Portland Thorns FC vs. OL Reign score: NWSL rivals play to scoreless draw at 2020 Challenge Cup

The result means the Thorns will be the No. 8 seed in the knockout stage

NWSL rivals Portland Thorns and OL Reign played to a scoreless draw Monday as the two sides closed out their preliminary round schedules at the 2020 Challenge Cup. Neither side could find the back of the net in a game that featured 22 shots and seven on goal.

The result means that the Thorns will be the No. 8 seed in the knockout stage. Portland only lost once, but was the only team to not record a victory in four preliminary round games. The Thorns, who were without star Lindsey Horan on Monday, will face the top-seeded North Carolina Courage in the quarterfinals.

The Reign, meanwhile, end the preliminary stage with five points. The team scored just one goal in four games -- a stoppage-time winner from Bethany Balcer last week vs. Utah -- but also shut out its opponent three times. The Reign put themselves in third place with the result and are guaranteed one of the top four seeds in the knockout round.

The Courage and Sky Blue FC close out preliminary round play on Monday night at 10 p.m. ET and the Challenge Cup quarterfinals start Friday. Every Challenge Cup game can be streamed on CBS All Access. 

Thorns 0, Reign 0 (Final)

Takeaways

OL Reign: OL Reign were still unable to build on their previous match as they continued with a patient build on the ball, but without a win to show for it. The bright spots for the team today were having players like Sofia Huerta and Jess Fishlock able to get group play minutes ahead of the knockout stage, and the substitution of Taylor Smith provided additional looks in front of goal. The team will have to wait until Monday night's match to find out who its quarterfinal opponent is.

Portland Thorns FC: The Thorns found themselves with an opportunity ahead of them today as a win would've got them out of last place. The team had utilized group play in an effort to get newer talent game experience, and while there have been good individual performances, the team has struggled in front of goal and was the only team to go winless in the preliminary round.