PORTLAND, Ore. — Angel City FC erased a two-goal deficit, but the Portland Thorns scored a stoppage-time goal to win their NWSL Challenge Cup match, 3-2, at Providence Park.
Portland opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when forward Izzy D’Aquila sent a perfect cross from deep on the right wing to forward Michelle Vasconcelos as she sprinted into the box on the left. Vasconcelos muscled past Angel City midfielder Madison Hammond, beat charging goalkeeper Brittany Isenhour to the bouncing ball and one-timed it into the goal with her head.
Angel City rookie Alyssa Thompson nearly tied the score in the 38th minute when she capitalized on a Thorns giveaway but sent a powerful shot just over the crossbar.
The Thorns doubled their lead in the first minute of the second half. Midfielder Olivia Moultrie sent a free kick toward the 6-yard box, where D’Aquila made a play for the ball but couldn’t quite connect – but Moultrie’s attempt brushed past her and landed in the goal.
Angel City cut the margin in half in the 61st minute, when forward Scarlett Camberos laid a pass off to midfielder Clarisse Le Bihan, who maneuvered into the box and sent a hard left-footed shot toward the far post and into the back of the net.
Two minutes later, not long after Portland’s D’Aquila sent a shot off the bottom of the crossbar, Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson sprinted into the box on a transition play. Goalkeeper Shelby Hogan dove to claim the ball but failed to gain control of it. As Thompson made a play for the ball, Hogan dove again, knocking Thompson down. No foul was called on the play, but after a review, Angel City was awarded a penalty shot. Claire Emslie buried her hip-height shot to the left and into the net to level the score in the 66th minute.
Portland brought on forward Morgan Weaver as a substitute for Vasconcelos in the 69th minute and she provided a spark right away. Weaver dished off to Moultrie in the 77th minute, but she put her shot wide of the net.
The Thorns brought on Sophia Smith in the 80th minute for D’Aquila, and she made a dangerous run into the box but wasn’t able to catch up with a Weaver cross.
Angel City threatened in the 84th, but Katie Johnson’s powerful shot sailed just high.
Late in stoppage time, Portland forward Christine Sinclair floated a ball toward the top of the 6-yard box, where Weaver flicked it into the net at a sideways angle with a scorpion kick-like touch.
Portland (1-1-0, three points) is in second place in the Challenge Cup Group B standings behind OL Reign (2-0-1, seven points), while Angel City is in fourth (0-2-1, one point). Third-place San Diego Wave FC is 1-1-0 but sits behind Portland on goal differential.
What a STRIKE from Le Bihan! pic.twitter.com/2tmXkyRKgp
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 1, 2023
That's a PRETTY PK! pic.twitter.com/klZwqFLGX1
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 1, 2023
We are simply in awe, Morgan Weaver 😮 pic.twitter.com/pAZaPOe706
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 1, 2023
