Providence Park | Portland, Oregon – Friday, April 14 at 10:30 PM ET
Players to watch:
Portland forward Sophia Smith has already kicked off her 2023 season with a bang, scoring four of Portland’s eight goals across two games this year including a hat-trick in the club’s last time out against the Kansas City Current. Portland’s fire power also includes goals from Crystal Dunn, Hina Sugita, Morgan Weaver, and Michele Vasconcelos, with Vasconcelos joining the list of regular season scorers for the first time since 2019. Despite conceding the one goal against Kansas City to start April, goalkeeper Bella Bixby recorded her 19thcareer regular-season shutout against the Pride in Week 1 for the Thorns.
After a scoreless draw in their opening match, the Houston Dash were propelled to victory after goals from María Sánchez and newcomer Diana Ordóñez in a 2-1 win over Chicago in their last game. The goals from the Mexican duo were the first to be scored by Mexican National Team teammates in the same game, and for Ordóñez, the goal was her first in Houston colors. The club did concede a goal to Chicago, but its shutout draw against Louisville in Week 1 was goalkeeper Jane Campbell’s 23rd career clean sheet in the regular season.
Match facts: The NWSL returns to action on Friday night after April’s international break, and Portland Thorns FC hosts the Houston Dash at Providence Park as both clubs look to extend their respective winning streaks. Portland comes in seeking a third consecutive win to start the year, while Houston is aiming for a second consecutive win and third game unbeaten after a draw to start the year.
It’s no secret that Portland has come out hot from the gates, scoring a remarkable eight goals in its first two contests including a 4-1 win against the Kansas City Current in Week 2, a rematch of the 2022 NWSL Championship. Smith’s hat-trick against Kansas City was not only the first of the 2023 season, but it also made her the youngest player (22 years, 8 months) to reach the milestone of 25 regular season goals (Mallory Swanson – 24 years, 5 months) as well as the quickest, doing it in 41 games (Christen Press – 42 games). Two more milestones to look for now will be for goalkeeper Bella Bixby, whose next clean sheet will be her 20h in the regular season putting her on track to be the quickest to that number. In addition, should forward Christine Sinclair score, it will be her 60th regular season goal. Only Sam Kerr will have scored more, and no one has scored more for one club.
For Houston, back-to-back encouraging performances have seen them pick up four points in two games. A stingy scoreless draw against Louisville still provided plenty of action, but it was a victory over Chicago that helped carry momentum over and through the international break. This will also be the first meeting between new head coaches Sam Laity (HOU) and Mike Norris (POR), though the pair will be familiar with each other after Laity’s time with OL Reign and Norris with the Thorns prior to his appointment as Head Coach.
In recent years, Portland and Houston have split the series fairly evenly. Last year, Portland went to Houston and picked up a 4-0 win against the Dash in June. However, a few weeks prior, the Dash claimed a 2-0 victory over the Thorns in Portland. In fact, Portland has not beaten Houston in Portland since September 2019, with the only edge Portland’s way coming via a 2-2 draw in the 2021 Women’s ICC semifinals where the Thorns advanced on penalties.
