PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC were unable to overcome an early deficit, falling 6-0 to the North Carolina Courage in front of 17,517 fans at Providence Park on Wednesday night. With three matches remaining on their regular-season schedule, Thorns FC next play host to the Houston Dash on Sept. 21 at Providence Park.
Key plays
North Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute. Crystal Dunn dribbled down the right side of the box and played the ball to the penalty spot for Debinha, who finished into the left corner.
Off the kickoff, Thorns FC surged down field and Tobin Heath fired a shot from a tight angle near the left post, forcing a save by North Carolina goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe in the 16th minute. Hayley Raso stayed with the play and was able to get a second shot attempt off inside the six-yard box, but it was blocked near the goal line.
Lynn Williams doubled the Courage’s lead in the 21st minute of the match. Dunn’s initial shot from inside the box hit the post, but the ball bounced back into the box for Debinha, who hit a shot from close range that went directly to Williams and she deposited the ball into the back of the net from inside the six-yard box.
North Carolina added a third goal in the 24th minute as Williams finished from close range, converting a cross played into the box by Mathias from the right side.
In the 33rd minute, Midge Purce delivered a curling ball from the edge of the box headed for the bottom left corner of the goal, forcing a diving save by Labbe to push the ball just wide of the target.
Searching for a goal off a corner kick, Meghan Klingenberg picked up a loose ball that was initially cleared by North Carolina. Klingenberg served a ball from the left corner of the box to Lindsey Horan, who connected with a header inside the box that bounced just wide of the left post in the 40th minute.
In the 48th minute, Raso dribbled all the way to the end line and played a cross into the middle of the box. The Courage cleared the ball to the edge of the box and Heath came surging toward goal, firing a powerful strike through traffic that was saved by Labbe.
In the 61st minute, Jaelene Hinkle dribbled down the left side of the field and played a cross to Dunn making a run to the right post for the finish at the goal line to up North Carolina’s advantage.
Williams added a fifth goal for North Carolina on the counter-attack in the 68th minute, dribbling down the left side and firing a shot from inside the box into the right corner of the goal.
Kristen Hamilton made it 6-0 in the 90th minute, finishing from the left edge of the six-yard box into the right side of the net.
Next match
Up next, Thorns FC play host to the Houston Dash on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Providence Park. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. (Pacific), the match will be broadcast on Yahoo! Sports.
Notes:
- Emily Menges surpassed 10,000 career minutes played in the match. She is the 14th player in league history to reach the milestone.
- Menges is the fifth player (Lauren Barnes, Jessica Fishlock, Tori Huster, Christine Sinclair) in league history to play 10,000 or more career minutes all with the same team.
- Emily Ogle made her Providence Park debut in the match, making her second appearance of the season.
Portland Thorns FC (10-5-6, 36pts) vs. North Carolina Courage (11-4-4, 37pts)
Sept. 11, 2019 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half
Portland Thorns FC 0 0 0
North Carolina Courage 3 3 6
Scoring Summary:
NCC: Debinha (Dunn), 15
NCC: Williams (Debinha), 21
NCC: Williams (Mathias), 24
NCC: Dunn (Hinkle), 61
NCC: Williams (Debinha), 68
NCC: Hamilton (Debinha), 89
Misconduct Summary:
POR: Klingenberg (caution), 57
POR: Horan (caution), 58
NCC: Hinkle (caution), 69
Lineups:
POR: GK Franch, D Carpenter, D Reynolds, D Menges, D Klingenberg (Ball, 68), M Brynjarsdottir, M Horan (Ogle, 79), M Sinclair ©, F Raso, F Purce (Charley, 59), F Heath
Substitutes Not Used: GK Eckerstrom, F Crnogorcevic, F Lussi, F Foord
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Heath, Raso, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Heath, Raso, 1); FOULS: 7 (Horan, 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 2
NCC: GK Labbe, D Mathias, D Erceg ©, D Dahlkemper, D Hinkle, M Mewis, M Debinha, M O’Sullivan, F Williams (Speck, 85), F McDonald (Hamilton, 75), F Dunn (O’Reilly, 80)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Rowland, D Roccaro, M Zerboni, F Spetsmark,
TOTAL SHOTS: 22 (Williams, 7); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Williams, 3); FOULS: 6 (Hinkle, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 2
Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr
Assistant Referees: Seth Martin, Salma Perez
4th Official: Karen Callado
Attendance: 17,517
Weather: Partly cloudy, 66 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
