PORTLAND, Ore. (June 8, 2024) — The North Carolina Courage fell to the Portland Thorns, 1-0, behind a second-half penalty from Sophia Smith on Saturday at Providence Park.
Smith broke the tightly contested game open in the 79’ from the PK spot after a VAR check awarded the Thorns a penalty for a foul on the edge of the box. Ryan Williams was shown her second yellow card of the match following the check. Victoria Pickett nearly salvaged a point for the Courage, with the substitute heading a corner off the post in stoppage time. The ball bounced off the post and into the back of a Portland defender, but deflected wide of the goal. The Thorns outshot the Courage 16-10, while the Courage held 52.1% of the possession.
Match Notes:
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Meredith Speck made her first NWSL regular season start since June 24, 2023. The veteran midfielder made her return to the Courage lineup as a substitute in recent weeks before getting the starting nod against the Thorns.
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Denise O’Sullivan also returned from injury, starting the match after leaving the team’s May 12 match against the Kansas City Current early in the second half.
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Casey Murphy made four saves, denying all of the Thorns’ open-play opportunities.
Up Next:
The NC Courage return to WakeMed Soccer Park to take on the Orlando Pride on Saturday, June 15, at 7:30 p.m. for the team’s Juneteenth match. Tickets are available here. The match will be streamed live on NWSL+.
Box Score
NCC (3-4-3): Casey Murphy; Kaleigh Kurtz, Malia Berkely, Ryan Williams; Tyler Lussi (Feli Rauch – 82’), Denise O’Sullivan ©, Narumi Miura, Bianca St-Georges; Meredith Speck (Brianna Pinto – 65’), Ashley Sanchez (Victoria Pickett – 82’), Haley Hopkins.
Subs Not Used: Marisa Bova, Jenna Winebrenner, Riley Jackson, Dani Weatherholt, Landy Mertz, Manaka Matsukubo.
POR (4-2-3-1): Shelby Hogan; Marie Müller, Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelli Hubly, Nicole Payne (Reyna Reyes – 67’); Hina Sugita, Sam Coffey (Janine Beckie – 36’); Olivia Moultrie, Jessie Fleming (Olivia Wade-Katoa – 90′ + 6′), Payton Linnehan (Christine Sinclair – 67’); Sophia Smith (Izzy D’Aquila – 90′ + 6′).
Subs Not Used: Emi Alvarado, Meagham Nally, Ana Dias, Izzy D’Aquila, Marissa Sheva.
Score:
NCC: 0
POR: 1
NCC: –
POR: S. Smith – 79’ (PK).
Cautions:
NCC: R. Williams – 26’, D. O’Sullivan – 66’, R. Williams – 78’, N. Miura 90′ +13′.
POR: S. Smith – 90’, S. Smith – 90’ +11’.
Ejections:
NCC: R. Williams – 78’ (Second yellow).
POR: S. Smith – 90’ +11’ (Second yellow).
