Thorns FC finish the 2022 common season with a nail-biting 3-3 tie in New Jersey

October 2, 2022

HARRISON, N.J. – Portland Thorns FC concluded the 2022 NWSL common season with a 3-3 draw on the highway towards NJ/NY Gotham FC to earn a top-two seed within the NWSL Playoffs and a house semifinal match on Oct. 23 at Windfall Park. Sophia Smith scored a first-half brace, whereas Morgan Weaver added a objective and Hina Sugita tallied a pair of assists.

Portland = Playoffs
With the draw, Thorns FC have secured both the No. 1 or No. 2 seed within the 2022 NWSL Playoffs. It marks the fifth time within the final six seasons Portland has completed within the prime two. Thorns FC will win the NWSL Protect if OL Reign loses or attracts towards the Orlando Pleasure tonight. 

Smith FileSmith scored her fifth profession NWSL brace, and her fourth of the 2022 NWSL season. Her 4 braces this season tied an NWSL report for braces in a season. With the 2 targets, she set a brand new Thorns FC single-season report with 14 targets. It broke the earlier report of 13 targets set by midfielder Lindsey Horan throughout the 2018 season. Her 14 targets rank because the second-most within the league this season. Notably, Smith now has 21 profession targets for Portland, making her the fourth participant in membership historical past to succeed in the 20-goal mark.

2022 Common Season AssessmentThorns FC completed the marketing campaign with 49 targets, setting a brand new membership report for targets in a single season. The group’s 49 targets rank because the third-most in a single season in NWSL historical past solely behind the North Carolina Braveness’s 54 targets in 2019 and 53 targets throughout the 2018 season. The group additionally had a league-best +25 objective differential to complete the marketing campaign. Portland recorded double-digit wins for a sixth straight season, and the eighth time in 9 NWSL common seasons. As a group, 14 totally different gamers scored a minimum of one objective, whereas 10 gamers completed with a minimum of one help.

Objective-Scoring Performs
NJNY – Naho Kawasumi, thirty ninth minute: After the ball was crossed into the middle of the field, Portland was unable to clear the ball and Naho Kawasumi transformed from shut vary contained in the left submit.

POR –Sophia Smith (penalty kick), forty fourth minute: Hina Sugita was fouled contained in the field and Sophia Smith stepped to the penalty spot and transformed.

POR – Sophia Smith (Hina Sugita), 45+1: Sugita dribbled down the best wing and performed a cross to the close to submit for Smith, who redirected the ball with a slight contact previous Gotham FC goalkeeper Michelle Betos and over the objective line.

POR – Morgan Weaver (Hina Sugita), 53th minute: After receiving a cross from Rocky Rodríguez, Hina Sugita turned and laid the ball at left nook of the field for Morgan Weaver, who fired a shot from distance inside the best submit.

NJNY – Ifeoma Onumonu (Midge Purce), 56th minute: Midge Purce dribbled down the left facet of the field and delivered a cross to the again submit for Ifeoma Onumonu, who completed from shut vary with a volleyed shot.

NJNY – McCall Zerboni (Kristie Mewis), 74th minute: Kristie Mewis served a nook kick into the middle pf the field and McCall Zerboni related, sending a header simply contained in the left submit.

  • Thorns FC completed within the prime 2 within the NWSL standings for the fifth time within the final six seasons.
  • Portland’s 49 targets rank because the third-most in a single season in league historical past. 
  • Thorns FC scored a number of targets in 15 of their 22 common season matches.
  • Portland scored in all 12 of its highway matches in 2022, together with a number of targets in eight of these video games.
  • Thorns FC completed the common season with only one loss on the highway and led the league with 22 highway targets.
  • Sophia Smith scored her fifth profession brace, and her fourth brace of the 2022 season.
  • Smith’s 4 braces in 2022 tied the NWSL report for braces in a season, tying Naho Kawasumi (2014) and Sam Kerr (2019).
  • Smith set a brand new Thorns FC single-season report with 14 targets, surpassing the earlier report of 13 targets set by Lindsey Horan throughout the 2018 season.
  • Smith completed the marketing campaign ranked second in targets scored within the league.
  • Smith elevated her profession whole to 21 targets with Portland. She is the fourth participant to succeed in this milestone, becoming a member of Christine Sinclair, Lindsey Horan and Allie Lengthy as the one different three gamers in membership historical past with 20 or extra targets.
  • Hina Sugita recorded her third and fourth assists of the season.
  • Sugita registered the twelfth multi-assist recreation in membership historical past.
  • Sugita grew to become the fifth participant to report a minimum of three assists for Thorns FC this season together with Smith, Morgan Weaver, Yazmeen Ryan and Olivia Moultrie. 
  • Morgan Weaver scored her seventh objective of the season. She has three targets in her final two video games for Thorns FC.
  • In two video games towards Gotham FC this season, Weaver tallied two targets and an help.
  • Kelli Hubly completed the season as the one participant to begin and play each match, enjoying each single minute (1,980). The final participant to play each minute of each match was Christine Sinclair in 2018.

*
Subsequent Sport
*Thorns FC might be both the No. 1 or No. 2 seed within the 2022 NWSL Playoffs and could have a quarterfinal bye. Portland will play host to a semifinal match on Sunday, Oct. 23, at Windfall Park. Opponent and time to be decided. 

Portland Thorns FC (10-3-9, 39pts) vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC (4-17-1, 22pts) 
Oct. 1, 2022 – Purple Bull Area (Harrison, N.J.)

Targets by Half               1         2         F 
Portland Thorns FC      2         1         3    
NJ/NY Gotham FC       1         2         3

Scoring Abstract
NJNY: Kawasumi, 39
POR: S. Smith (penalty kick), 44
POR: S. Smith (Sugita), 45+1
POR: Weaver (Sugita), 53

NJNY: Onumonu (Purce), 56
NJNY: Zerboni (Mewis), 74

NJNY: Freeman (warning), 90+1

POR: GK Bixby, D Kuikka, D Hubly, D Sauerbrunn, D Klingenberg, M Porter (Dunn, 69), M Rodríguez, M Sinclair © (Ryan, 46), F Sugita, F Weaver (Beckie, 81), F S. Smith 

Substitutes Not Used: GK A. Smith, D Nally, D McGrady, D Menges, M Moultrie, F Everett 

TOTAL SHOTS: 18 (S. Smith, 7); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (S. Smith, 5); FOULS: 8 (Three gamers tied, 2); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 12; SAVES: 1

NJ/NY: GK Betos, D Krieger (Pickett, 65), D Freeman, D Johnson, M Smith, M Zerboni ©, M Mewis, M Kawasumi (Baxter, 89), M Dorsey (Brunihna, 65), F Purce, F Onumonu (Monaghan, 70)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Hancuff, D Jean, M Torres, M Sheehan, M Bike 

TOTAL SHOTS: 7 (Onumonu, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (4 gamers tied, 1); FOULS: 9 (Krieger, 4); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 4

Referee: Adorae Monroy
Assistant Referees: Tom Felice, Jeremy Smith
Fourth Official: Marie Durr
Climate: Cloudy, 58 levels
Attendance: n/a

All statistics contained on this field rating are unofficial

See also  Week 1 IDP Waiver Wire Pickups (2022 Fantasy Soccer)