horan nearly found the back of the net in the sixth minute as she got on the end of a free kick by Long, sending a sneaky side-footed shot towards the near post that was saved. In the 41st minute, Nadim was able to get behind the Seattle back line and fired a shot that skipped wide of the left post from inside the box.
Returning to the Rose City for their first home match in over a month, Thorns FC will play host to the Washington Spirit on Saturday, May 21, at Providence Park; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Pacific) with a live web stream at www.thornsfc.com.
Notes:
- Portland’s streak of five games unbeaten is tied for the longest unbeaten stretch in club history, equaling the team’s unbeaten run of five games to start the 2013 season.
- Midfielder Allie Long surpassed 6,000 career minutes played in the match, while also making her 31st consecutive appearance for the club.
- Thorns FC improved to 5-4-1 in the all-time series with Seattle.
- Saturday’s match was the first draw recorded in 10 all-time meetings between Thorns FC and Reign FC.
- Forward Nadia Nadim has tallied a goal in three consecutive matches against Seattle. Playing for Sky Blue FC in 2015, Nadim tallied a goal in both games in which she appeared against Seattle.
- Midfielder Meg Morris made her first career start for Thorns FC in the match and tallied her first career assist for the club.
- Defender Emily Menges made her 45th career appearance in the match, moving into a tie for fifth place all-time in career games played for Thorns FC.
- Forward Christine Sinclair made her first appearance of the 2016 season, entering the match as a second-half substitute in the 56th minute.
Portland Thorns FC (2-0-3, 9pts) at Seattle Reign FC (2-2-1, 7pts)
May 14, 2016 – Memorial Stadium (Seattle, Wash.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Thorns FC 0 1 1
Seattle Reign FC 0 1 1
Scoring Summary
POR: Nadim (Morris), 46
SEA: Yanez (Barnes), 49
Misconduct Summary
POR: Horan (Caution), 86
POR: Morris (Caution), 90
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Franch, D Reynolds, D Sonnett, D Menges, D Klingenberg, M Long, M Horan, M Brynjarsdottir (Raso, 73), M Shim (Sinclair, 56), M Morris, F Nadim
Substitutes Not Used: GK Kruger, M Boureille, D Berryhill, F Weber
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (Long, Nadim, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Four players tied, 1); FOULS: 8 (Horan, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 1
SEA: GK Solo, D Reed, D Corsie, D Fletcher, D Barnes, M Winters, M Little, M Yanez, M Melis (Pickett, 5), M Dallstream, F Mathias (Elston, 81)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Kopmeyer, D Nielsen, D Cruz, M Solaun
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Little, Winters, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Yanez, 2); FOULS: 3 (Three players tied, 1); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 2
Referee: Matthew Kreitzer
Assistant Referees: Alicia Messer, TJ Zablocki
4th Official: JJ Blodgett
Attendance: 4,631
Weather: Cloudy, 57 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
