The Portland Thorns would rally from an early deficit, playing almost the entire match down a woman, to earn a 2-1 win over the North Carolina Courage. Hannah Betfort and Sophia Smith would score for the Thorns, while Tyler Lussi had the goal for the Courage.
In the 14th minute, the Courage would be awarded a penalty kick on a foul by Kelli Hubly in the box, which was then changed to a DOGSO foul on Hubly, which meant no penalty kick, but the Thorns would be down a player. But on the ensuing free kick, Tyler Lussi converted with a beautiful shot off the crossbar and just over the line to give North Carolina a 1-0 lead.
But the Thorns actually looked better playing shorthanded, and in the 41st minute, they would make it pay off when Olivia Moultrie chipped a pass nicely into the run of Hannah Betfort, who blasted a shot past goalkeeper Casey Murphy at close-range, and the Thorns had pulled level at 1-1. This would be the score at halftime.
In the 69th minute, Sophia Smith subbed in for her first action since the Women’s World Cup, and it only took about 15 seconds for her to score, easily finishing a pass from Morgan Weaver at the far post, and the score was now 2-1 Thorns. The home side would hold on despite being down a player for over 70 minutes for the 2-1 win.
