The Portland Thorns lost to Racing Louisville FC this Saturday by a score of 2-1. This is the first loss the Portland Thorns have ever suffered against Racing Louisville FC while playing in Lynn Family Stadium. The loss moves Louisville into sixth place overall in the league standings. The Thorns maintain the #1 overall seed in the NWSL, with a one-point lead over the North Carolina Courage.
It was a wild start to the match at Lynn Family Stadium. In the match’s first five minutes, Louisville had three golden chances to score. Kristen Davies had a chance two minutes into the game that required a diving save from Portland goalkeeper, Bella Bixby. Then, 45 seconds later, Davies would have another chance to shoot off a mishandled pass by herself and a Portland defender. The ball would ricochet into open space inside the box, then Davies would step into a shot that would ring off the far post and out. The third chance would come just before the five-minute mark when Paige Monaghan received a ball that would split the gap between Thorns defenders. Off a bounce, Monaghan would chip a right-footed shot over Bella Bixby and off the crossbar, keeping the game tied a 0-0.
However, that scoreline wouldn’t hold for long as the Thorns would catch a lucky break. A pass back to the goalie on the Louisville side of the pitch was soft, and Morgan Weaver leaped at the opportunity. Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund would come out to clear the ball away, but Weaver would block the kick and the ball would stay close the Weaver’s feet. From the top of the box, Weaver would rifle a left-footed shot over the defender and into the back of the net, giving the Thorns 1-0 lead just 5:43 into the match.
Unfortunately, the game would start to slip away from Portland in the second half. At 59:27, Wang Shuang would send a Louisville corner kick into the box. The ball would soar to the far side of the box, where Abby Erceg would connect on a header that would go right at Hina Sugita. Sugita attempted to redirect the ball away. However, her header would push the ball back towards the far post. Unfortunately, Bella Bixby wasn’t expecting Sugita to head the ball and had already dove at an angle for Erceg’s header. The ball would hit the back of the net, and Louisville would tie the game at 1-1, with roughly 30 minutes of regulation to go.
Then at 63:19, Racing Louisville would strike again. This time, a corner kick from the opposite corner would lead to a header that directed the ball towards the top center of the box. Thembi Kgatlana would move up and fake a shot off a bounce. Kgatlana would then shift over to her right and create space, and fire a right-footed shot toward the net. Her shot would split multiple defenders while staying low and away from the diving Bella Bixby. Kgatlana’s shot would sneak inside the left post, and Louisville would take a 2-1 lead.
Unfortunately for Portland, their offense would run out of time to score. Despite seven minutes of stoppage time, Racing Louisville would hold on to win 2-1 over the Thorns.
The Thorns have a longer break before their next match on Sept. 16th, when they will play host to the OL Reign at 7:30 p.m.
Northwest Sports Desk 