KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Portland Thorns FC conceded three goals in the second half against FC Kansas City in a 3-0 loss on the road at Swope Soccer Village in front of 2,982 fans on Wednesday night.
Playing their third game in eight days, Thorns FC (6-7-4, 22pts) and FC Kansas City (7-6-4, 25pts) entered the match tied for fourth place in the NWSL standings with 22 points each. Despite the loss, Portland sits just three points behind FC Kansas City and the Washington Spirit (25pts) with three games remaining on the NWSL regular-season schedule.
Both teams created a handful of chances in the opening 45 minutes. Goalkeeper Michelle Betos kept FC Kansas City off the board with a diving stop on a point-blank shot by midfielder Heather O’Reilly in the 26th minute, while midfielder Allie Long saw an attempt near the penalty spot go just over the crossbar in the 43rd minute.
After a scoreless first half, FC Kansas City scored consecutive goals just three minutes apart in the second half. Midfielder Mandy Laddish gave FC Kansas City a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute and forward Amy Rodriguez doubled the lead with a goal in the 63rd minute, finishing a cross put into the box by O’Reilly. Midfielder Erika Tymrak tallied the final goal of the match, collecting the ball off a header from Laddish in the 76th minute.
Thorns FC visit Sky Blue FC on Saturday, Aug. 22, at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J.; kickoff is set for 4 p.m. (Pacific). The match will feature a live web stream at www.portlandthornsfc.com.
Notes:
- Defender Emily Menges made her 25th consecutive start, while also making her 40th career appearance for Thorns FC.
- Defender Kat Williamson appeared in her 60th career NWSL match.
- Forward Ayo returned to the lineup after missing the last two matches away on international duty with Equatorial Guinea for Olympic qualifying.
- Menges, Williamson and Long are the only three players to start and play in all 17 matches for Portland this season.
Portland Thorns FC (6-7-4, 22pts) at FC Kansas City (7-6-4, 25pts)
Aug. 12, 2015 – Swope Soccer Village (Kansas City, Mo.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Thorns FC 0 0 0
FC Kansas City 0 3 3
Scoring Summary
KC: Laddish (Robinson), 60
KC: Rodriguez (O’Reilly), 63
KC: Tymrak (Laddish), 76
Misconduct Summary
POR: Menges (Caution), 71
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Michelle Betos, D Clare Polkinghorne, D Kat Williamson ©, D Emily Menges, M McCall Zerboni, M Sinead Farrelly (Johnson, 32), M Kaylyn Kyle (Ayo, 70), M Tobin Heath, M Allie Long, F Mana Shim (Sanderson, 46), F Christine Sinclair
Substitutes Not Used: GK Nadine Angerer, F Jodie Taylor, D Rachel Van Hollebeke
TOTAL SHOTS: 5 (Long, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 0; FOULS: 5 (Five players tied, 1); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 1
KC: GK Nicole Barnhart, D Becca Moros, D Becky Sauerbrunn, D Leigh Ann Robinson, D Amy LePeilbet, M Jen Buczkowski, M Heather O’Reilly (Silva, 79), M Yael Averbuch, M Erika Tymrak (Bogus, 83), M Mandy Laddish, F Amy Rodriguez (Hagen, 84)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Katelyn Rowland, D Megan Lisenby, M Kaysie Clark, F Caroline Kastor
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Averbuch, Tymrak, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Tymrak, 2); FOULS: 6 (Six players tied, 1); OFFSIDES: 8; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 0
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
Assistant Referees: Adrienne McDonald, Maggie Short
4th Official: Jon Freemon
Attendance: 2,982
Weather: Clear, 87 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
