MATCH RECAP | Smith tallies brace as Thorns FC and North Carolina Courage draw 3-3

PORTLAND, Ore. - Sophia Smith netted a brace and Portland Thorns FC drew 3-3 with the visiting North Carolina Courage Friday night at Providence Park to extend Portland's unbeaten streak to 10 matches.

• MATCHCENTER: Stats and Boxscore

Chances galore, but Thorns got the ones that mattered

Match Moments

3' - CHANCE (POR) - Portland's first chance of the game came courtesy of Smith, who was played into the box and received friendly deflection to keep possession, but her final shot flashed just wide of the far post.

8' - GOAL (POR) - Minutes later Smith fired the Thorns on top. Cutting between defenders, Smith created her own space before slotting the ball past Casey Murphy for a superb solo goal and a 1-0 Portland lead.

15' - CHANCE (POR) - Feeding off pure adrenaline, Smith had another crack at goal that just missed the near post. Turning with the ball in the box, Smith fired a dangerous shot that Murphy had covered, but drew a loud reaction from the home crowd.

24' - GOAL (POR) - Morgan Weaver joined in on the scoring fun later in the first half, pouncing on a rebound in the box and capitalizing on the opportunity. Midfielder Hina Sugita played the initial ball into box that fell at the feet of Christine Sinclair, who nearly turned the ball in herself, but Murphy got a finger to it. The 'keeper's touch wasn't enough to get it away from the goal mouth and Weaver made her pay, scoring her third goal of the season giving the Thorns a 2-0 lead into the half.

40' - CHANCE (POR) - The ball pinged around in the box, leaving several Portland players with good looks at goal. Last ditch defending allowed North Carolina to keep its deficit at two, but the sequence once again showed the Thorns' danger in every area of attack.

61' - GOAL (NC) - The Courage pulled a goal back early in the second half on a corner kick. Carson Pickett's delivery found the feet of Diana Ordoñez, whose shot beat Bella Bixby and cut Portland's lead to 2-1.

68' - CHANCE (POR) - Portland nearly doubled their advantage once again as a corner kick delivery found the head of Sinclair in the middle of the box. The captain put her header on frame, forcing a leaping save out of Murphy.

71' - SAVE (POR) - With little time to react, Bixby managed to get two hands to a close-range shot from the Courage, preventing the equalizer from the threatening visitors.

72' - GOAL (NC) - This time North Carolina wasn't to be denied. Ordoñez completed a brace with a towering header mere yards away from goal, giving Bixby no chance evening the score at 2-2.

77' - GOAL (POR) - Desperate to restore the lead, Smith answered the call with another piece of individual brilliance. Toeing the offside line, the forward received the ball in behind the Courage's defense on a perfectly weighted throughball from Olivia Moultrie, dribbled around Murphy and emphatically placed her shot inside the near post.

78' SAVE (POR) - Quick on her feet, Bixby came up big for the Thorns with a double save to prevent the Courage from immediately answering Smith's goal. The Portland netminder went to her knees to snuff out the first shot and followed it up with a dive to ensure the ball didn't hit the back of the net.

85' - GOAL (NC) - Jaelene Daniels scored North Carolina's third goal of the second half to level the score at 3-3. Receiving the ball on a precise pass played in front of goal, Daniels made sure she didn't miss from close range.

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Portland has just five days to rest before crossing the country for a midweek match against the Washington Spirit. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw at Providence Park on May 18. On Wednesday, Aug. 10, the Thorns will be looking to take the full three points at Segra Field (4:30 p.m. PT, Paramount+).

Notes:

• Portland is unbeaten in its last 10 matches overall, posting a record of 5-0-5.
• The team’s unbeaten run is the second-longest in club history. Thorns FC went 12 games unbeaten from April 12-July 2 during the 2016 season.
• Thorns FC have scored multiple goals in nine of their last 10 matches.
• Portland has outscored its opponents 17-3 in their last four matches at Providence Park.
• Thorns FC have scored three or more goals in five of their eight home matches this season.
• North Carolina’s 61st minute goal snapped a 354-minute shutout streak at Providence Park. 
• Sophia Smith notched a brace and now leads the team and is tied for the league lead in goals (11). 
• Smith has a goal or an assist (9g, 2a) in her last seven appearances for Portland. 
• Smith has registered a goal in each of her last five matches with Portland, totaling eight.
• It marked Smith’s league-leading third brace of the 2022 campaign. 
• Smith is the second player in the league to score 11 goals in 11 appearances this season (Alex Morgan) but did so in fewer minutes played. 
• Smith is now the youngest player in league history to score 10 or more goals in a regular season. 
• Smith is tied with Jessica McDonald for most goals scored in a season (11 - 2014) in club history, behind Lindsey Horan (13 - 2018).
• Morgan Weaver tallied her third goal of the season. 
• Weaver has made a goal contribution in three straight games for Portland (2G, 2A). 
• Kelli Hubly and Hina Sugita are the only two players to appear in all 14 matches for Portland.
• Hubly is the only player to start every match for Thorns FC, playing every minute of the first 14 matches. 
• Tegan McGrady earned her first start and Providence Park debut for Thorns FC.

Portland Thorns FC (6-1-7, 25pts) vs. North Carolina Courage (2-5-4, 10pts)
Aug. 5, 2022 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)

Scoring Summary:
POR: S. Smith, 8
POR: Weaver, 24
NCC: Ordóñez (C. Pickett), 61
NCC: Ordóñez: (Williams), 72
POR: S. Smith (Moultrie), 77
NCC: Daniels, 85

Misconduct Summary:
None

Lineups:
POR: GK Bixby, D McGrady (Kuikka, 45), D Sauerbrunn, D Hubly, D Nally, M Coffey, M Sinclair (Moultrie, 73), M Rodríguez (Beckie, 65), F Sugita, F Smith, F Weaver (Ryan, 73)

Substitutes Not Used: GK A. Smith, D Provenzano, M Everett, M Porter, F Vasconcelos

TOTAL SHOTS: 20 (S. Smith, 10); SHOTS ON GOAL: 11 (S. Smith, 6); FOULS: 4 (four players tied, 1); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 11; SAVES: 6

NCC: GK Murphy, D C. Pickett, D Erceg, D Kurtz, D Williams, M Pinto, M O'Sullivan, M Berkely (Speck, 45), M Debinha, F Ratcliffe (Daniels, 73), F Ordóñez

Substitutes Not Used: GK Rowland, D Bowen, D K. Pickett, M Tagliaferri, M Boade, M Baisden, F Gauvin

TOTAL SHOTS: 23 (Ordóñez, 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 10 (Daniels, Ordóñez, 4); FOULS: 7 (seven players tied, 1); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 4

Referee: Natalie Simon
Assistant Referees: Melissa Beck, Baboucarr Jallow
Fourth Official: Corbyn May
Weather: Sunny, 76 degrees
Attendance: 17,139

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial