The three points stayed in Portland, las Sunday, April 17th, when The Portland Thorns FC narrowly defeated 3-2 the 2020 NWSL expansion team San Diego Wave at Providence Park for the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. It was a tale of two halves, a first with brilliant offensive football by the Portland Thorns that left Portland 3 goals ahead at the half’s end. Sophia Smith, opened the score early in minute four. Hina Sugita doubled the advantage in 21, and tripled it in minute 41.
After the break, a complete opposite match. San Diego Wave came strong and went after it from the first minute when midfielder Belle Briede open the score in the first minute of the second half, and gave San Diego a huge morale booster. The Wave wanted it more, and was relentless, against a really quiet Portland thorns. The succession of goal chances, Taylor Kornieck got San Diego in striking distance of the tie, when the midfielder scored in minute 67.
At the end it wasn’t enough, the match statistics show a near tie at all measurements, the Portland Thorns were relieved to keep all three points at home.
The match one more time, showed quite a number of empty seats, either because of lack of interest in the Challenge Cup, and/or because of the local response to the ongoing row with the club’s leadership over the handling of the abuse cases by former coach Paul Riley, and former Portland Timbers player Andy Polo.
Next for the Portland Thorns is a visit to California, where they will play Angel City on Sunday April 24. San Diego Wave will be hosting OL Reign one day earlier, April 23, at their home in Torero Stadium, back in “America’s Finest City” (San Diego).
