B y Amelia Hirtle
With Christen Press out for the remainder of the year due to a leg injury, Angel City FC recently signed forward Sydney Leroux to bolster their top line. Leroux comes from the Orlando Pride, whose head coach is currently on an administrative league from the team.
The previous meeting between these two teams was about a month ago, with a 3-0 Thorns win at home. Portland has six players on international duty and their top two goalkeepers are out due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols. It spelled trouble from the start for the Thorns. Angel City had two players missing on international duty.
On a loud night at the Banc, the home team was awarded a penalty kick that Savannah McCaskill took and missed but got her rebound to put it away. Shelby Hogan started in goal for the Thorns, and the home team made sure she was busy early.
Angel City played physical all night. They stifled Thorn’s offensive attack. With different players in the mix, Portland struggled with their connections as they tried to move up the pitch. It was to be expected when the main goal scorers were out on international duty, but the team showed they have grit and that they won’t give up.
In the final seconds of the match, Madison Pogarch sent a flying ball into Yazmeen Ryan who used her head to put it away. In the end, Hogan kept the Thorns alive. She saved seven shots and a penalty kick to give the offense a chance to equalize.
Next up for the Thorns is the Cascadia rivalry against OL Reign. Portland will travel to Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday, July 10th and kickoff will be at 3 PM PT/ 6 PM ET.