In what could quite possibly be the match of the weekend, Providence Park was the scene for the game that saw Portland Thorns FC host the Western New York Flash in the National Women's Soccer League.
Both teams knew that a win or a draw would match their playoff ambitions but that did not stop either team from throwing everything they could at each other to get the win. It made for a fantastic night of women's soccer in Portland and one that was nationally broadcast of FS1.
The Flash come out of the blocks quickly
The first part of the match was all about the Flash. They decided to high press the Thorns from the first whistle and try and capitalize on any mistakes that high press would cause. The Flash are also very quick in transition and feature a lot of speedy players so if any Portland midfielder or defender made an error, the Flash knew that their forward line in particular would make good use of the turnover.
Three of the most clinical finishers in the league so far were on show tonight and it was the Flash pair of Jess McDonald and Lynn Williams that caused all of the initial problems. Early in the half, McDonald won the ball back from Reynolds and proceeded to find the head of her strike partner Williams. Williams got her header on target but it was straight at Portland goalkeeper, Michelle Betos, and nothing came of the chance.
The Flash continued to win the ball quickly from the Thorns but they tried all of their shots from outside the box instead of trying to work the ball in. When they did manage to cross the ball into the box, they created some good opportunities. In the 15th minute, McDonald won the ball again in midfield and her touch sent the ball towards the goal line. The ball stopped short on the turf, allowing McDonald to catch up to it and then send in a cross towards Williams but Betos was alive to the chance and quickly came out to smother the ball.
The Thorns make the most of their chances
For all of the Flash's chances, it was the Thorns that got the opening goal on the night in the 27th minute of the match. Lindsey Horan found some space in midfield and exploited the the Flash's high line by sending a long ball through to Nadia Nadim who was playing out wide tonight. WNY left back, Jaelene Hinkle challenged Nadim for the ball in the box and the referee adjudged that Hinkle had fouled Nadim and awarded Portland a penalty. Nadim dusted herself off to take the penalty and sent Sabrina D'Angelo the wrong way to put away the penalty.
The goal seemed to steady the Thorns and they began to find passes that exploited the space behind the Flash's defensive line. A few minutes after the goal, Allie Long was fouled near the top of the box. Nadim got the opportunity to try and bend her free-kick into the goal but her effort dipped just above the crossbar. The Thorns did manage to extend their lead before the half ended when a mis kick in midfield allowed Nadim to spring clear and run towards the goal. The Danish striker then squared the ball to Christine Sinclair who left her defender on the floor before scoring via the near post.
Portland picks off where they left after the restart
The two goal cushion allowed the home side to find a comfortable rhythm and they made use of their steady play in the second half. The Flash did get the first chance of the half when Samantha Mewis slipped Williams through but the forward sent her effort wide and could not convert. Apart from that, it was all Portland who created half chances throughout the half but could not finish them.
In the 66th minute, a ball was lofted into Sinclair who was in the box and she laid it off for Horan who had also made her way forward. Horan turned quickly and fired off her shot but it was straight at D'Angelo and the score line stayed the same. Three minutes later, the Thorns dominance paid dividends. Good link up play between Long and Sinclair found Tobin Heath at the top of the box. Heath one-touched her pass to substitute Dagny Brynjarsdottir who fired the ball home from close range to give Portland a three-nil win.
The Flash rally late in the half
As has been the story of the season so far when it comes to the Flash, the away side pushed until the very end and almost managed to do so. In the 77th minute, Elizabeth Eddy got forward and picked her head up to find a teammate in the box. Eddy then delivered a great cross to McDonald who jumped higher than her marker and placed her header past Betos to give the Flash a goal and a way back into the match.
The Flash were not finished however and two minutes later, they got their second of the night. McDonald was involved once again and she found her strike partner running through towards goal. Williams took one touch and then dispatched her shot past a diving Betos. It was now three-two to the Thorns with just over ten minutes to go. The game was truly on.
The visitors got two more real chances to level the score but could not quite manage it. McDonald picked up the ball at the top of the box and pulled out a little Cruyff turn to lose her markers but she sent her shot high and wide. Right at the death, Williams somehow managed to get a volley off from an unbelievable angle but she was prevented from celebrating a late goal as Betos was quick off her line and punched the ball out for a corner. The resulting corner was cleared and the referee blew the whistle for the final time in the match.
This win leaves Portland with home field advantage in the playoffs and they are now one point off from the Washington Spirit in the race to be the 2016 NWSL Shield winners with one more match to go. The Flash losing tonight puts them in a slightly precarious position going into their last match of the season due to Seattle Reign FC's win tonight.
Seattle are now two points away from the Flash who sit in the final playoff spot and the Flash cannot afford to lose against the Boston Breakers next week if they still want to make the playoffs. The last round of matches are all set to be a great end to the regular season in the NWSL.