BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Portland Thorns FC scored a pair of goals in each half, earning a point on the road in a 4-4 draw against the Chicago Red Stars in front 12,967 fans at SeatGeek Stadium. Christine Sinclair scored her second career hat-trick, while Meghan Klingenberg recorded a pair of assists.
Sinclair vs. Chicago
With three goals against the Red Stars, Sinclair now has scored 13 goals in 17 career matches against Chicago. Sinclair has recorded three multi-goal games against Chicago in her career. Additionally, she has scored five goals in her last three road matches against the Red Stars.
Against the Red Stars
With the draw, Portland (1-0-1, 4pts) improved to 8-1-9 all-time against Chicago, including a mark of 4-0-6 in road matches. Thorns FC are unbeaten in their last 15 games (6-0-9) against the Red Stars. Additionally, Lindsey Horan has recorded a goal or an assist (2g, 2a) in each of her last four road matches against Chicago.
Multi-goal and multi-assist
Sinclair recorded her second career hat-trick in the match. She scored the first-ever hat-trick for Thorns FC on July 20, 2014, in a 6-3 win at Providence Park against the Boston Breakers. It was the seventh multi-goal game of her NWSL career. Klingenberg recorded the first multi-assist game of her career – the eighth multi-assist game in Thorns FC history. She is the sixth different player to record a multi-assist game for Portland.
Key plays
Portland claimed a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute as Sinclair recorded her first goal of the season. Winning the ball near the edge of Chicago’s box, Horan played a scoop pass, lifting the ball over two Red Stars defenders for Sinclair, who chipped the ball over Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher from inside the box.
Chicago was awarded a penalty kick in the 18th minute after Thorns FC were whistled for a handball inside the box. Yuki Nagasto stepped up and converted to level the match.
The Red Stars added another goal just over two minutes later, as Sam Kerr stole the ball at the edge of Portland’s box and slotted her shot into the goal in the 20th minute.
Ana Crnogorcevic tallied her first goal of the season to even the score at 2-2 in the 33rd minute. Receiving a pass from Tobin Heath on the left side of the box, Klingenberg delivered a curling ball near the penalty spot that was redirected with a header by Crnogorcevic inside the right post.
Sinclair gave Thorns FC a 3-2 lead in the 51st minute. Klingenberg played a pinpoint ball to Sinclair with a perfectly-timed run to the right post for the tap in.
Heath nearly added to Portland’s lead in the 68th minute. Against the run of play, Sinclair played a long diagonal ball from near midfield over the top for Heath running down the middle of the field. Heath stayed with the play, collecting the ball after it deflected off Chicago’s Casey Short, and fired a shot from inside the box, forcing a save by Naeher at the left post.\
The Red Stars tied the match at 3-3 in the 77th minute as Michele Vasconcelos converted from close range, getting on the end of a cross played into the center of the box by Julie Ertz.
Thorns FC earned a penalty kick in the 86th minute when Midge Purce was pulled down inside the box by Katie Naughton. Sinclair converted from the spot, recording her second career hat-trick to put Portland ahead 4-3 in the match in the 87th minute.
The Red Stars again tied the game, this time at 4-4, in the 90th minute. Kerr weaved her way through the box and fired a shot that was deflected and landed for Nagasato, who finished inside five yards.
Next match
Up next, Thorns FC will continue their stretch of road games with a match on Sunday, April 28, at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. Beginning at 3 p.m. (Pacific), the match will feature a live stream available on Yahoo! Sports.
Notes:
- Christine Sinclair recorded her seventh career multi-goal game and her second career hat-trick in the match.
- Sinclair has scored three of her seven multi-goal games against the Red Stars, recording a multi-goal game in two of her last three road matches against Chicago.
- Sinclair has tallied 43 career NWSL goals, which is tied for second most in NWSL history.
- In 17 career matches against the Red Stars, Sinclair has scored 13 goals.
- Lindsey Horan recorded her first assist of the 2019 season. Horan has two goals and two assists in her last four road games against the Red Stars.
- With two assists, Meghan Klingenberg became the fifth player in club history to record double-digit assists for her career. Her 10 assists are fifth-most in club history.
- Klingenberg became the sixth different player in Thorns FC history to register a multi-assist game.
- Ana Crnogorcevic registered her first goal of the season in the match.
- Gabby Seiler made her NWSL and professional debut, entering the match in the 67th minute.
- Midge Purce made her season debut in the match, logging 11 minutes in a substitute appearance.
- Portland improved to 8-1-9 all-time against Chicago, including a record of 4-0-6 in road matches.
- Thorns FC are unbeaten in the last 15 matches (6-0-9) against the Red Stars.
2019 NWSL Regular Season
Portland Thorns FC (1-0-1, 4pts) vs. Chicago Red Stars (0-0-2, 2pts)
April 20, 2019 – SeatGeek Stadium (Bridgeview, Ill.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Thorns FC 2 2 4
Chicago Red Stars 2 2 4
Scoring Summary:
POR: Sinclair (Horan), 16
CHI: Nagasato (penalty kick), 18
CHI: Kerr, 20
POR: Crnogorcevic (Klingenberg), 33
POR: Sinclair (Klingenberg), 51
CHI: Vasconcelos (Ertz), 77
POR: Sinclair (penalty kick), 87
CHI: Nagasato, 90
Misconduct Summary:
None
Lineups:
POR: GK Franch, D Carpenter, D Sonnett, D Reynolds, D Klingenberg (Seiler, 67), M Boureille (Brynjarsdottir, 89), M Horan, M Sinclair ©, F Crnogorcevic (Purce, 79), F Foord, F Heath
Substitutes Not Used: GK Eckerstrom, D Hubly, D Seiler, M Purce, F Lussi, F Weber
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Sinclair, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Sinclair, 3); FOULS: 10 (Foord, 4), OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 3
CHI: GK Naeher, D Short (Vasconcelos, 75), D Naughton, D Davidson, D Wright, M Mautz (Brian, 64), M Ertz ©, M Nagasato, F Colaprico (DiBernardo, 76), F Kerr, F Johnson
Substitutes Not Used: GK Boyd, D Elby, D Gorden, M Stanton
TOTAL SHOTS: 20 (Kerr, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Nagasato, 3); FOULS: 6 (Johnson, 2); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 1
Referee: Karen Abt
Assistant Referees: Deleana Quan, Kaili Terry
4th Official: Kyle Hannon
Attendance: 12,967
Weather: Windy, 62 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
