Thorns crowned NWSL champions

Published 12:00 am Saturday, October 14, 2017

The Portland Thorns won their second National Women’s Soccer League championship on Saturday with a gritty, hard-nosed 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage at Orlando City Stadium.

Lindsey Horan scored from an Emily Sonnett free kick in the 50th minute and the Thorns made it stand with a swarming defensive effort over the final half hour.

North Carolina outshot Portland 16-4, but only 5-3 on goal as Thorns defenders limited the looks for the Courage.

“Maybe the most beautiful ugly game I’ve ever been a part of,” Thorns coach Mark Parsons said.

Portland joins FC Kansas City as a two-time NWSL champion. In 2013, the Thorns beat the then Western New York Flash for the first NWSL title.

A vocal group of Thorns fans were among the 8,124 who attended the match at Orlando City Stadium, and the team celebrated in front of the happy supporters after the formal trophy presentation.

Horan, in her second season with Portland, was named the game’s MVP after her second career playoff goal.

It was the 12th shutout of the season for Thorns goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, who made five saves.

But the biggest block was delivered by Thorns defender Emily Menges.

In the 82nd minute, Jess McDonald got a step behind Menges appeared ready to shoot from close range before Menges slid back to block the attempt.

“That just kind of showed who this team is, and that we were not going to let another goal in,” Horan said. “That game was not pretty whatsoever. But we came out and we kept battling and the defending was incredible.”

Of the five saves Franch made, perhaps the toughest was a near-post reaction catch of a ball flicked on by Sam Mewis from a McDonald throw-in.

Portland’s goal came on the only real chance of the afternoon for the Thorns.

After a handball foul was called near midfield, Sonnett lofted a ball into the 18-yard box that glanced off a North Carolina and into the path of an open Horan. From about six yards to the right of goal, Horan didn’t give goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland a chance to react, smashing her half-volley into the goal.

“Sonnett played a great ball in,” Horan said. “For us to hold onto that (lead) the whole second half with a team like North Carolina coming at us, we dealt with a lot. I’m proud of this team and glad that it’s over.”

North Carolina was on the front foot for long stretches of the match

In addition to the McDonald chance blocked by Menges, the Courage’s best chances were a Mewis shot from near midfield that caught the cross bar in the 14th minute.

Just after halftime, Lynn Williams got off a hard shot that Franch blocked. But the rebound bounced into the path of McDonald who was unable to make contact.

“If we look at what we tried to achieve in the game, on the defensive side of the ball it ticks a lot of boxes,” Parsons said. “We knew it was going to be really hard to get into the game and get rhythm. I thought they did a great job of pressing us, pressing our back line and pressing the center mids.”

Horan called it a brutal battle.

“We’re a team that likes to play and get on the ball and North Carolina didn’t allow us to do that. So their game plan really worked out,” Horan said.

But Portland’s domination of set pieces decided the game. Horan’s goal was the 16th time in 26 games this season that the Thorns scored from a free kick or a corner kick. They were scored on only twice from restarts.

At the other end of the field, the Thorns dealt with four corner kicks and 14 open-play crosses. They also blocked five shots.

The Thorns finished the season with seven wins and one draw in their final eight matches. Including the two playoff wins, Portland was 16-5-5, outscoring opponents 41-21.

North Carolina finished first in the regular-season standings, two points ahead of Portland. In the five-season history of the NWSL, the regular-season shield winner has never won the championship.

The first half was marked by choppy play, injuries, bad tackles and no clear scoring chances as the fired-up rivals went at each other. Referee Danielle Chesky let many fouls from both teams go uncalled, adding to the choppy nature of the match in the first 45 minutes.

North Carolina lost two starters to injuries as right back Taylor Smith left in the 12th minute with a shoulder injury and midfielder Kristen Hamilton suffered a knee injury in the 36th minute.

Portland’s Tobin Heath and Hayley Raso each were given yellow cards in the rugged first half.

Heath suffered an ankle injury in the 74th minute when she was fouled by Williams, but she stayed in to play her first complete match of the season.

Heath and team captain Christine Sinclair got few touches in attacking positions. But, pushed by the memory of last season’s home semifinal loss to this same opponent, the Thorns were clearly all-in defensively.

“I didn’t get over that loss for a very long time,” Horan said of the 2016 semifinal loss. “We’ve worked hard this whole season to get this win. Our team’s been through a lot and it was not easy whatsoever.”

CELEBRATIONS

The Thorns will hold a championship rally at 7:45 p.m. Sunday at Providence Park. Gates 2 and 4 will open at 7:15 p.m. The event is free to the public.

The Thorns will be recognized at halftime of Sunday’s Portland Timbers home match. Fans attending that match must leave the stadium prior to the championship rally.

Fans wishing to great the Thorns at Portland International Airport can assemble curbside at the south end of the departures (upper-level) roadway beginning at noon. The team is expected to arrive at approximately 12:45 p.m. Sunday.