Match Info:
North Carolina Courage vs. Portland Thorns FC Friday, July 17 – 12:30 p.m. EST Zions Bank Stadium Watch: CBS All Access, Twitch
Herriman, Utah (July 15, 2020) – The North Carolina Courage will face Portland Thorns FC in the Challenge Cup quarterfinals at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah this Friday, July 17 at 12:30 p.m. EST. The Courage enter the quarterfinals as the first seed after finishing the preliminary round with four wins and twelve points.
“This is probably the biggest rivalry in the league,” said head coach Paul Riley on the NC Courage playing the Portland Thorns in the quarterfinals. “They are a hard team to play against. We have done a lot of scouting in the last 48 hours.” The last meeting between the two teams took place in the opening match of the Challenge Cup, with the Courage defeating the Thorns by a score of 2-1. Debinha kicked off the scoring late into the first half, receiving a cross from Hailie Mace and deflecting the ball into the net to give the Courage a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, Portland forward Simone Charley netted the equalizer for the Thorns, only to be answered by Lynn Williams heading in a game-winning goal off of a cross from Sam Mewis. Most recently, the Courage blanked Sky Blue FC 2-0 behind goals from Sam Mewis and Crystal Dunn. Mewis’ goal came early into the first half when the Courage were rewarded a corner kick. The kick was headed down by Lynn Williams and to the feet of Abby Erceg, who played a pass to Mewis in the box. Mewis drove a shot into the lower-left corner of the net, rendering the score 1-0. Later, in the 56th minute, Lynn Williams beat Sky Blue defender Imani Dorsey up the right side to feed a pass to Crystal Dunn. Dunn cut the ball towards her left foot and scored to put the Courage up 2-0. Portland Thorns FC played the OL Reign on Monday afternoon, resulting in a 0-0 draw. The Thorns currently sit in the eighth seed after finishing the preliminary round with no wins, three draws and one loss.
Up Next: If the Courage defeat the Thorns on Friday afternoon, they will advance to the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup and will face the winner of the game between Utah Royals FC and the Houston Dash, to be played at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 22.
Players to Watch Presented by Aetna:
North Carolina Courage – #19 Crystal Dunn Dunn has proven herself dangerous both defensively and offensively in her career and in the NWSL Challenge Cup. Dunn can intercept a pass in the midfield or score goals in the box. Having scored in the previous match, Dunn will look to link up with teammate Lynn Williams and find the back of the net again. Portland Thorns FC – #10 Lindsey Horan Horan will look to bring the Portland midfield together in an attack on the Courage defense that only allowed one goal during the preliminary rounds. Horan is a proven threat in the air and will be ready to capitalize on free kicks and corners.