OL Reign Earn 2-1 Victory On the Road Over Rival Portland Thorns FC
OL Reign came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory in a physical, fiercely-contested battle on the road in Portland against its Pacific Northwest rivals, Thorns FC. Rapinoe delivered the equalizer in the 9th minute while Shirley Cruz put away the game winner just six minutes later to secure OL Reign’s first win of the 2021 NWSL Regular Season.
As always, this rivalry pairing was a physical and intense battle from the first whistle. Portland was first on the scoreboard when Crystal Dunn played a dangerous cross into the 18-yard box for Portland and Karen Bardsley stepped up to get a fist on it. Waiting outside the box for the second ball was Christine Sinclair. Very aware that Bardsley was off her line, she lofted the ball just over Bardsley and into the back of the net in the fourth minute, scoring the opening goal and giving Portland the early advantage at home.
In the ninth minute of the match, Dunn pulled down Fishlock as the two were battling for possession of the ball just outside the 18-yard box, resulting in the first yellow card of the match, as well as a free kick in a dangerous position for OL Reign. Rapinoe stepped up to take the free kick, confidently hitting the ball to the near post, just beating Franch as the ball dipped into the net, tying the match 1-1 just ten minutes in.
Five minutes later, OL Reign was on the attack again. Pruitt and Fishlock combined and found Weatherholt on the attack, who played a ball central to Cruz. Cruz received the ball near the 6-yard box and played a low, hard shot to the near post, tucking it past Franch, giving OL Reign a 2-1 lead in the 15th minute.
The teams continued to fight a furious battle throughout the remaining 75 minutes, but the three first-half goals would decide the game. The final whistle sounded and OL Reign came away with a 2-1 victory at the home field of their rivals.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Farid Benstiti made three changes to OL Reign’s previous starting lineup, adding Megan Rapinoe, Shirley Cruz, and Steph Cox to the starting XI.
With the win OL Reign moved to third in the NWSL standings, with one win and one draw this season. They are level on points with Racing Louisville (first place), Orlando Pride (second place), and Gotham FC (fourth place).
Megan Rapinoe’s opener for OL Reign was her first NWSL goal in 1047 days.
Shirley Cruz’s winning goal was her first goal for OL Reign since joining the team in 2020.
This is the first time that OL Reign has beat the Portland Thorns since September 29, 2019, the last Regular Season match of the 2019 season.
Machaela George made her first NWSL appearance when she came on as a sub in the 90th minute of the match.
OL Reign will take on the Washington Spirit in their next match of the NWSL regular season on Sunday, May 30 at 4:00 p.m. PT at Cheney Stadium. Tickets for the match are on sale now at Ticketmaster, with prices starting at just $10.00.