SANDY, Utah. – Portland Thorns FC and the Utah Royals played to a 1-1 draw Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. Christine Sinclair scored her fourth goal in four days for Thorns FC.
Portland sits in first place in the NWSL Fall Series with seven points with one game remaining.
- MATCHCENTER: Stats
Match Moments
6' - SAVE (POR) - Goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom made a diving save to deny Amy Rodriguez in the opening minutes of the match.
9'- GOAL (UTR) - Utah got on the board first when Amy Rodriguez pounced on the rebound after Eckerstrom saved a Utah shot.
33' - SHOT (POR) - Portland was denied a goal when Sinclair's shot was stopped by a sprawling Abby Smith just before clearing the goalline.
51'- SAVE (POR) - Eckerstrom again delivered a diving save when she denied Rodriguez's shot from near the top of the area.
59'- GOAL (POR) - Sinclair scored her fourth goal in two matches when she finished off a Simone Charley shot that had been blocked by a Utah defender. The Canadian international found herself unmarked within the six-yard box and calmly slotted the ball home.
85'- SHOT (POR) - On a curling left-footed shot from outside the box, Lindsey Horan just missed giving Portland the late lead.
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Notes:
- Thorns FC remained undefeated (2-0-1, 7pts) in three NWSL Fall Series matches.
- Christine Sinclair tallied a goal for a second consecutive match, improving her goal tally to four in three NWSL Fall Series matches.
- Sophia Smith made the first start of her professional career, logging 45 minutes and finishing the match with two chances created.
- Thorns FC have had six different players (Simone Charley, Tyler Lussi, Angela Salem, Christine Sinclair, Raquel Rodríguez, Christen Westphal) play in every single match across all competitions in 2020.
- Britt Eckerstrom tallied five saves against Utah Royals FC and improved to 3-1-1 across all competitions in 2020.
Next Game
Thorns FC conclude NWSL Fall Series play by traveling to face Cascadia-rival OL Reign on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Cheney Stadium; kickoff is set for 5 p.m. (Pacific) and features a stream on Twitch.
Portland Thorns FC vs. Utah Royals FC
2020 NWSL Fall Series
Oct. 3, 2020 – Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, Utah)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Thorns FC 0 1 1
Utah Royals FC 1 0 1
Scoring Summary:
UTA: Rodriguez, 9
POR: Sinclair, 59
Misconduct Summary:
None
Lineups:
POR: GK Eckerstrom, D Westphal, D Menges, D Sauerbrunn (Hubly, 69), D Pogarch, M Ogle, M Rodríguez (Salem, 61), M Horan, M Sinclair ©, F Weaver (Everett, 45, Lussi, 90), F Smith (Charley, 45)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Angerer, D Smithers
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Horan, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Sinclair, 2); FOULS: 8 (Horan, 4); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 4
UTA: GK Smith, D Bowen, D Ball, D Leach, D Weber, M LaBonta, M Diallo, M Boquete (Lytle, 65), F Ratcliffe, F Rodriguez ©, F King
Substitutes Not Used: GK Lowder, D Nolf, D Vincent, F Del Fava, F Strom-Okimoto, F Vasconcelos
TOTAL SHOTS: 18 (Rodriguez, 8); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Rodriguez, 3); FOULS: 7 (Ratcliffe, 2); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 4
Referee: Karen Abt
Assistant Referees: Bennett Savage, Kali Smith
4th Official: Brad Jensen
Weather: Clear, 77 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
