PORTLAND, OREGON (May 5, 2018) – The NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime TV did not disappoint.
At Providence Park, the Portland Thorns FC fell to the Seattle Reign. Portland normally doesn’t lose matches at Providence Park, but in front of 16,054 fans, Seattle reigned supreme.
Seattle Reign FC win in an intense 3-2 match against Portland Thorns
Seattle marched into Portland and scored three goals, courtesy of Beverly Yanez, Jodie Taylor, and Rumi Utsugi.
Taylor’s goal was scored on a penalty kick.
Portland, on the other hand, could only get two goals past Michelle Betos. Emily Sonnett and Lindsey Horan were the goal scorers for the Thorns.
Betos ended the match with eight saves. Filling in for Adrianna Franch, Britt Eckerstorm of the Thorns made four saves.
In her return to Providence Park, former Thorn Allie Long — who was traded to Seattle in the offseason — was given a yellow card in the 31st minute. However, she wasn’t the only member of the Reign to receive a yellow card from referee Karen Abt. In the 87th minute, Alyssa Kleiner received a cautionary card.
After the match, Thorns FC Head Coach Mark Parsons said the match was “wild.”
“Things that don’t normally happen from both teams were happening, which is what happens in a rivalry game,” Parsons said.
Saves on saves for @ReignFC goalkeeper @MichelleBetos to earn her side a big 3-2 road victory over @ThornsFC.
Highlights ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/TOyt4t3knR
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 5, 2018
Three Takeaways
- Andressinha makes her debut at Providence: The Thorns saw Andressinha back on April 29 against the Utah Royals. However, Andressinha made her first appearance on Providence Park soil. Having her and Tobin Heath in the same midfield at the same time is a huge plus for Parsons and company.
- Long got the last laugh: Allie Long’s trade to Seattle came as a shock to many Thorns fans. Long had been consistently good for Portland, but Parsons — adding Andressinha and Angela Salem to his midfield — had a large amount of talent in the midfield. However, Long’s victory against her former team gives Seattle the last laugh. Now, the Reign sit in second place in the NWSL and Portland is down to fourth.
- Eckerstorm will get there: One bad match isn’t the end of the world for Britt Eckerstorm. However, there is still a decent amount of time left until Franch is able to return. Eckerstorm needs to figure out her communication with her fellow, regular-starting teammates.
Her performance today brings Michelle Betos' save total to 25. That's 25 trees from @CarterSubaru 🌲👏 pic.twitter.com/4SZgf7p1iJ
— OL Reign (@OLReign) May 5, 2018
