KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Portland Thorns FC saw a shot cleared off the goal line in the first half and another rattle the crossbar in the second half, but could not find a late equalizer in a 1-0 loss against FC Kansas City at Verizon Wireless Field at Durwood Stadium in front of 2,421 on Saturday evening.
The two teams traded possession and a handful of chances in the first half. Portland (6-6-2, 20pts) had multiple opportunities in the first 20 minutes, including a header by forward Alex Morgan off a corner kick in the 16th minute that was cleared off the goal line. Less than a minute later, defender Steph Catley sent a cross into the box for midfielder Amber Brooks but her header from close range was high.
Thorns FC goalkeeper Nadine Angerer denied the Blues on consecutive attempts in the 40th minute. Angerer dove to her left to stop a long range attempt from defender Leigh Ann Robinson and quickly reacted to save the next shot right in front of goal by forward Amy Rodriguez.
FC Kansas City (9-4-3, 30pts) broke the deadlock in the 41st minute as Rodriguez stole the ball on the left side and sent a pass to forward Lauren Holiday at the top of the box. Holiday's shot deflected off a Portland defender and into the net.
The two teams combined for six total shots in the second half but Portland had two chances late in the match. In the 73rd minute, forward Jessica McDonald, a second-half substitute, saw her header skip over the crossbar off a corner kick. In the 84th minute, midfielder Allie Long’s attempt from the edge of the box was tipped off the crossbar by FC Kansas City goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart.
Angerer finished the match with four saves, while Barnhart tallied three in the match as she earned the clean sheet. Portland and FC Kansas City finished even on shots in the match with nine each.
Thorns FC return to the Rose City for an Independence Day match, playing host to the Chicago Red Stars for the first time this season on Friday, July 4, at Providence Park; kickoff is set for 11 a.m. (Pacific). The match will be broadcast live via webstream at www.portlandthornsfc.com.
Notes:
- Defender Nikki Marshall made her 36th consecutive regular-season start for Thorns FC on Saturday night.
- Thorns FC limited their opponent to single-digit shot attempts for the sixth time this season and the second consecutive match.
- FC Kansas City tallied three shots in the second half, equaling the fewest shots allowed by Portland in the second half of a match this season.
- Thorns FC are 11-4-5 on the road all-time in all competitions and have allowed only 17 goals in 20 road matches all-time.
- Rookie defender Emily Menges started her 14th consecutive match and along with Marshall is the only player to start every match this season for Thorns FC.
Portland Thorns FC (6-6-2, 20pts) at FC Kansas City (9-4-3, 30pts)
June 28, 2014 – Verizon Wireless Field at Durwood Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Thorns FC 0 0 0
FC Kansas City 1 0 1
Scoring Summary
FCKC: Holiday (Rodriguez), 41
Misconduct Summary
POR: Brooks (Caution), 50
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Nadine Angerer, D Emily Menges (Sarah Huffman, 77), D Nikki Marshall, D Rachel Van Hollebeke, D Steph Catley, M Amber Brooks (Rebecca Moros, 69), M Sinead Farrelly (Jessica McDonald, 64), M Allie Long, M Verónica Boquete, F Alex Morgan, F Christine Sinclair ©
Substitutes Not Used: GK Betos, M Kerr, D Niemiec
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Three players, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (4 players, 1); FOULS: 6 (Brooks, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 4
FCKC: GK Nicole Barnhart, D Leigh Ann Robinson, D Becky Sauerbrunn ©, D Nikki Phillips, D Kassey Kallman, M Merritt Mathias (Amy LePeilbet, 84), M Jen Buczkowski, M Erika Tymrak (Katrina Gorry, 62), M Jenna Richmond, F Lauren Holiday, F Amy Rodriguez (Sarah Hagen, 78)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Keane, F Bogus, F Henderson, F Silva
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Holiday, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Holiday, 3); FOULS: 6 (Buczkowski, Phillips, 2); OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 0; SAVES: 3
Referee: Josh Wilkens
Assistant Referees: TJ Zabolocki, Alexander Luttman
4th Official: Devin Blazek
Attendance: 2,421
Weather: Cloudy, 70 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
