PORTLAND, Ore. – Midfielder Allie Long and forward Jessica McDonald each registered a goal and goalkeeper Nadine Angerer matched a season-high with seven saves as Portland Thorns FC earned a 2-1 win against the Western New York Flash in front of 10,920 fans at Providence Park on Wednesday night.
Opening the scoring for Portland (4-1-2, 14pts), Long recorded her fourth goal in seven matches with a tally in the 17th minute as midfielder Angie Kerr logged an assist for a second consecutive game. Kerr, who managed to find space in the middle of the field, turned and slotted a ball to Long streaking across the top of the box. Long finished with a one-touch shot inside the far left post to give Portland an early 1-0 lead.
Thorns FC doubled its advantage just four minutes into the second half as midfielder Amber Brooks delivered a free kick that slipped through the hands of Western New York goalkeeper Kelsey Wys inside the penalty box. McDonald pounced on a loose ball that caromed off defender Kristen Edmonds for her team-leading fifth goal of the season.
In a rematch of the 2013 National Women’s Soccer League championship game, Portland extended its all-time unbeaten streak against Western New York to five consecutive matches in all competitions (2-0-3) with the win on Wednesday.
Portland created a handful of chances in the first 20 minutes while keeping the pressure on Western New York with a team-record eight corner kicks in first half. Forward Christine Sinclair, who tallied a game-high six shots, was active early with two, one-on-one chances including a fourth-minute opportunity that Wys parried wide as Sinclair looked to chip in a shot from inside the box.
Thorns FC finished with a season-high 20 shots and a club-record 13 corner kicks in the match as the two teams registered 37 shots combined. Angerer, who has recorded seven saves in consecutive matches, made a diving stop on a point-blank shot from midfielder Vicky Losada in the 39th minute. U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder Carli Lloyd spotted Losada inside the box and delivered the pass while the Spanish midfielder quickly turned and fired a shot at point-blank range, but Angerer was there to make the stop.
The Flash got on the board with a 59th-minute goal by midfielder McCall Zerboni as she was left open inside the box, firing a shot low inside the far right post after receiving a pass from Edmonds. Lloyd saw an attempt at the equalizer in the 73rd minute deflected by a Thorns FC defender and then pushed out of play by Angerer.
Both teams had scoring opportunities inside the final 15 minutes. Brooks sent a long pass from the defensive third of the field to the feet of McDonald in stride down the right side. The Thorns FC forward was able to get around a defender and hit a low drive toward the near post, but Wys was there to make the save. In the 87th minute, Lloyd delivered a well-struck effort inside the penalty box after a quick restart and a short pass from Zerboni, but Angerer made the critical save to preserve Portland’s second home win of the season.
Thorns FC finish a two-game home stand on Saturday, May 24, against Sky Blue FC at Providence Park; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Pacific). The match will be broadcast via live, high-definition webstream at www.portlandthornsfc.com.
Portland Thorns FC (4-1-2, 14pts) vs. Western New York (3-3-1, 10pts)
May 21, 2014 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Western New York 0 1 1
Portland Thorns FC 1 1 2
Scoring Summary
POR: Long (Kerr), 17
POR: McDonald, 49
WNY: Zerboni (Edmonds), 57
Misconduct Summary
WNY: Bermudez (Caution), 14
WNY: Reynolds (Caution), 73
POR: Tarr (Caution), 75
WNY: Wambach (Caution), 81
WNY: Taylor (Caution), 90
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Nadine Angerer, D Courtney Niemiec, D Nikki Marshall, D Emily Menges, D Kat Tarr, M Sinead Farrelly (Rebecca Moros, 74), M Amber Brooks, M Allie Long, M Angie Kerr (Sarah Huffman, 79), F Christine Sinclair ©, F Jessica McDonald (Meleana Shim, 90)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Michelle Betos, F Jackie Acevedo, F Elisabeth Sullivan
TOTAL SHOTS: 20 (Sinclair, 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 10 (Sinclair, 4); FOULS: 13 (Brooks, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 13; SAVES: 7
WNY: GK Kelsey Wys, D Katherine Reynolds, D Kat Williamson, D Haley Palmer (Kristen Edmonds, 46), D Brittany Taylor, M Carli Lloyd, M Vicky Losada, M Amy Barczuk (Jasmyne Spencer, 83), M McCall Zerboni, F Abby Wambach ©, F Sonia Bermudez (Adriana Martín, 60)
Substitutes Not Used: GK DiDi Haracic*, D Courtney Verloo, M Courtney Wetzel
TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Four players tied, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Lloyd, 3); FOULS: 14 (Barczuk, Lloyd, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 8
Referee: Mark Allatin
Assistant Referees: Apolinar Mariscal, Ben Warren
4th Official: Lucas Brooks
Attendance: 10,920
Weather: Clear, 70 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
