A strong first-half performance by the Portland Thorns gave the Houston Dash a 5-0 loss on the road this evening at Providence Park.
The Thorns struck first seven minutes into the game when Portland midfielder Lindsay Horan tucked a low shot into the lower right corner of the goal. Forward Tobin Heath dribbled the ball into the box and fought off a challenge by Dash defender Amber Brooks before finding Horan to her left to set up the goal.
Five minutes later, Thorns forward Hayley Raso doubled the lead when Heath crossed a ball that barely slipped past Houston defender Allysha Chapman.
Portland’s third goal came in the 19th minute when Brooks was whistled for a foul on the right side of the box, giving the Thorns a penalty kick. Canada captain and forward Christine Sinclair tucked her shot inside the post, out of the reach of Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell.
Houston nearly pulled a goal back in the 21st minute when midfielder Kristie Mewis dribbled into the area and sent a pass through to midfielder Sofia Huerta. Huerta raced towards the far post but was beaten to the ball by Thorns goalkeeper Adrianna Franch.
The Thorns added a fourth goal in the 23rd minute when Raso pounced a cross from forward Midge Purce. Chapman and Brooks attempted to clear the ball, but Purce found the space in between the two defenders.
Houston’s best chance of the first half happened right before the half-time whistle when forward Rachel Daly came close to a goal on a corner kick from Huerta. The forward was able to put her right foot on the ball when midfielder Haley Hanson headed the initial ball toward goal and it was punched out by Franch, who then reacted to stop Daly’s shot as well.
The Dash came out strong in the second half, getting the first good look at goal when Daly picked up a loose ball, dribbled into the box and fired a left-footed shot on goal, forcing a save on Franch.
Portland scored a fifth goal in the 71st minute when Tyler Lussi picked up a loose ball from a Sinclair’s free kick. Campbell was able to make a save on the initial shot, but Lussi found the rebound and put it away.
Campbell tied a career high with six saves on the evening, matching her total from June 6 against Reign FC earlier this year.
The Dash will have a quick turnaround, playing their third game in nine days on Sunday, July 28 against the Sky Blue FC at 7:30 p.m. CT at BBVA Stadium. Tickets for the match start at $15 and are available at HoustonDashSoccer.com.
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Portland Thorns (7-2-5; 26 pts) 5-0 Houston Dash (4-6-4; 16 pts)
NWSL Regular Season, Week 15
Wednesday, June 24, 2019 – Providence Park – Portland, OR
Attendance: 22,329
SCORING SUMMARY:
<strong>Team</strong> |
<strong>1H</strong> |
<strong>2H</strong> |
<strong>FT</strong> |
<p>Portland Thorns</p> |
<p>4</p> |
<p>1</p> |
<p>5</p> |
<p>Houston Dash</p> |
<p>0</p> |
<p>0</p> |
<p>0</p> |
POR: Lindsey Horan 1 (Tobin Heath 2) 7
POR: Hayley Raso 2 (Tobin Heath 3) 12
POR: Christine Sinclair (penalty) 18
POR: Hayley Raso 3 (Midge Purce 1) 23
POR: Tyler Lussi (unassisted) 71
LINEUPS:
Portland Thorns: Adrianna Franch; Elizabeth Ball, Emily Menges, Emily Sonnett; Gabby Seiler (Andressinha 68), Meghan Klingenberg, Lindsay Horan, Midge Purce (Caitlin Foord 62); Tobin Heath, Christine Sinclair (C), Hayley Raso (Tyler Lussi 62)
Unused substitutes: Kelli Hubly, Celeste Boureille, Britt Eckerstrom, Dagny Brynjarsdottir
Total shots: 20 (Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan 6); Shots on goal: 10 (Tobin Heath 4); Fouls: 4 (Elizabeth Ball, Lindsey Horan, Midge Purce, Christine Sinclair 1); Offside: 4 (Lindsey Horan 2); Corner kicks: 5 (Tobin Heath 5); Saves: 4 (Adrianna Franch 4)
Houston Dash: Jane Campbell; Allysha Chapman, Amber Brooks (C), Ally Prisock, Haley Hanson; Sophie Schmidt (Jamia Fields 77), Christine Nairn (Kealia Ohai 30), Kristie Mewis; Kyah Simon (Cece Kizer 30), Sofia Huerta, Rachel Daly
Unused Substitutes: Bianca Henninger, Satara Murray, Lindsay Agnew, Cami Privett
Total shots: 9 (Rachel Daly 5); Shots on goal: 4 (Rachel Daly 2); Fouls: 15 (Allysha Chapman, Kristie Mewis 3); Offside: 0; Corner kicks: 6 (Sofia Huerta 6); Saves: 6 (Jane Campbell 6)
DISCIPLINE:
HOU: Allysha Chapman (caution; foul) 70
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Malik Badawee
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Gonzalez
Fourth Official: Stephanie Tercero
Weather: Sunny, 77 degrees
