**PORTLAND, Ore.** – The final game of a packed return to the regular season saw Portland Thorns FC come back to defeat the North Carolina Courage, 2-1, behind goals from Hannah Betfort and Sophia Smith. The result leaves Portland in 1 ^st place with 28 points from 16 games played, while North Carolina sits in 2 ^nd place with 26 points from 16 games played.
The hosts Portland were off to an extremely quick start as drama ensued early on with forward Hannah Betfort having an early chance on goal in the 2 ^nd minute. Betfort had burst into the box amid a goalmouth scramble as she managed to get a toe on the ball between North Carolina defenders. Betfort then poked an effort toward goal, but Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy was able to make a solid stop and prevent the early tally.
Then, six minutes later, attacker Morgan Weaver was able to attack a ball that had been lifted into the box by teammate Olivia Moultrie, ultimately forcing Murphy into another fine stop. A ricocheted cross was met by Weaver on the edge of the six-yard box, but not making enough contact with her header, the ball dropped to her feet in front of a set of North Carolina defenders. Taking aim on goal from there, Weaver ripped an effort that Murphy was able to keep out the shot out primarily because it was directly at her.
However, the tide of the match turned in a significant way when Portland defender Kelli Hubly was shown a straight red card after VAR review for denial of a goalscoring opportunity, producing a late challenge on a North Carolina attacker just outside of the box following a giveaway at the back. That left the Courage with a free kick from around 20 yards, and forward Tyler Lussi stepped up to take. Aiming for the top right corner, Lussi whipped her effort over the wall and off the underside of the bar as the ball bounced over the line before coming back out. That led to a second VAR review, but the goal was awarded in the end and the visiting Courage went up a goal.
The visitors did not stop pushing for another goal, but Lussi was denied in the 37 ^th minute via a headed effort off a corner kick as Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby kept her side in the match.
Patience from the hosts, despite being down a player, would pay off before the halftime break though, as the forward Betfort finished off a fine team move to equalize in the 41 ^st minute. A ball down the right side for Moultrie to chase allowed her to draw in a defender and give Betfort space centrally. Moultrie then clipped a through pass to Betfort, who raced in on goal and produced a calm right-footed finish to the bottom far corner past Murphy for her side’s first goal of the night.
At the break, the two teams traded plenty of blows, but all remained level at one goal apiece.
Into the second half, Portland and North Carolina swapped chances again in the 54 ^th and 55 ^th minutes with Moultrie first testing Murphy with a right-footed curling effort from just outside the box that Murphy held. Then, Courage defender Kiki Pickett clipped the crossbar with an effort from distance after a pinball sequence in the box, but her effort landed wide after kissing the metal.
Then, three minutes later, a 1v1 situation for Courage forward Olivia Wingate saw her go directly at the goalkeeper Bixby with her run in behind the defense. As she strove near the penalty area though, Bixby came off her line and did well to dive and smother the ball and end of the move.
However, the big shift in the second half came after the introduction of Portland forward Sophia Smith, who was one of a few Thorns and North Carolina players returning after the World Cup. With Smith’s introduction, though, Portland’s tempo was upped immediately, and Smith would end up firing her side in front for the first time on the evening with a goal in the 69 ^th minute. Another clever team move saw the Thorns work the ball down the left side for the forward Weaver who had broken into the box. From her position, she beat a low cross across goal for her teammate Smith to latch onto, and Sophia Smith would not miss from just a couple of yards out as the home crowd went into a frenzy with the finish.
That goal would be enough as the Thorns squeezed out the remainder of regulation time plus stoppage, and the win help move Portland up a place to now sit atop the table.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights