NWSL Portland Thorns FC

Second-Half Rally Comes up Short for Thorns FC in 1-0 Loss

Published on August 22, 2015 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Portland Thorns FC News Release


PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Portland Thorns FC saw two shots hit the crossbar and a penalty kick saved in the final 25 minutes of the second half in a 1-0 road loss against Sky Blue FC in front of a sellout crowd of 5,547 fans at Yurcak Field on Saturday night.

Trailing 1-0 and playing on the front foot for most of the second half, Portland (6-8-4, 22pts) created multiple chances for an equalizer down the stretch as forward Christine Sinclair and midfielder Tobin Heath both hit the crossbar, while forward Alex Morgan had a penalty kick saved in the 89th minute.

In the 67th minute, Sinclair got behind the Sky Blue defense, forcing goalkeeper Brittany Cameron to make a diving stop on a shot from close range. Cameron parried the shot away and Sinclair received the rebound, bending a shot towards the right side of the goal, hitting both the crossbar and the post. Heath saw a chance just miss as she dribbled into the box and fired a curling effort towards the top-right corner, rattling the crossbar in the 79th minute.

In the 87th minute, Cameron collided with Sinclair in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for Thorns FC. Morgan stepped up to attempt the kick and delivered a left-footed shot. Cameron dove to the right to make the initial stop. On the rebound, Morgan hit a one-time volley back across the goal, but Cameron managed to dive back to her left to make another save.

Goalkeeper Nadine Angerer finished the match with four saves and made two key stops in one-on-one situations, denying forward Sam Kerr with kick saves in the 70th minute as well as in second-half stoppage time.

Sky Blue FC (5-7-6, 21pts) tallied the game-winning goal in the 19th minute as forward Kelley O'Hara collected a loose ball in the box and passed it to forward Nadia Nadim in front of goal for a close-range finish.

Portland remains in the playoff hunt with two games left on the regular-season schedule, sitting six points behind FC Kansas City, the Chicago Red Stars and the Washington Spirit (28 pts).

Thorns FC return to the Rose City to play host to the Spirit in their regular-season home finale on Sunday, Aug. 30, at Providence Park. The match kicks off at 6:30 p.m. (Pacific) with a national television broadcast on FOX Sports 1.

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