Thorns now sit fourth in NWSL standings by recording their first win in three matches thanks to a late Louisville own goal.
PORTLAND, Ore. (Friday,September 5, 2025) – The Portland Thorns secured three massive points with their 2-1 road victory against Racing Louisville, scoring a late-match winner to get themselves back in the win column and jumping up to fourth in the league standings.
Louisville started the match with some threatening opportunities on goal, but notable goal line saves from Portland’sMackenzie Arnold, Jayden Perry and Isabella Obaze kept things level. However,Louisville’s Katie O’Kane ultimately gave the hosts the lead in the 21’,putting the Thorns in a position to fight back for an equalizer.
It would not be too long after when the Thorns would find themselves on the scoreboard, with French forward Julie Dufour heading in a blocked shot to level it up, her second goal in back-to-back matches.
Despite Louisville’s best efforts, the Thorns defense would hold out to head into halftime with things all squared up.
After the break, Mackenzie Arnold would once again come up huge by winning a 1v1 battle in the box to help the Thorns trigger the transition towards Louisville’s box, with Turner drawing the foul in the box to win a penalty in favor. Portland captain Sam Coffey would step up to take the shot but would see her attempt blocked by Racing keeper JordynBloomer.
For the remainder of the second half, both sides battled in search of the winner, and it would finally land Portland’s way in the dying minutes when Jessie Fleming connected a shot off Mallie McKenzie’s cross, with the ball going into the net off a deflection from Louisville defender Ellie Jean.
The Thorns held tight to that lead all the way through the end of the match and found themselves once again back in the win column, securing three more crucial points in Portland’s push for the playoffs.
ATTENDANCE: 6,102
TEAM NOTES
· With tonight’s victory, the Thorns snapped its two-match losing streak and a three-match road winless streak.
· Tonight’s win was Portland’s first in five contests against Louisville dating back to September 2023.
· Portland recorded its first win in three matches at Lynn Family Stadium sinceJuly 2022. The Thorns now have a 3W-2L-0D record at Louisville in NWSL competition.
· Forward Julie Dufour scored her second goal in as many matches, also registering her first Thorns start.
· The own goal winner was the first to favor Portland this season and was the latest Portland game-winner in 2025.
UP NEXT: The Thorns visit Chicago Stars FC on Sunday, September 14. Kickoff on NWSL+ andParamount+ is scheduled for 12 p.m. PT.
GOAL-SCORINGBREAKDOWN
FIRST HALF
LOU – Katie O’Kane (Sarah Weber) 22’: From a tight angle, Weber passed the ball through the six-yard box to find O’Kane who shot the ball into the back of thenet.
POR – Julie Dufour 31’: Following a blocked shot from Reilyn Turner, Dufour came in for the rebound header, with the ball ricocheting off the rightpost into the net.
SECOND HALF
POR – Ellie Jean (Own Goal) 90’: Jessie Fleming would connect Mallie McKenzie’s cross, and the shot would be deflected into the open net by Racing’s Ellie Jean.
LINEUPS
Portland Thorns (4-3-3): Mackenzie Arnold, ReynaReyes, Jayden Perry, Isabella Obaze, Kailtyn Torpey (Mallie McKenzie 64’), SamCoffey-C, Olivia Moultrie, Jessie Fleming, Reilyn Turner (Hina Sugita 90+3’),Julie Dufour (Mimi Alidou 64’), Pietra Tordin (Daiane 87’)
Subs not used: Bella Bixby, Sam Hiatt, Naomi Powell, Alexa Spaanstra, Deyna Castellanos
RacingLouisville (4-3-3): Jordyn Bloomer, Arin Wright-C,Ellie Jean, Courtney Petersen, Janine Sonis, Ary Borges, Katie O’Kane (MarisaDiGrande 70’), Savannah DeMelo, Ella Hase (Makenna Morris 78’), Emma Sears,Sarah Weber (Bethany Balcer 90+1’)
Subs not used: Cristina Roque, Madison White, Angela Baron, Katie Scott, Avery Kalitta
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
POR: Julie Dufour (Yellow) 36’, Jayden Perry (Yellow) 75’, Mimi Alidou(Yellow) 89’
LOU: Savannah DeMelo (Yellow) 90+4’
MATCH STATS
POR| LOU
Goals:2|1
Assists: 0|1
Possession: 53|47
Shots: 16|25
Shots on Target: 8|6
Saves: 11|2
Tackles: 17|17
Tackles Won: 11|11
Interceptions: 7|8
Fouls: 12|17
Offsides: 0|1
Corner Kicks: 2|11
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
Thorns now sit fourth in NWSL standings by recording their first win in three matches thanks to a late Louisville own goal.
PORTLAND, Ore. (Friday,September 5, 2025) – The Portland Thorns secured three massive points with their 2-1 road victory against Racing Louisville, scoring a late-match winner to get themselves back in the win column and jumping up to fourth in the league standings.
Louisville started the match with some threatening opportunities on goal, but notable goal line saves from Portland’sMackenzie Arnold, Jayden Perry and Isabella Obaze kept things level. However,Louisville’s Katie O’Kane ultimately gave the hosts the lead in the 21’,putting the Thorns in a position to fight back for an equalizer.
It would not be too long after when the Thorns would find themselves on the scoreboard, with French forward Julie Dufour heading in a blocked shot to level it up, her second goal in back-to-back matches.
Despite Louisville’s best efforts, the Thorns defense would hold out to head into halftime with things all squared up.
After the break, Mackenzie Arnold would once again come up huge by winning a 1v1 battle in the box to help the Thorns trigger the transition towards Louisville’s box, with Turner drawing the foul in the box to win a penalty in favor. Portland captain Sam Coffey would step up to take the shot but would see her attempt blocked by Racing keeper JordynBloomer.
For the remainder of the second half, both sides battled in search of the winner, and it would finally land Portland’s way in the dying minutes when Jessie Fleming connected a shot off Mallie McKenzie’s cross, with the ball going into the net off a deflection from Louisville defender Ellie Jean.
The Thorns held tight to that lead all the way through the end of the match and found themselves once again back in the win column, securing three more crucial points in Portland’s push for the playoffs.
ATTENDANCE: 6,102
TEAM NOTES
· With tonight’s victory, the Thorns snapped its two-match losing streak and a three-match road winless streak.
· Tonight’s win was Portland’s first in five contests against Louisville dating back to September 2023.
· Portland recorded its first win in three matches at Lynn Family Stadium sinceJuly 2022. The Thorns now have a 3W-2L-0D record at Louisville in NWSL competition.
· Forward Julie Dufour scored her second goal in as many matches, also registering her first Thorns start.
· The own goal winner was the first to favor Portland this season and was the latest Portland game-winner in 2025.
UP NEXT: The Thorns visit Chicago Stars FC on Sunday, September 14. Kickoff on NWSL+ andParamount+ is scheduled for 12 p.m. PT.
GOAL-SCORINGBREAKDOWN
FIRST HALF
LOU – Katie O’Kane (Sarah Weber) 22’: From a tight angle, Weber passed the ball through the six-yard box to find O’Kane who shot the ball into the back of thenet.
POR – Julie Dufour 31’: Following a blocked shot from Reilyn Turner, Dufour came in for the rebound header, with the ball ricocheting off the rightpost into the net.
SECOND HALF
POR – Ellie Jean (Own Goal) 90’: Jessie Fleming would connect Mallie McKenzie’s cross, and the shot would be deflected into the open net by Racing’s Ellie Jean.
LINEUPS
Portland Thorns (4-3-3): Mackenzie Arnold, ReynaReyes, Jayden Perry, Isabella Obaze, Kailtyn Torpey (Mallie McKenzie 64’), SamCoffey-C, Olivia Moultrie, Jessie Fleming, Reilyn Turner (Hina Sugita 90+3’),Julie Dufour (Mimi Alidou 64’), Pietra Tordin (Daiane 87’)
Subs not used: Bella Bixby, Sam Hiatt, Naomi Powell, Alexa Spaanstra, Deyna Castellanos
RacingLouisville (4-3-3): Jordyn Bloomer, Arin Wright-C,Ellie Jean, Courtney Petersen, Janine Sonis, Ary Borges, Katie O’Kane (MarisaDiGrande 70’), Savannah DeMelo, Ella Hase (Makenna Morris 78’), Emma Sears,Sarah Weber (Bethany Balcer 90+1’)
Subs not used: Cristina Roque, Madison White, Angela Baron, Katie Scott, Avery Kalitta
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
POR: Julie Dufour (Yellow) 36’, Jayden Perry (Yellow) 75’, Mimi Alidou(Yellow) 89’
LOU: Savannah DeMelo (Yellow) 90+4’
MATCH STATS
POR| LOU
Goals:2|1
Assists: 0|1
Possession: 53|47
Shots: 16|25
Shots on Target: 8|6
Saves: 11|2
Tackles: 17|17
Tackles Won: 11|11
Interceptions: 7|8
Fouls: 12|17
Offsides: 0|1
Corner Kicks: 2|11
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