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Sullivan’s stunner not enough to lift Spirit over Thorns

Washington Spirit | August 18, 2019

Boyds, Md., (8/18/19) – After winning their first meeting 3-1 on May 18 at the SoccerPlex, the Washington Spirit fell tonight to Portland Thorns FC with the same 3-1 scoreline at Providence Park in front of a crowd of over 20,000.

Washington’s offense kicked into high-gear early, with midfielder and team captain Andi Sullivan connecting on a header in the 4th minute that floated just over the crossbar, nearly giving the Spirit an early lead.

Adding to her highlight reel of jaw-dropping saves, goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe found herself in the 19th minute one-on-one against Thorns forward Hayley Raso. Raso received a through-ball and was left alone on the right end of the 18-yard box, coming straight to Bledsoe. Raso dribbled into the edge of the six-yard box and struck a rocket into the upper-right corner of the goal, only to be met by the lightning-quick left-hand by Bledsoe.

18' – Another incredible save courtesy of Aubrey Bledsoe!#PORvWAS // #CatchTheSpirit pic.twitter.com/MyBLA5XZN3

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) August 18, 2019

The Spirit’s top highlight of the game came from the captain in the second half. Sullivan received the ball in space from midfielder Rose Lavelle, made a sharp cut to her right at the top of the 18-yard box, then struck a curling shot into the upper-right corner of the goal, out of Thorns keeper Adrianna Franch’s reach.

What. A. Hit.#PORvWAS // #CatchTheSpirit pic.twitter.com/mAXg8s2hEL

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) August 18, 2019

The Spirit’s offense was produced a number of chances throughout the match, possessing the ball over 59 percent of the time while attempting 15 shots, including ten in the second half alone.

The Spirit return back home where they will play two home matches in four days, beginning with Utah Royals FC on August 21 at the SoccerPlex, and against the Orlando Pride August 24 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., both with a kickoff time of 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Spirit’s last two home games have been sellouts of the Maryland SoccerPlex. [TICKETS]

-NWSL Match Report-

Match: Portland Thorns vs. Washington Spirit

Date: August 17, 2019

Venue: Providence Park

Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. ET

Attendance: 20,895

Weather: Mid 60s, Partly Cloudy

Scoring Summary:

Goals	1	2	F
Portland	2	1	3
Washington	0	1	1

POR – Hayley Raso 5’

POR – Emily Sonnett 18’ (Heath assist)

POR – Christine Sinclair 63’

WAS – Andi Sullivan 68’ (Lavelle assist)

Lineups:

HOU (4-2-3-1):

24-Adrianna Franch; 25-Meghan Klingenberg; 4-Emily Menges; 16-Emily Sonnett; 15-Ellie Carpenter (2-Katherine Reynolds ‘61); 10-Lindsey Horan; 11-Dagny Brynjarsdóttir (27-Elizabeth Ball ‘83’); 17-Tobin Heath; 12-Christine Sinclair (c); 21-Hayley Raso; 23-Midge Purce (9-Caitlin Foord 71’)

Unused Substitutes: 7-Ana Maria Crnogorcevic; 33-Britt Eckerstrom; 37-Emily Ogle; 38-Simone Charley

WAS (4-3-3):

1-Aubrey Bledsoe; 28-Elise Kellond-Knight (19-Dorian Bailey ‘64); 14-Paige Nielsen; 3-Sam Staab; 23-Tori Huster; 10-Rose Lavelle; 8-Meggie Dougherty Howard (6-Chloe Logarzo ‘64); 12-Andi Sullivan (c); 33-Ashley Hatch; 4-Jordan DiBiasi; 31-Crystal Thomas

Unused Substitutes: 2-Arielle Ship; 5-Meg Crosson; 7-Amy Harrison; 17-Cali Farquharson; 30-Shae Yanez