In their home opening match of the 2019 season, Portland Thorns FC was competing in the newly renovated Providence Park for the first time. A Midge Purce brace led the way as Portland rolled to a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars.
That match is defender Katherine Reynolds' choice for this week's PTFC: From the Archives, presented by Providence Health & Services. Tune in to FOX 12 Oregon KPTV, ThornsFC.com or Twitch.tv/thornsfc on May 2, 2020 at 3pm PT to see a special rebroadcast of this historic match. Here are five numbers to know ahead of the game.
2 A week after scoring her first goal for the Thorns, Purce scored twice in the first half against Chicago. The brace was the first of Purce's NWSL career.
7 In her second career professional match, forward Simone Charley delivered assists on both of Purce's goals. With the first two assists of her career, Charley became the seventh Thorns player ever with multiple assists in a single match.
9 Just nine days after signing with the Thorns as a National Team Replacement player, Marissa Everett scored her first professional goal. Everett became the first player from the University of Oregon to score an NWSL goal as well as score a goal for the Timbers/Thorns organization.
2x2 Defender Meghan Klingenberg set up Everett's goal by delivering a stellar free kick into the penalty area. Klingenberg finished the season with two assists direct from a dead ball, one of two NWSL players to finish the season with multiple dead ball assists.
7-0-0 The victory continued Portland's impressive record in home openers. The Thorns have won every single home opener in their seven seasons, outscoring opponents by a 18-5 margin.
