May 3, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Washington Spirit News Release
Portland, Ore. – The Washington Spirit will face Portland Thorns FC in both sides’ eighth match of the 2024 NWSL regular season. The match kicks off at 10 p.m. EDT at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon and will be broadcast nationally on ION.
The Spirit
The Spirit enters Saturday’s matchup in good form following a decisive 4-2 victory over the Chicago Red Stars, extending the Spirit’s club record of six consecutive matches with multiple goals. Forward Trinity Rodman got things going, logging her first goal of the season, and quickly followed with her third assist of the season, setting up an Ouleye Sarr goal. With the goal and assist, Rodman logged her 39th and 40th goal contributions (all NWSL competitions). At 21 years, 347 days old, Rodman became the youngest player to reach that milestone, surpassing Sophia Smith, who did so at 22 years, 297 days old last June.
Midfielder Croix Bethune connected with Brittany Ratcliffe for the final two Spirit goals of the evening, marking Ratcliffe’s second and third of the season (a single season career high) and first-ever regular season brace. Bethune, similarly, had a historic night, becoming the first Spirit player ever to record three assists in one match. Additionally, she became the fifth player – and represents just the fifth such instance – in NWSL history to accomplish this feat.
Traveling to Providence Park is always a precarious proposition for the Spirit as the club has yet to pick up a win at the venue. The last Spirit victory over the Thorns came in 2019, including a 0-3-2 record in the five most recent matches against Portland. Despite a 23-48 (-25) goal differential, the Spirit picked up one point against the Thorns in the most recent matchup between the two sides.
The Spirit kept dynamic forward Mallory Swanson at bay for almost the entirety of Wednesday’s matchup and will look to do the same for Sophia Smith, who is arguably one of the most dangerous strikers in the world.
The trip to Portland marks the second of three legs on the road for the Spirit, though, the road should offer little hesitation for the group. The Spirit has won its last two away matches, beating Houston, 3-1, on April 12 and the Red Stars, 4-2, on Wednesday. This is the first time the Spirit has won consecutive road games since October-November 2021 (four straight) and the first time the team has ever scored three or more goals in consecutive road…