The Portland Thorns opened their 2023 NWSL regular season on Sunday afternoon, welcoming the Orlando Pride to town as the Thorns also presented their third league championship banner. And the Thorns would put on a dominant display in a 4-0 win over the Pride, with Morgan Weaver, Sophia Smith, Hina Sugita, and Michele Vasconcelos all scoring for the Thorns, while Bella Bixby recorded the shutout in goal.
The Thorns would very nearly have the first goal three minutes in, when a corner was headed towards the far post where Sophia Smith briefly had a look at an open net, but slid the chance just wide. But in the 16th minute, the Thorns would get that opening goal when a shot by Christine Sinclair was saved by Orlando’s Anna Moorhouse, but Morgan Weaver would get her foot on the rebound and knocked it home to put the Thorns up by a 1-0 score.
In the 22nd minute, the Thorns would double the lead when Sinclair did well to block a pass in the Pride penalty area, then slipped a nice pass to Smith, whose shot from 10 yards out was deflected by an Orlando defender, but not enough to keep it out, and the Thorns lead was now 2-0. Just a few minutes later, the Thorns thought a third goal was in the bag when Smith slipped by the defense and the goalkeeper as well and had a tight-angle shot at an open net, but the shot rang off the left post and the chance was lost. The Thorns would hold the 2-0 lead at the break.
Just three minutes into the second half, the Thorns would widen their lead to three goals when a shot by Smith was blocked by Moorhouse, but she couldn’t control the rebound and Hina Sugita would get to the loose ball first and knocked it home over the prone Orlando goalkeeper to give the Thorns a 3-0 lead.
On a play that started with a brilliant move by Sugita to beat two Pride players in the Timbers defensive half, Smith made a nice run into the box and her low cross was finished with a one-time, sliding effort by Michele Vasconcelos, which widened the Thorns lead to 4-0, which would be the final.
Thorns trounce Orlando Pride 4-0 in 2023 season opener | Thorns website
