KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Following a two-hour weather delay, Portland Thorns FC scored the opening goal late in the first half, but conceded a pair of goals in the second half, falling 2-1 on the road to FC Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Victory Field on Wednesday evening.
Thorns FC (9-5-4, 31pts) suffered their first loss since July 1, snapping a four-game winning streak that was part of a stretch of five games unbeaten. Portland retains second place in the NWSL standings with a two-point edge over the third-place Chicago Red Stars (29pts) and four points clear of Seattle Reign FC in fourth place with 27 points.
Portland claimed the lead heading into the break as midfielder Amandine Henry converted from the penalty spot in the 44th minute after forward Christine Sinclair was taken down inside the box. Henry sent FC Kansas City goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart the wrong direction and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. The goal was Henry’s second of the season and her first from the penalty spot for Thorns FC.
Remaining on the front foot to begin the second half, Thorns FC had an opportunity to capitalize on a turnover inside the FC Kansas City penalty box. Forward Hayley Raso blocked a pass by defender Becky Sauerbrunn. Midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir pounced on the loose ball and fired a shot on target, but Barnhart was able to stop the attempt and the ball was cleared in the 49th minute.
FC Kansas City (5-8-5, 20pts) answered to level the match in the 65th minute as defender Yael Averbuch sent a low, hard free kick from just outside the box around the wall and inside the left post. Less than five minutes later, FC Kansas City grabbed a 2-1 lead when forward Sydney Leroux deposited a header off a cross played into the box by forward Brittany Ratcliffe.
Goalkeeper Adrianna Franch made a key stop to keep FC Kansas City from scoring a third goal in the 82nd minute, full extending to tip the ball over the bar on a well-placed strike, heading for the top right corner of the goal delivered by forward Maegan Kelly.
Midfielder Lindsey Horan nearly delivered the game-tying goal, lining up a 30-yard free kick and sending a powerful strike just off the left corner of the crossbar in the 89th minute.
Up next, Thorns FC return to the Rose City to play host the Houston Dash on Saturday, Aug. 19, at Providence Park; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Pacific) with a live, high-definition web stream available at www.nwslsoccer.com and www.g90.com.
Notes:
- Midfielder Amandine Henry scored her second goal of the season. Additionally, it was her first penalty-kick goal for Thorns FC.
- Henry is the seventh player to have tallied multiple goals this season for Portland, establishing a record for the most multi-goal scorers in a season for the club.
- Defender Meghan Klingenberg made her 50th career NWSL appearance in the match.
- Forward Nadia Nadim made her first appearance for Portland since returning from the 2017 European Championships.
- Defender Emily Menges extended her streak to 38 consecutive appearances, having played 3,420 consecutive minutes.
- Menges, defender Emily Sonnett, midfielder Lindsey Horan and forward Christine Sinclair are the only four field players to have started in all 18 matches this season for Portland.
Portland Thorns FC (9-5-4, 31pts) at FC Kansas City (5-8-5, 20pts)
Aug. 16, 2017 – Children’s Mercy Victory Field (Kansas City, Mo.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Thorns FC 1 0 1
FC Kansas City 0 2 2
Scoring Summary
POR: Henry (penalty kick), 44
KC: Averbuch, 65
KC: Leroux (Ratcliffe), 69
Misconduct Summary
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Franch, D Reynolds, D Sonnett, D Menges, D Klingenberg, M Henry, M Horan, M Sinclair, F Sykes (Weber, 72), F Brynjarsdottir (Nadim, 64), F Raso
Substitutes Not Used: GK Eckerstrom, D Johnson, D Cox, D Boureille
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Henry, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Henry, 2); FOULS: 10 (Three players tied, 2); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 2
KC: GK Barnhart, D Taylor, D Sauerbrunn ©, D Averbuch, D Moros, M Scott, M Gibbons, M Groom, M LaBonta (Bowen, 62), M Tymrak (Ratcliffe, 62), F Leroux (Kelly, 80)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Parkhill, M Miramontez, M Flynn, F Newfield
TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Leroux, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Kelly, 2); FOULS: 11 (Moros, 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 4
Referee: Marco Vega
Assistant Referees: Shane Kennard, Ben Pilgrim
4th Official: Devin Blazek
Weather: Cloudy, 75 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
