It seemed like everything was going wrong on Friday for the Portland Thorns and their 2020 season was about to end.
The Thorns were missing several key players, including goalkeeper Bella Bixby, who had started all her previous games in the NWSL Challenge Cup. They lost two players to injuries early in the second half, including Lindsey Horan. And North Carolina Courage dominated every metric, including possession and shooting.
But the terrible start created a surprising victory for the Thorns as rookie Morgan Weaver’s first career goal brought down No. 1 seed 1-0 in the first round of the knockout stage.
With the result, the Thorns in last place claimed their first Challenge Cup victory and advanced to the semi-final round. Courage are going home suffering their first loss after four consecutive victories.
“We’ve had curved balls after curved balls, setbacks after setbacks,” said Thorns coach Mark Parsons. “The power of the group is our strength. He was always going to be the next player to step forward, and today I think the belief won. “
The Thorns’ advance came in the 68th minute. Rocky Rodriguez dribbled to the finish line when Weaver sustained his run and then ran for the ball as soon as Rodriguez put it in the box. Weaver redirected the ball away from the post, beating Courage goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland, who had been covering the near post.
The victory was as much credit to Thorns goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom as anyone else. Eckerstrom made eight saves on the day, including several spectacular saves to exclude North Carolina. She crucially denied Courage a possible equalizer in the 87th minute when she stepped out of her line to deny Debinha one by one.
It was the first appearance in the Eckerstrom game since last August. Starting goalkeeper Adrianna Franch missed the Challenge Cup due to a knee injury, and Bixby, who received high praise for her performances throughout the tournament, came out Friday with a less serious knee injury.
“It feels pretty good,” said a discreet Eckerstrom after the game. “This is when I counted and we put the ball at the bottom of the net this time, so we can go ahead and continue this journey.”
The Courage fired a whopping 21 shots compared to Portland’s 10, and the Thorns defense had to make 42 punches on the North Carolina 12.
Defender Katherine Reynolds had to be replaced by Christen Westphal in the 41st minute after a head-on collision with Lynn Williams of North Carolina.
“A few stitches and a bit of a headache, but I’m fine,” Reynolds tweeted on Friday night.
Portland’s problems worsened in the 50th minute when Horan, who was suffering from a hip injury, had to be replaced by Celeste Boureille.
“I saw those things happening in the first half: We withstood a couple of storms, Kath (Reynolds) falling,” Parsons said. “No, the belief did not change because it has been history for two or three months. Unfortunately, we have lost some players and we said from the beginning that the strength of our group will be our secret weapon. “
From the first whistle, Valor was dominant and the Thorns spent the entire first half chasing the game. Courage ended with the advantage in possession, 55% to 45%.
In just the first 51 seconds, Williams beat the Thorns baseline and handed an unrestricted cross to Kristen Hamilton, who was only one step behind and was unable to connect. Within half an hour, Eckerstrom was forced to make a diving jump to deny Debinha a shot at the top of the box.
Las Espinas reached the quarterfinals on Friday with several absences. In addition to missing Franch and Bixby, they were left without Becky Sauerbrunn (left hip) and No. 1 draft pick Sophia Smith (left knee). Tobin Heath withdrew from the tournament due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
The Thorns were the only team to enter the knockout on stage without a victory. Meanwhile, Courage was the only team to win all the preliminary rounds.
Now, the Thorns advance to the semifinal against the quarterfinal winner between the Houston Dash and the Utah Royals. That semifinal will be played at 9:30 am PDT on Wednesday, July 22.
– Caitlin Murray for The Oregonian / OregonLive
Earlier:
New spines ready to (finally) start
Thorns Fall to North Carolina Courage
Thorns settle for a goalless draw against Chicago
Thorns lure Washington in a round-trip game
Thorns draw OL Reign, make the road more difficult in the NWSL Challenge Cup
Goalkeeper Bella Bixby has become a rising star
