The Portland Thorns returned to action at Providence Park on Saturday following a 1-1 draw to Washington midweek. With only two days of rest, Portland welcomed the Houston Dash, who held a record of 1-1-1 in the month of May, and we’re looking for their second victory in four games.
With the sun keeping Portland in a breezy 69 degrees, the game kicked off with both teams battling for possession. The Thorns would begin producing attacking options beginning in the 11th minute, with a saved shot by Dash GK Jane Campbell preventing midfielder Yazmeen Ryan from finding the first of the day. Portland kept the offensive pressure going and in the 15th minute forward Morgan Weaver found herself with one of the clearest chances of the game. Weaver caught the Dash backline slacking on a floated header into the six-yard box, controlled the ball, and slipped it past Campbell, only to have it rejected off the line by Dash defender Katie Naughton.
With hydration breaks in the 22nd and 35th minutes, both teams struggled to find openings, and Portland began dominating on possession. By the 45th minute, the game seemed to have stalled, and the fourth official indicated there would be three minutes of added time. It seemed the game was set to enter the half at 0-0, however in 45+2, Houston found themselves pressing on a counter into Thorn’s 18-yard box, eventually leading to Houston’s first goal of the afternoon, courtesy of forwarding Rachel Daly. Providence Park, clearly shaken from the opening goal, was given a ray of hope following the restart at 45+3. The Thorns pushed an offensive attack straight into the Dash box that saw the ball scramble from player to player, with three Thorns getting on the end of it, but each shot was deflected. Head referee Michael Radchuck blew his whistle following the scramble and both teams headed to the break, the visitors ahead by the minimum.
The Thorns made two-player changes entering the second half, bringing on Taylor Porter and Natalia Kuikka for Sam Coffey and Madison Pogarch. With the sun still beaming down on the turf, a hydration break in the 53rd minute allowed players to shake off a rough start to the second half in which both teams struggled to maintain possession and provide accurate passes. Portland found itself the second clearest goal-scoring opportunity in the 57th minute. Captain Christine Sinclair provided a beautiful chipped cross over the Dash six-yard box that found a lonely Yazmeen Ryan waiting to pounce. Ryan headed the ball past Campbell, only for the ball to strike the crossbar and eventually cleared by Houston defenders. The crowd was riled up, and they could sense a momentum gain from the Thorns, who continued pressing on offense in search of the leveler. Unfortunately for PTFC, they again found themselves on the wrong end of a Houston offensive push in the 65th minute, and thanks to some quick triangle-passing on the right flank between defender Haley Hanson and forward Sophie Schmidt, Houston was able to go up 0-2 after Portland’s backline failed to close Schmidt out and she blasted a right-footed shot past Thorns GK Bella Bixby from inside six yards. Providence Park was again stunned silent, with only a handful of cheers audible from the traveling Houston supporters.
With an already tough uphill battle, Portland was still very involved offensively, accumulating nearly 61% of possession throughout the entire game. Sinclair came close to providing for Portland in the 74th minute, only to have her shot saved. In the ensuing clearance, PTFC won the ball back and lofted a pass back into the Houston box, where Sophia Smith (who had entered the game in the 64th min) took a stab at the ball, only to send it over the goal and towards the Rose City Riveters.
Houston tried to conserve their 0-2 lead, playing the final 15 minutes very controlled defensively, and slowing the tempo down significantly, effectively controlling Thorn’s possession-heavy game. When the game clock hit 90 the fourth official added 5 minutes to regular time, however it would not be enough. Portland earned its first home loss, and now holds a record of 1-2-1 in the 2022 NWSL season, good enough for 5th in the standings. Meanwhile, Houston makes it two wins in its last four, and with a 2-1-1 record, they see themselves climb to 2nd in the standings, just behind league-leaders San Diego Wave.
Houston will return home and prepare for visiting North Carolina on Sunday 5/29, and the Thorns will shift their focus to next Saturday 5/28, where they will be traveling to Chicago to face the 8th place Red Stars; the match is set for 4 pm PST.