The reigning NWSL champions are back on the pitch.
The Portland Thorns returned to Providence Park for their 2023 preseason opener on Sunday against Racing Louisville FC, winning 1-0 thanks to a late header by defender Meaghan Nally.
Portland had a flurry of early chances, beginning in the fifth minute with a boot from reigning NWSL MVP Sophia Smith on the volley that missed just wide. Olivia Moultrie found a close shot two minutes later that was saved, and Smith got back in the action in the eighth minute as she caught up to a ball ahead and fired a powerful shot into the goalkeeper’s grasp.
Both teams played largely in the midfield for a stretch, and Sam Coffey’s powerful take in the 31st minute restarted Portland’s stalling attacking momentum.
Louisville didn’t get its first shot of the game until the 35th minute, a halfhearted attempt saved easily by Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby. Throughout the first half, Louisville had some solid attacking moments but was unable to make the final pass against a stingy Thorns defense.
In the 42nd minute, Smith earned a penalty that immediately went to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), a new feature in NWSL. VAR overturned the penalty call, much to the chagrin of the Thorns faithful.
The final chance of the half came in stoppage time, a header from Louisville midfielder Jaelin Howell that narrowly missed wide.
In the opening moments of the first half, Smith put a ball across the face of goal. that nearly reached the foot of Michele Vasconcelos. A few minutes later, a scrum in the box led to attempts from Hina Sugita and Moultrie, blocked and missed in rapid succession.
Moultrie had another long attempt in the 55th minute, displaying power and finesse on a shot that barely missed above the crossbar. In the 57th minute, Rocky Rodriguez took one from a similar position and missed it high and wide.
Portland brought on four substitutes in the 62nd minute: Christine Sinclair for Rodriguez, Janine Beckie for Vasconcelos, Izzy D’Aquila for Smith, and Nally for Natalia Kuikka. In the 72nd minute, Hannah Betfort replaced Sugita, Natalie Beckman replaced Meghan Klingenberg, and Taylor Porter replaced Coffey.
Louisville nearly scored in the 79th minute on a curling take from Jess McDonald. Otherwise, the chances were far and few between for both sides with heavy substitutions and typical preseason fatigue.
Nally finally broke the seal for Portland with a header in traffic in the 86th minute, giving the Thorns a 1-0 victory just as it seemed a scoreless draw was inevitable. The Thorns ended up outshooting Louisville 16-7 on the night.
Portland’s next preseason match is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against the U.S. Under-23 national team. After that, the Thorns wrap up the preseason tournament on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against rival OL Reign. There is no live stream for either match, both of which will be played at Providence Park.
— Ryan Clarke, rclarke@oregonian.com, Twitter: @RyanTClarke
