The Portland Thorns defeated the Houston Dash 3-1 in a Friday night showdown for week 13. Sofia Huerta opened her Dash scoring account in her first game for her new team, but goals from Tobin Heath, Ana Crnogorcevic and Christine Sinclair put the road team on top. Portland now moves to 5-4-4 and 19 points while the Dash stay at 14 points with a 3-5-5 record.
First half was back and forth
Portland opened up scoring within the first 10 minutes. Sinclair had the ball up the right flank and passed it towards the box. Crnogorcevic dummied the ball and let it go to Heath who took a couple dribbles and sent it in the back of the net. The goal is Heath’s second of the season in nine games.
The Dash weren’t down for long. They answered back in the 12th minute after Kealia Ohai dribbled the ball up the left flank and sent a low cross to Kyah Simon. Her shot was blocked by Adrianna Franch, who made her return after being out with a knee injury, and Emily Sonnett, who also returned to the starting line up from injury. Miscommunication led to Huerta picking up the rebound and putting it in the back of the net, scoring in her Houston debut.
The Thorns took the lead again in the 33rd minute. After the hydration break, Crnogorcevic had her initial shot saved by Jane Campbell, but Campbell couldn’t control it, leading to Crnogorcevic heading it into the back of the net to put Portland ahead 2-1 just before half time.
Sinclair’s second-half dagger in her 100th appearance
Huerta had an opportunity to tie the match up in the 64th minute but had her shot blocked. The ball was sent in the box to Ohai who cut it back to Huerta, but Thorns defender Emily Menges blocked the shot to maintain the 2-1 lead.
Sinclair became the latest player to reach 100 NWSL appearances. Along with her assist on the first goal, she had the late goal to seal the victory for Portland. Tyler Lussi passed the ball to Sinclair who dribbled in front of the box and took a shot from outside. The ball went through the hands of Campbell and into the back of the net for Sinclair’s 7thgoal of the season, extending her lead for the golden boot.
Portland has two games this upcoming week. They return home for a midweek battle against winless Sky Blue FC before travelling north to take on the Seattle Reign. The June 27 game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT while the Saturday match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. PT. Houston will be on the road to take on the Orlando Pride with kick off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. All three games will be streamed live on go90.com and the go90 app which is available for download on iOS and Android devices.