On the final day of the 2016 regular season, Portland Thorns FC defeated Sky Blue NJ, 3-1, in Piscataway, N.J. to secure the 2016 NWSL Shield. An Allie Long brace paired with a Lindsey Horan goal led the way for Portland.
That match is defender Meghan Klingenberg's choice for this week's PTFC: From the Archives, presented by Providence Health & Services. Tune in to FOX 12 Oregon KPTV or ThornsFC.com on May 23, 2020 at 3pm PT to see a special rebroadcast of this historic match. Here are five numbers to know ahead of the game.
1History Books - The victory, paired with a loss by the Washington Spirit to the Chicago Red Stars the day before, earned the club their first NWSL Shield in team history. Despite finishing in the top three in NWSL in all but one season, the 2016 season remains the only year where the Thorns have captured the regular-season crown.
29Looking Ahead - Long had a brace in the match, scoring a goal in each half. The one-time U.S. Women's National Team midfielder finished her Thorns career with 29 regular season goals for the club, which is second-most in club history behind only Christine Sinclair.
12Career High - In the 20 regular season games in the 2016 season, Thorns FC finished with 12 wins and just three losses. Portland has never won a higher percentage of matches in a single season than the 60 percent clip of 2016.
2Surprise! On the late game-clinching goal, Long scored after a cross from Hayley Raso. It was the second assist of the season for Raso, who played in all 20 matches for the Thorns that season.
5X5Squad Goals - Horan's goal gave the future NWSL MVP five goals for the season, becoming the fifth Thorns player in 2016 with five or more goals. Only one other team in NWSL history has had five players score five or more goals in a single season.
