PORTLAND, Ore.– Portland Thorns FC forward Hayley Raso was named the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Player of the Week by the NWSL Media Association for Week 18, it was announced today.
Raso scored a second-half brace to lead Thorns FC to a 2-1 win on the road against Seattle Reign FC on Aug. 26 at Memorial Stadium, helping Portland become the first NWSL club to reach 50 regular-season wins. The brace was the first of Raso’s Thorns FC career and she is now tied for the team lead with five goals this season.
The Australian international opened the scoring for Portland in the 49th minute, pouncing on a back pass by Seattle defender Kristen McNabb and slotting the ball past Reign FC goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer from close range. Raso doubled Thorns FC’s lead late in the second half, beating Reign FC defender Lauren Barnes to a pass played over the top into space by forward Christine Sinclair. Raso raced to goal and her initial shot was saved by Kopmeyer, but she collected the rebounded and finished from a tight angle to record the game-winning goal in the 86th minute.
It is the first time Raso has been honored as the NWSL Player of the Week and the 13th time a Thorns FC player has won the award.
The NWSL Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers covering the league on a consistent basis. For more information on the NWSL Media Association, follow them on Twitter.
Thorns FC return to action this week against the Washington Spirit on Saturday, Sept. 2, at Providence Park in the NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime at 12:30 p.m. (Pacific).
