Washington Spirit earns 1-0 home win over Portland Thorns FC

Washington Spirit  |   June 24, 2017
Washington Spirit earns 1-0 home win over Portland Thorns FC Featured Image

Boyds, MD (June 24, 2017) – Francisca Ordega netted her team-leading fourth goal while the Washington Spirit defense recorded its second clean sheet of 2017 in a 1-0 victory over Portland Thorns FC in front of 4,319 fans at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday evening.

Ordega scored what proved to be the game-winner in the 19th minute on a breakaway immediately following a quick Portland turnover in the midfield. As she reached the top of the box, Ordega fired a shot from the left side into the far right corner of the net, well out of the reach of Thorns goalkeeper Adrianna Franch.

Spirit goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé saved all three shots on goal that she faced, playing behind a back line of Kassey Kallman, Shelina Zadorsky, Estelle Johnson and Whitney Church. Kallman led the Spirit with five tackles, as Zadorksy had a team-high seven clearances and Johnson led all players on both teams with five interceptions. It was the team’s second straight shutout effort at home.

“I was pleased with how we defended and how we managed the game at the end,” said Spirit head coach and general manager Jim Gabarra. “It was an important win on our home field against one of the best teams in the league.”

Havana Solaun led Washington with 43 total passes, 34 of which came on the attacking side of the field. Meanwhile, Kristie Mewis recorded two on-target shots to match Ordega for a game-high. Midfielder Tori Huster also made her return to the lineup and played the full 90 minutes after missing the last four games with a quad injury.

While Washington outshot Portland 16-11, including six on-target shots to Portland’s three, Thorns FC managed to win the possession battle 62.7 percent to Washington’s 37.3 percent. U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder Allie Long distributed the ball more often than any other player in the game, as she made 74 total passes with 86.5 percent accuracy. Long’s U.S. teammate, Emily Sonnett was second with 71 total passes while Emily Menges’ 93.7 percent accuracy rating on her 63 passes was a game-high as well.

Saturday’s victory extends Washington’s current unbeaten streak to three, marking its longest run of the season. The Spirit will return to action next Saturday, July 1 as the team visits the Boston Breakers at Jordan Field. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET.

The Spirit play home next on Saturday, July 8 when the team hosts the Orlando Pride at the Mayrland SoccerPlex for the NWSL on Lifetime Game of the Week. Coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on Lifetime. [TICKETS]

Portland Thorns FC (4-3-3, 15 pts) at Washington Spirit (3-5-2, 11 pts)
June 24, 2017 – Maureen Hendricks Field at Maryland SoccerPlex (Boyds, Md.)

Goals by Half                1          2          F

Portland Thorns FC      0          0          0
Washington Spirit         1          0          1

Scoring Summary

WAS: Ordega (19’)

Misconduct Summary
None

Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Franch, D Boureille (Shim, 82), D Sonnett, D Menges, D Klingenberg, M Long, M Henry (Brynjarsdottir, 64), M Horan, F Sykes (Nadim, 46), F Sinclair (c), F Raso
Substitutes Not Used: GK Eckerstrom, D Cox, D Johnson
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Horan, Sinclair, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Sinclair, 2); FOULS: 6 (Henry, Raso, 2); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 8; SAVES: 5

WAS: GK Labbe, D Johnson, D Church, D Zadorsky (c), D Kallman, M Mewis (Dydasco, 61), M Huster, M Dougherty Howard, F Williams (Stengel, 76), F Solaun (Kleiner, 87), F Ordega
Substitutes Not Used: GK Haracic, F Ship, M Jensen, F Agnew
TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Three players tied, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Mewis, Ordega, 2); FOULS: 13 (Ordega, 5); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 3

Referee: Danielle Chesky
Assistant Referees: Cory Richardson, Jeffrey Skinker
4th Official: Jorge Ramirez
Attendance: 4,319
Weather: Partly cloudy, 83 degrees

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