Providence Park | Portland, Oregon – Saturday, September 30 at 10:30 PM ET
Players to watch:
In all competitions this season, Portland attacker Morgan Weaver has been on a tear near goal, attempting 79 shots (tied for second most) and creating 47 chances (most). Her 126 shot involvements are 24 more than any other NWSL player this season in all competitions with teammate and fellow forward Sophia Smith behind her with 102 total. Smith leads the way in goals with 11 (one penalty) on the year, though Weaver is in second place with seven goals.
Former Thorn and now San Diego forward Alex Morgan has three goals and three assists in her 16 all-time matches against Portland in all competitions and will look to add to that number on Saturday night. Her career goal contributions per 90 minutes of 0.4 is her lowest against any of the 10 NWSL teams she has played more than five matches against, though. Morgan currently co-leads the Wave in scoring with five goals (two penalties), tied with fellow forward Jaedyn Shaw who also has five goals but all in open play.
Match facts: Portland Thorns FC and San Diego Wave FC face off on Saturday night in the third game of a full six-game slate across the NWSL as the regular season comes to a close in just a few weeks’ time. A battle of first and second, Portland is currently top the league table with 32 points from 19 games played while San Diego is just behind in second with 30 points from their 19 games played.
The Thorns have been held scoreless in just one regular season match this year, two fewer than any other team this season. If Portland scores in each of its last three matches, too, it will be the third NWSL team to be shutout once or zero times in a season, matching 2014 FC Kansas City (0) and 2019 North Carolina (1).
On the other side, the Wave come in having won five of their nine road games (D1 L3) in regular season play so far this year, the most road victories of any team in 2023. San Diego’s five shutouts on the road are tied for the third most in a season in league history, behind only North Carolina (8) and Portland (7), both of which came in the 2021 season.
Portland has won three of its four all-time home matches with the Wave (L1) with the Thorns scoring a 4-1 home win earlier this year in the Challenge Cup. The Thorns scored at least two goals in all three wins, making them the only team San Diego has allowed multiple goals to in three different road games.
