PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC have acquired defender Nicole Payne, on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain of the Division 1 Féminine in France.
“We are pleased to be able to add Nicole to our roster for this season, she is a young and dynamic defender, who has the ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball,” General Manager and President of Soccer Operations Karina LeBlanc said. “In speaking with Nicole, it was discovered that the Thorns are a club she has a deep admiration for. Her desire to represent this city and this crest is what we want from any new signing. When presented with this opportunity, she welcomed it with open arms. We are so thrilled to have her with us.”
Payne, 23, recently joined French side Paris Saint-Germain in July of 2023, and has since appeared in two matches for the “Rouge et Bleu.” Payne earned her first start on January 20, of this year, helping the team to an 8-1 victory over FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
“Nicole is an exciting addition to our roster, she is a defender first and foremost, but also has an incredible drive and desire to get forward and impact the game higher up the field. This coupled with her physical capabilities to do so, make her a very exciting asset for us,” Head Coach Mike Norris said. “We look forward to welcoming Nicole to the Thorns family.”
The American-born dual national rose to prominence on the international stage when she made her debut with the Nigeria Women’s National Team in June of 2021, against Jamaica. She was part of the 2022 Women’s African Cup of Nations roster, where she helped the Super Falcons to a fourth-place finish. Overall she has made seven appearances for Nigeria, two of them starts.
Before making the jump overseas, Payne played collegiately for University of Southern California where she scored three goals in 16 matches, 15 of which were starts. Before becoming a Trojan, she spent three years at West Virginia University where she recorded four goals and three assists in 53 matches, while making two NCAA Tournament appearances.
PORTLAND, Ore. (Saturday, August 15, 2026) – The Portland Thorns continued their impressive home form with a 2-1 win over Orlando Pride on Saturday when forward Caiya Hanks — who was making her return to the pitch after missing action for over a year with an ACL injury — scored a stoppage time winner to secure three points for the home side.
Both sides battled back and forth as they tried to search for the opening goal, with Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold making three saves to ensure the match remained level going into the halftime break.
The Thorns came out into the second half much more threatening in Orlando’s half and finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute when forward Pietra Tordin laid the ball off to forward Deyna Castellanos, who from the top right corner of Orlando’s box placed the ball perfectly into the top left corner of the goal over the hands of Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse.
The lead was short lived however when Arnold’s diving save to punch out a crossed ball in the 63rd minute ricocheted off the knees of Orlando forward Jacqueline Ovalle and rolled into the net to level things back up.
From there, Portland and Orlando continued in their fight to search for a second and despite several good looks at goal, the match remained level.
That would all change after Hanks — who subbed on in the 88th minute — curled the ball into the goal from outside the box in the 96th to send Providence Park into a frenzy as the Thorns secured three points and extended its home unbeaten streak to 12 matches, nine on the season.
UP NEXT: The Portland Thorns host Denver Summit FC for the first time at Providence Park on Saturday, August 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:45 pm PT on ION and 910 ESPN Portland. Purchase tickets for the match HERE.
TEAM NOTES
GOAL BREAKDOWN
First Half
N/A
Second Half
POR – Deyna Castellanos (Pietra Tordin) 58’
ORL – Jacqueline Ovalle 63’
POR – Caiya Hanks (M.A. Vignola) 90+6’
LINEUPS
Portland Thorns (4-2-3-1): Mackenzie Arnold (GK), M.A. Vignola, Jayden Perry, Isabella Obaze (Sam Hiatt 78’), Carolyn Calzada, Jessie Fleming-C, Nina Nijstad (Cassandra Bogere 85’), Pietra Tordin (Caiya Hanks 88’), Deyna Castellanos (Renee Lyles 78’), Marie Müller (Morgan Weaver 67’), Sophia Wilson
Subs not used: Morgan Messner (GK), Reyna Reyes, Shae Harvey, Mallie McKenzie
Orlando Pride (4-4-2): Anna Moorhouse (GK), Hailie Mace (Gabi Nunes 90+8’), Rafaelle (Zoe Matthews 89’), Cori Dyke, Oihane Hernández (Zara Chavoshi 76’), Solai Washington, Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon-C, Julie Doyle (Summer Yates 65’), Jacqueline Ovalle, Barbra Banda (Angelina 65’)
Subs not used: Cara Martin (GK), Cossette Morche, Luana, Nicole Payne
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
POR: N/A
ORL: Jacqueline Ovalle (Yellow) 40’, Julie Doyle (Yellow) 52’, Rafaelle (Yellow) 85’
MATCH STATS
POR | ORL
Goals: 2|1
Assists: 2|0
Possession: 51|49
Shots: 10|12
Shots on Target: 4|6
Saves: 5|2
Tackles: 16|16
Tackles Won: 9|11
Interceptions: 14|26
Fouls: 7|6
Offsides: 0|1
Corner Kicks: 0|6
ATTENDANCE: 19,106
Referee: Brad Jensen
Assistant Referee 1: Katarzyna Wasiak
Assistant Referee 2: Sarah Gaddes
4th Official: Justin St. Pierre
VAR: Danielle Chesky
Assistant VAR: Seun Yinka-Kehinde
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC have acquired defender Nicole Payne, on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain of the Division 1 Féminine in France.
“We are pleased to be able to add Nicole to our roster for this season, she is a young and dynamic defender, who has the ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball,” General Manager and President of Soccer Operations Karina LeBlanc said. “In speaking with Nicole, it was discovered that the Thorns are a club she has a deep admiration for. Her desire to represent this city and this crest is what we want from any new signing. When presented with this opportunity, she welcomed it with open arms. We are so thrilled to have her with us.”
Payne, 23, recently joined French side Paris Saint-Germain in July of 2023, and has since appeared in two matches for the “Rouge et Bleu.” Payne earned her first start on January 20, of this year, helping the team to an 8-1 victory over FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
“Nicole is an exciting addition to our roster, she is a defender first and foremost, but also has an incredible drive and desire to get forward and impact the game higher up the field. This coupled with her physical capabilities to do so, make her a very exciting asset for us,” Head Coach Mike Norris said. “We look forward to welcoming Nicole to the Thorns family.”
The American-born dual national rose to prominence on the international stage when she made her debut with the Nigeria Women’s National Team in June of 2021, against Jamaica. She was part of the 2022 Women’s African Cup of Nations roster, where she helped the Super Falcons to a fourth-place finish. Overall she has made seven appearances for Nigeria, two of them starts.
Before making the jump overseas, Payne played collegiately for University of Southern California where she scored three goals in 16 matches, 15 of which were starts. Before becoming a Trojan, she spent three years at West Virginia University where she recorded four goals and three assists in 53 matches, while making two NCAA Tournament appearances.
.avif)
