The Portland Thorns booked the first place in the NWSL final after a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Wave at Providence Park. While the Wave struck first as Taylor Kornieck was left unmarked in the box to score her third goal against the Thorns, that didn't throw the experienced Portland side off. Raquel Rodríguez hit a stunner of an equalizer from a broken corner kick in the 20th minute, then the match turned into the Sophia Smith vs. Naomi Girma battle. Girma was excellent in defense showing why she's a finalist for league MVP among other awards but it wasn't enough as Crystal Dunn scored the dramatic winner deep into stoppage time for her first goal since giving birth to her first child in May.
Here's highlights and takeaways from the game:
The semifinal was a stage for several running NWSL storylines to come to a head for these two clubs. Not only was it a battle between two first-year NWSL head coaches, but also The first-ever NWSL semifinal led by two women head coaches as well with Thorns manager Rhian Wilkinson and Wave skipper Casey Stoney.
After playing 120 minutes in the quarterfinal, it was a dream start for the Wave in the semifinal as Kornieck scored in the opening ten minutes of the match. Alex Morgan delivered a lofty cross into the box where Kornieck slid into to open space between two defenders and head the first goal.
The two teams played an end-to-end first half and it didn't take long for the Thorns to level the scoreline. Rocky Rodriguez provided the equalizer off a scattered corner kick, and the Costa Rican international utilized the space and time to get the perfect volley off.
Both teams entered halftime fairly even in offensive stats, though San Diego narrowly won the first-half battle in total shots with seven compared to six by Portland. The Thorns three attempts on target were just short of the Wave's four shots on goal. The narrow margins between the two teams set up a "who will crack first" scenario between Wilkinson and Stoney for the second half.
Crystal Dunn proved to be the ideal substitution in the match after getting into the game just past the hour mark. Dunn has been building her minutes with the team over the last two months after being away on maternity leave. Her return to the pitch comes after giving birth to her son Marcel back in May and she had previously made five appearances for the club ahead of her semifinal appearance.
The Thorns applied strong pressure in the early phases of the second half, though San Diego was able to sustain it before getting looks in the final third towards the later stage of the half. Despite the effort, it was another broken set piece place led to a stunning game-winner by Dunn in stoppage time, securing Portland's positon in the 2022 NWSL championship final.
The club made history throughout its inaugural season and fell just short of making an appearance in the NWSL Championship final. The California expansion team never fell out of playoff contention throughout a regular season that included stadium sellouts and end-of-the-year nominations for MVP (Morgan, Girma), Rookie of the Year (Girma), Defender of the Year (Girma), Coach of the Year (Stoney), and Goalkeeper of the Year (Kalien Sheridan). The future looks bright for the young franchise with both veteran leadership and young talent in place.
Portland Thorns will play in the NWSL championship final on October 29, the will face the winner of OL Reign-Kansas City Current.
Two broken corners led to two goals and the Thorns did just enough. The Wave can hold their heads high after an impressive inaugural season and Naomi Girma put on a show in defense but it wasn't enough. Next up is OL Reign hosting the Kansas City Current to see who the other team in the final is.
Crystal Dunn scores what should be the winner in the 93rd minute as again Portland were more active after a corner for another strike!
Morgan Weaver with a header in the box but she couldn't keep it down. It has been all Portland to close things up but the Wave are content to defend and see this into extra time.
Impressive awareness from Sheridan to keep an eye on the ball after it bounced around the box while Portland were attacking. Five minutes left or we're getting free soccer here.
This time Smith was able to create a big chance but it ended in an easy save for Bixby to collect. Better from Portland as things have gotten a little stale lately.
It didn't seem like anything direct happened after her check for a concussion in the first half but as she called for the trainer, she's going through checks again. It seems like Bixby will continue but this is quite an odd scenario to watch especially as the match could be heading for extra time and possibly penalties.
Worrying times for San Diego as Morgan is with the trainer after going in on a challenge on Sauerbrunn. Morgan will continue in the match after testing sprints on the sideline but it's something to watch as the minutes count on considering there were questions surrounding Morgan's availability heading into the match.
Offically past the hour mark and Wave head coach Casey Stoney was the first to crack and make adjustments. Thorns manager Rihan Wilkinson shortly followed suit. Thorns have been really strong in the early phases of the second half and applying pressure, but the Wave have been able to sustain it thus far. Unsure if the team coming off a quarterfinal with extra time can keep up but we will see!
Getting into space and forcing Sheridan into a save, it won't take long for Dunn to get back into the swing of things.
Crystal Dunn enters for goalscorer Raquel Rodríguez to provide fresh legs.
Makenzy Doniak enters for Jaedyn Shaw. Shaw, 17, is the youngest player to start an NWSL playoff game but Doniak will bring more energy for San Diego as they look to finish the job in regulation.
Again it's Girma as she's in a foot race with Smith. Smith has to foul Girma to stop the rookie from starting a Wave counter heading the other way. Her strength and movement gives San Diego so much room for error on the defensive end.
Portland were on the counter but Girma won a tackle to stop them in their tracks as she continues her excellent rookie season.
End-to-end action between the two sides here and nearly even in offensive stats. San Deigo leads in total shots with seven compared to six by Portland. Three attempts on target by the Thorns is one short of four by the Wave, who excited the first half with a good sequence inside the box. A west coast kickoff is presenting a lot of sunshine on one end and tons of shadows on the opposite end, but both goalkeepers have come up with a big save to keep things level at 1-1.
Looking to keep things level heading into the half it took a good stop on Kornieck's strike. Already scoring a goal, Kornieck has been everywhere in the first half for the Wave.
Things are alright after she ended up on her back after making contact with Korneick but Bixby passed the checks and it was deemed to have no foul play on the contact between the two.
No one wants to hold possession right now as Rodríguez coughed up the ball to Alex Morgan but the Golden Boot winner couldn't get a shot off. The match can't continue at this pace as someone needs to take control in midfield.
Smith doesn't miss many but she couldn't get the shot off in time and Sheridan was quick to scramble out and take care of the danger.
Remember the need for set plays? Raquel Rodríguez remembers as a Portland stuck with attacking after a corner kick and Rodríguez hit a rocket from outside the box. What a sweet strike.
Portland are trying to up the pressure as Klingenberg scuffed her shot. It's the first attempt on target from the Thorns today in their third attempt. Portland need to turn their possession into attacks as the game goes on.
San Deigo Wave gets on the scoreboard first. Who else but the one-two combination of Alex Morgan and Taylor Kornieck. Morgan lifts her head up out on the wing to find the 6'1 Kornieck completely unmarked as she drifted in between defenders into open space. Didn't even need to pull out the hops for that one.
It's Portland's worst nightmare as Kornieck opens the scoring following a great assist from Morgan. It's the third time that Kornieck has scored on the Thorns this season.
The Thorns aren't letting San Diego get comfortable in midfield as they look to use the home pitch advantage in their favor. San Diego may need to soak up pressure and try and hit them on the counter and set pieces will likely be key in this match as if Portland can continue the dominance in possession, there will be plenty of corner kicks.
Sophia Smith vs. Naomi Girma: All eyes will likely be on USWNT teammates Sophia Smith and Alex Morgan as they suit up for the semifinal on opposite sides of the ball. But the actual battle will be between the USWNT defender Naomi Girma going up against Smith. The two former Stanford University teammates have gone head-to-head four times since turning pro, and the two are likely to have another chess match today.
It's going to be quite a match in Portland!
Portland Thorns: Look Hina Sugita to have a vital role in playmaking for the Thorns. The Japanese international has slotted into Portland's starting lineup fairly seamlessly and needed little time to adapt to the style of play in the league. She's featured in 21 games, starting 19, and has five goals and four assists this season.
San Diego Wave: Emily Van Egmond had a massive match for the team during their semifinal and will need another big game for the Wave in Portland. She'll be tasked with disrupting the attack for the Thorns and is another target on set pieces for the Wave outside of Taylor Kornieck.
Sandra took a look at the landscape of the league.
The final four will battle it out for a spot in the NWSL Championship on Oct. 29. For the first time in NWSL history, three of the four semifinalists are from the west coast. Two of the teams are actually recent expansion sides. Franchises like OL Reign and Portland Thorns are long-established clubs in the league, while San Diego has found early success on the pitch in their inaugural season. Angel City FC also had success in their inaugural season and fell just short of the 2022 NWSL postseason. The Kansas City Current joined the league in 2021.
The current playoff picture highlights a potential shift in not only the competitive landscape of the league, but signs also point to the next era of prominence structured in a western ascendency.
San Diego Wave starters: Sheridan, Riehl, Girma, Westphal, Van Edmond, McNabb, Briede, Korneick, Jakobsson, Shaw, Morgan
Reserves: Taylor, Doniak, Ali, Turnbow, Gyau, Pogarch, Shimmer, Altschuld, Telford
