Rookie Morgan Weaver scored in the 68th minute to send the Portland Thorns to the semifinals of the National Soccer League Women’s Challenge Cup with a surprising 1-0 victory over two-time defending league champion North Carolina Courage. , on Friday.
The win was Portland’s first win in the eighth seed of the tournament, and it came with team third string goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom in goal. The best-sown Courage had won all four Challenge Cup games before the game.
Eckerstrom had an impressive game, finishing with eight saves.
Weaver grabbed a cross from Raquel Rodriguez and defeated Courage goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland, leaving North Carolina behind for the first time in the tournament, and the Thorns endured the rest of the way.
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(@CBSSportsSoccer)An incredible magic between Raquel Rodríguez and Morgan Weaver!
Weaver scores his first career goal when @ThornsFC takes a 1-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/rgk5YSadrh
July 17, 2020
It was the first professional goal for Weaver, who was the No. 2 pick in this year’s NWSL draft outside of Washington state.
Portland was hampered by injuries in the game. Starting goalkeeper Adrianna Franch has not played in the tournament due to an injury to her right knee. Bella Bixby’s backup, which she played in the first four games, was scrapped for Friday’s game due to a knee injury.
Portland’s backing for the game was goalkeeper coach Nadine Angerer, the former standout of the German national team who was the 2014 FIFA World Player of the Year.
Eckerstrom rejected Debinha’s flex shot from a distance in the 30th minute, making four saves in the first half alone. She stopped a dangerous header from Jessica McDonald in the 71st minute.
But his big moment came when he denied Debinha with a free kick in the 79th minute.
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July 17, 2020
Lindsey Horan of Portland started although it was questionable to enter the game with a hip injury. She left the game at the beginning of the second half after a steep drop.
There was a terrifying collision between Lynn Williams of North Carolina and Katherine Reynolds of Portland at the end of the first half. Reynolds had to be helped off the field and Williams had a bloody forehead wound that had to be bandaged.
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