Match Forecast: OL Reign Prepared for a Rematch with Portland

OL Reign is set to play its second road match of the 2022 Challenge Cup against Portland Thorns FC at Providence Park. This is the second meeting between the two teams in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. After previously tying, OL Reign will be looking to get the better of their fiercest rival on the road.

WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 2 at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.

WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Twitch internationally.

2022 CHALLENGE CUP RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign: 1-0-1 (4 points, second place in the West Division), Portland Thorns FC: 2-0-1 (7 points, first place in the West Division)

Key Points Ahead of the Match:

1. LAST MEETING – OL Reign and the Portland Thorns last met on Friday, March 18 at Lumen Field in Seattle to open their 2022 Challenge Cup campaigns. The rainy match was OL Reign’s first with Lumen as their home field and drew a crowd 7,343 fans, providing an intense atmosphere for the rivalry match to unfold.

OL Reign found the back of the net first, in the 19th minute. After the team did well to build the ball into the attacking third of the field, midfielder Angelina laid the ball off to defender Sofia Huerta, who fired a beautiful shot into the back of the net. OL Reign maintained the lead until the 28th minute, when Portland found an equalizer. Forward Sophia Smith sent a shot on frame and OL Reign goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce came up big to make a save, but forward Christine Sinclair was there to follow up on the rebound and level the score.

Despite an intense end to the match and an increase in urgency from OL Reign, the score remained deadlocked 1-1 until the final whistle and the bitter rivals split the points to start the 2022 Challenge Cup.

2. SCOUTING PORTLAND – The Thorn’s most recent match was on Wednesday, March 30 against Angel City FC, where the team won 3-0. The Thorns open the scoring in the 31st minute of the match forward Sophia Smith spun an Angel City defender then fired the ball into the lower right corner of the net.  Portland scored two more goals throughout the match. They doubled their lead after halftime, in the 53rd minute. Yazmeen Ryan followed up a on the loose ball and put it into the back of the net. The Thorns last goal came from Morgan Weaver. Weaver hit a shot from 25 yards out into the Angel City net for a 3-0 Thorns lead.

With that win, Portland moved to the top of the West Division of the Challenge Cup with seven points from three games. OL Reign and Portland both remain undefeated in 2022 Challenge Cup play.

3. LEVEL PAIRING – With their win over Angel City last weekend, OL Reign are unbeaten in five straight road matches across all competitions. This is the first time that the team has done this since 2014. That match marked the team’s second straight 3-goal victory on the road after beating Kansas City 3-0 in their final road game in 2021.

On the other side of the pairing, Portland is unbeaten in its last eight Challenge Cup matches, with five wins and three draws across those matches and are unbeaten at Providence Park in the tournament with three wins and one draw.

With the last two matches the Cascadia rivals played against each other ending in 1-1 draws, both sides will be looking to break the deadlock.

4. FAMILIAR FEELING – OL Reign and the Portland Thorns will be meeting for the 32nd time across all NWSL competitions, which makes it the most-played fixture in NWSL history. The rivals are very familiar with each other, but the emotions of the rivalry are still impactful in every match.

“It’s Portland and Seattle. They are always crazy games. There’s always something that changes within it. There are always emotions that go into those games too. Tomorrow will be no different,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey.

In the familiar match up, there will be a notable absence for the Reign as veteran defender Lu Barnes is out on yellow card accumulation. However, the team feels prepared for the match.

“When we are preparing for a game, everyone is learning and training with the intent that they might need to step in and play, so we have full faith in anyone who might need to be called upon to step into a role, that they have the absolute ability to fill that role,” said OL Reign defender Sam Hiatt.

MultiCare Injury Report:

OUT

Lu Barnes – Suspension

Alyssa Malonson – Knee

Megan Rapinoe – Calf

QUESTIONABLE

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