Tuesday, September 18, 2018

NWSL Playoffs - 2018 Semifinals

The entirety of the NWSL playoffs in 2018 will be played in Portland due to Hurricane Florence forcing the Courage and Red Stars to move their game out of North Carolina. First up...

The Portland Thorns FC host the Seattle Reign FC. Lydia Williams and Adrianna Franch play in goal. Portland's Emily Sonnett had a yellow card for a twenty-seventh minute foul. Seattle started in the twenty-ninth minute with a Jasmyne Spencer goal on a rebound from Megan Rapinoe's free kick. Jess Fishlock of the Reign had a yellow card for a fortieth minute foul. The Thorns tied it in the forty-third minute as Tobin Heath scored, with the help of Lindsey Horan. Emily Menges of Portland had a yellow card in the fiftieth minute for a foul. Seattle saw yellow cards for Rapinoe and Allie Long in the fifty-fourth and sixtieth minutes, respectively, and both for fouls. The Thorns took the lead in the seventy-seventh minute with a Horan goal, set up by Christine Sinclair. This provided the 2-1 final, with the woman of the match being Horan. Also good for the Thorns were Heath, Sinclair, Meghan Klingenberg, and Franch (four for five in saves), while the Reign's best were Rapinoe, Spencer, and Megan Oyster. Portland will try to defend last year's championship in front of their own fans.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Courage play host to the Chicago Red Stars, but the game is played in Portland due to Hurricane Florence. Alyssa Naeher and Sabrina D'Angelo protect the nets. North Carolina opened in the fifth minute with a Jessica McDonald goal, courtesy of Crystal Dunn. Merritt Mathias of the Courage had a yellow card for a seventy-second minute foul. North Carolina added on with a Samantha Mewis long-distance goal on a second opportunity, set up by Dunn. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the woman of the match being Abby Erceg. Also strong for the Courage were McDonald, Dunn, Mewis, and Abby Dahlkemper, while the Red Stars' best were Julie Ertz, Arin Gilliland, Morgan Brian, and Yuki Nagasato.

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