Match Preview: North Carolina Courage vs. Portland Thorns FC
WakeMed Soccer Park | Cary, North Carolina – Wednesday, August 24 at 7:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
North Carolina forward Diana Ordoñez has netted an incredible 10 goals in 11 games, including a brace in the club’s last match, a 4-0 win against the Chicago Red Stars. Ordoñez has already set the record for most goals scored in a rookie campaign and is not far off the Golden Boot race, sitting just two goals behind the leader Alex Morgan (12). The only other players to have scored multiple goals for the Courage are midfielder Debinha (4), defender Kaleigh Kurtz (3) and forward Brittany Radcliffe (2).
On the other side, Portland forward Sophia Smith sits just in front of Ordoñez in goals scored (11) and has continued to lead the way for a talented attacking Thorns side that leads the league in total goals scored (36). Multiple players have scored more than once for Portland, with attackers Christine Sinclair (5), Hina Sugita(4), Morgan Weaver (4) and midfielders Olivia Moultrie (2) and Taylor Porter (2) all netting more than once for Wednesday’s visitors. Helping set up those goals has been attacker Yazmeen Ryan, who is tied for the league lead in assists with four.
Match facts: The North Carolina Courage host Portland Thorns FC for a midweek matchup at WakeMed Soccer Park, with the hosts looking to capitalize on a massive win in their last time out while the visitors have not suffered defeat in a league-leading 11 games as they push for the best possible playoff position approaching the regular season home stretch.
The Courage defeated the Chicago Red Stars by a whopping 4-0 scoreline on Saturday night, with a brace by forward Diana Ordoñez and first NWSL goals for Fuka Nagano and Rylee Baisden. North Carolina is now looking to close the season strong with anywhere between two to four games in hand as the regular season begins its end in September.
The Thorns, meanwhile, are on the tear of the season thus far with their unbeaten run and will look to continue peaking at the right time when they travel to North Carolina. Portland claimed victory in their last time out, defeating the Washington Spirit, 2-1, in dramatic comeback fashion with forward Christine Sinclair equalizing in the 84th minute and attacker Morgan Weaver netting the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
These two teams are familiar with the other having just faced each other at the beginning of August in a 3-3 draw. Portland opened up a two-goal lead before North Carolina found two goals of their own in the 61st and 72nd minute, both of which were scored by Ordoñez. Sophia Smith then scored another goal in the 77th minute to put Portland back in front, but substitute Jaelene Daniels found the game’s last goal—and the Courage’s equalizer—in the 85th minute to help her side earn a point.
