March 16, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Portland Thorns FC News Release
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – Portland Thorns (0-1-0, 0 points) dropped a 5-4 result to open the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season.
In their historic stadium, Kansas City Current looked to be the clear aggressors in the early moments of the match, pressuring Portland’s backline multiple times in the opening 15 minutes. In the 22nd minute Kansas City capitalized on a miscommunication between the backline, with Vannessa DiBernardo punching on a loose ball, slotting her shot into the back of the net. Just three minutes later the Current doubled its lead, Ellie Wheeler pounding her shot past the goalkeeper.
In the 34th minute Bia Zaneratto outran the Thorns’s backline, opening up a small window to tuck her shot into the upper right corner of goal to take the 3-0 lead. Portland had its first true opportunity of the match in the 31st minute when Christine Sinclair launched on from outside the 18-yard-box, but a diving dave from AD Franch pushed the ball out for a corner. The ensuing corner kick saw Kelli Hubly’s shot bounce off the post and parlayed out of danger by the Current’s defense.
Just before the first half whistle Sophia Smith pulled on back for the Thorns, receiving a short pass from Jessie Fleming before hitting a deep ball from outside the 18-yard-box past the outstretched arms of Franch, and the team headed into the locker room down 3-1 at halftime.
Coming out of the halftime break with a two-goal deficit, the Thorns looked to crawl their way back into the match, maintaining offensive momentum, but unable to put one into the back of the net. Forward Morgan Weaver looked to cut the deficit in half in the 59th minute, but her shot was miraculously pushed over the bar by Franch.
Kansas City scored its fourth of the afternoon in the 62nd minute when Shelby Hogan’s initial save left the ball in front of an open goal for Kristen Hamilton to put into the back of the net. Minutes later Alex Pfieffer netted the fifth of the match for the Current.
In the 71st minute Janine Beckie was able to pull one back off a corner kick from Isabella Obaze. Then, three minutes later Smith netted another, weaving through a series of Kansas City defenders to put one into the left corner.
In the waning moments of the match Beckie netted her second of the game, rocketing a shot from deep outside the 18-yard-box to pull the Thorns within one. However, Portland would be unable to find the…