**PORTLAND, Ore.** – Portland Thorns FC earned a 2-0 win over OL Reign at home on Saturday night thanks to two goals in the span of six minutes from Hina Sugita and Morgan Weaver. The win makes it a regular season sweep over the Reign after a 2-0 road victory in June, with the season series in Portland’s favor (W2 D1 L1) ahead of any potential postseason meeting.
The Thorns were first to create a few attacking opportunities, with playmaker Hina Sugita testing the Reign defense in the 12 ^th minute. Sugita received a pass just north of the 18-yard box and taking it on the turn, worked the ball onto her right foot as she approached the edge of the area. Opting to shoot from there, she attempted to find the bottom left corner with a low effort, but Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey was in position to make the save.
Three minutes later, a well-worked move by the Thorns saw a string of multiple passes help the ball get from a central position, out wide to the right, and back into the middle of the penalty area again as midfielder Crystal Dunn found herself on the ball just a few yards from goal. She opened up her foot in attempts to squeeze a shot past Dickey, but again the goalkeeper was equal to the effort.
The Reign were able to stitch together a chance of their own in the 29 ^th minute as Rapinoe tested Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby. Rapinoe had been on the left flank where she delivered a high cross into the penalty area. Teammate Jess Fishlock was first to the pass but a challenge on the header sent the ball skying into the air before it eventually landed and bounced in the penalty area back toward Rapinoe. Fishlock produced a sliding challenge to help the ball eek out to Rapinoe on the edge of the area, but her right-footed shot toward the bottom nearside was held by Bixby.
The Thorns then went to the other side just one minute later and in unconventional fashion took the lead in front of a packed Providence Park. The hosts had earned a free kick a considerable distance from goal and saw the ball lobbed to the back post where Thorns midfielder Rocky Rodriguez was there to meet it. Rodriguez then played the ball back across the frame of goal, and just as Reign attacker Jordyn Huitema was poised to make a clearance a few feet from goal, Sugita crashed in and prevented Huitema from clearing the ball away. Instead, Sugita forced the ball into the back of the net as she closed space on Huitema and right on the half-hour mark Portland had a one-goal lead.
Wasting little time to keep going, the Thorns then doubled their lead in the 36 ^th minute as a recycled cross into the box saw Morgan Weaver bury a chance at the back post for her third straight game with a goal. A cleared corner kick saw Portland eventually work the ball out wide to the left again where a cross came into the box. The ball bounced off a player to the back post where Weaver was waiting, and she lashed a left-footed effort into the side netting and in to double her team’s lead before halftime.
A second half of few chances between the two sides, Portland did well to manage the game with the Reign coming closest to a goal in the 83 ^rd minute off a Megan Rapinoe corner kick. Rapinoe played her corner short to teammate Lauren Barnes, who left it off back with Rapinoe. The attacker then lifted a cross into the box where a host of bodies were scrambling to meet it. Eventually, midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt was able to get a shot away but Bixby leapt into the air to claim it and end the move.
In the end, a big win for Portland took them atop the league standings with 32 points from 19 games played, while the Reign remain in 5 ^th place right on the edge of that playoff line with 27 points from 19 games played.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights