Lindsey Horan expresses her frustration during the Thorns’ game against Sky Blue (Photo by Dante’y Buiterida).
The rain was light, the spirit gay; the ending bittersweet. With two last minute scratches, Heath
with her ankle and Menges with some inexplicable pain, the Thorns would take the field in front
of the largest home crowd of the season. Their excitement and energy would not be enough to
spur them onto victory, however much they wished it.
The game started in a promising enough manner. The first three attempts on goal came from
the Thorns, two from Andressinha, in the sixth minute and the eighth. Sky Blue wouldn’t be able
to make an attempt until the 12th minute and it wouldn’t be until the 15th when they would truly
see any form of danger. McCaskill would boot it just across the goal.
In the 20th minute, AMC would break away from the pack, only to be brought down in the box.
The resulting corner would end in another corner and she would have another chance but place
it just wide.
Once again, the Sky Blue defenders lost their mark in the 23rd minute, and Andressinha would
take her chances. It was not to be as she placed the ball wide. The next two thorns attempts would come from Horan, in the 26th and the 37th. Less than a minute later, Franch would be called into action. In fine form since her return, she made the save and her defense cleaned it up for her.
In the 45th minute, the Thorns would draw first blood. Sinclair would flick a ball in goal with her
head, and Horan would dive to finish it with hers.
The Thorns would largely continue to dominate the game until the 77th minute, when Boureille’s
leg wasn’t pulled in quickly enough after striping the ball from Carli Lloyd, who made the most of
it and convinced the referee a penalty was necessary. She would score it, and whilst the tide
didn’t fully turn, Sky Blue enjoyed a better bite of the game than they did before it.
With no time to dwell, the Thorns stressed the amazing support and look towards the upcoming
Cascadia Clash in Seattle on Saturday.
Click here for full photo gallery of the match.
Portland Thorns
