San Diego Wave FC fell to the Portland Thorns FC 4-1 at Providence Park on Friday Night.

Despite several offensive opportunities for the Wave early in the match, Portland opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a rebounded effort from Hannah Betfort. Portland midfielder Olivia Moultrie’s shot on goal was parried away by San Diego goalkeeper Shae Yáñez, but Betfort collected the rebound and scored from close range to secure the early goal for the home side.

The Wave conceded three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half. In the 54th minute, Morgan Weaver slotted the ball near post and just four minutes later, Portland scored the club’s third goal of the night when Betford found her second goal of the night. The Thorns added a fourth in the 61st minute when Reyna René Reyes Stubblefield scored her second goal in 2023. 

San Diego pulled one back in the 81st minute when 6-foot-1 midfielder Taylor Kornieck finished a header off a corner kick from midfielder Jaedyn Shaw, notching her second goal in as many games. 

Next on the schedule: The Wave continue their road stretch in the Pacific Northwest with a match against OL Reign on Friday, July 28 in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup. Beginning at 7:00 p.m. PT, the match will be available to watch live via broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Notes:

  • Defender Chai Cortez made her second consecutive start on the backline. Cortez made her professional debut on July 8 after being signed as a National Team Replacement on June 27.
  • Midfielder Rachel Hill wore the captain’s armband for the club tonight. Hill signed in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and has since appeared in 14 matches for the Wave.
  • Midfielder Sierra Enge returned to the starting lineup at center back after not appearing for the Wave since June 17 due to injury. The Cardiff-native played 90 minutes in her return.

Box Score:
Portland Thorns FC 4:1 San Diego Wave FC

Scoring Summary:
POR – Betford (1) 9’
POR – Weaver (1) (Betfort 1) 54’
POR – Betford (2) (Klingenberg 1) 58’
POR – Reyes Stubblefield (1) (Klingenberg 2) 61’
SD – Kornieck (2) (Shaw 1) 81’

Misconduct Summary:
POR – Porter (Caution) 36’
POR – Vasconcelos (Caution) 55’

San Diego Wave FC: GK Yáñez, D Cortez (Pogarch 60’), D Riehl, D Westphal (Barcenas 67’), D Hill ©, M Enge, M Kornieck, M Colaprico (Dougherty-Howard 60’), M Shaw (Ali 82’), F Turnbow (Doniak HT), F Briede

Subs not used: GK Brzykcy, D Shorts, D Connors, M DeMarco

Portland Thorns FC: GK Bixby, D Klingenberg (McGrady 77’), D Menges, D Hubly, D Reyes, M Porter (Provenzano 87’), M Coffey ©, M Moultrie, F Weaver (Beckman 87’), F Betfort (Walker 73’), F D’Aquila (Vasconcelos HT)

Subs not used: GK Hogan, GK Harris, D Morrison, M Dehakiz

Stats Summary: POR / SD
Shots: 21 / 16
Shots on Target: 10 / 5
Saves: 4 / 6
Corners: 5 / 4
Fouls: 14 / 5
Offsides: 0 / 3
Possession: 48.1% / 51.9%