Thorns Refuse To Let Up, Advance To Semis With 1-0 Win

Red smoke clouded the north end of the field as the Rose City Riveters roared. The Portland Thorns fought tooth and nail to play a post-season match at Providence Park, and they weren't going to let that go to waste.

A healthy team and peaking at the right time is key to how far a team goes – which Kansas City learned the hard way earlier in the day.

Luckily for the Thorns, they're playing their best soccer at the perfect time.

"I think everyone really wrote us off at the start of the season," goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold said. "So to be in this position with this group, I couldn't tell you how special it is."

The Thorns and the San Diego Wave have been pretty evenly matched this season. Both of their previous matchups ended in 1-1 draws. The two did previously meet in the postseason back in 2022 in the semifinal, which Portland won and went on to win the NWSL Championship.

The 2025 Thorns' squad is a young team with expectations that were perhaps uncertain entering the year. The 1-0 win over the Wave puts Portland one step closer to what would be an unprecedented fourth NWSL Championship.

5' Thorns Earn First Chance (0-0)

Neither side reached the attacking third early in the match. Finally, in the fifth minute, Portland made its way down the field.

Midfield star Olivia Moultrie recorded the Thorns' first shot of the game from the left side, but Kailen Sheridan caught the attempt.

The Wave controlled possession for much of the first half and limited the Thorns' opportunities after the first shot. San Diego was able to earn a couple of corners and get a couple of shots off, but some saves by Arnold and a big Sam Coffey challenge minimized the threats.

41' Castellanos, Moultrie Nearly Break Through Before The Half (0-0)

Moultrie ushered the Thorns down the field with minutes remaining in the first half. The ball found Deyna Castellanos eye-to-eye with Sheridan inside the area, and the space to fire.

Castellanos almost put Portland on top for the second game in a row, but her shot went just wide left.

About two minutes later, Providence Park thought Moultrie would be the one to strike first. Again, the Thorns were unlucky. Her shot bounced off the far post, missing by mere inches.

63' Turner's Incredible Effort Saved (0-0)

No one was able to break through well into the second half. Across the league, the quarterfinal between Louisville and Washington went to penalties, and the Gotham versus Kansas City match was decided in extra time. Portland and San Diego didn't want to go beyond 90 minutes, but that's where it appeared to be headed.

The Wave had some close calls out of halftime, and Moultrie provided a chance inside the area with a free kick. Arguably, the best chance to start the second half was a bicycle kick by Reilyn Turner. Instead of a viral goal, the attempt ended up in Sheridan's gloves.

74' San Diego With A Handful Of Opportunities (0-0)

It was the Wave's turn to find the final third later in the half.

Isabella Obaze did well to halt some opportunities with tackles inside the area. Both the post and the crossbar also came up clutch for the home side. San Diego came up with another shot a couple of minutes later, but Arnold swatted it away for a corner.

Sam Coffey fired from the outside of the box in the 86th minute following a corner, but Sheridan caught it. The remaining time in regulation stayed scoreless, and another closely contested playoff match kept going.

Extra Time: Turner Heads One In (1-0)

The Thorns climbed their way to a top-three seed. They clinched one more match in front of their home fans. And they still weren't satisfied.

Determined to keep its run going, Portland entered extra time with a fire in its eyes. Moultrie and Turner became the heroes the Thorns needed in the 94th minute.

Moultrie has been Portland's (and the NWSL's) rising star all season long. She sent a beautiful delivery to Turner, who was lingering near the right post. Turner headed the ball past Sheridan for the first score of the afternoon.

"I know when she's on the ball I need to get in," Turner said. "She knows where to put it, and she knows where I'm going to be. And I feel like we have a lot of chemistry. Like I said after the match, we've known each other since she was about 10 years old."

Arnold tallied a massive save at the end of the first extra time period. A dangerous counter for the Wave provided a 1v1 opportunity. Arnold dove for the save, but spent some time on the ground after getting hit in the head. Play eventually resumed, and Arnold stayed on the field.

"Let's not forget, she's an international footballer who's represented Australia an enormous amount of times on the world stage when they hosted, and you think the pressure of that, she's a big celebrity back in Australia," head coach Rob Gale said. "Three clean sheets in a row."

The keeper continued to put her body on the line to push Portland toward glory. Arnold punched away another near-equalizer right out of the gates to begin the second half of extra time. She hit the turf another time but didn't stay there for long.

"I wasn't worried, because I've got Bella [Bixby] behind her, 'All right, and this will be great. Crowd will love it,'" Gale said. "I wasn't worried that Mac would go down, other than for Mac's sake."

Moultrie took a free kick from the edge of the box that landed wide right of the goal. While Portland couldn't add to its advantage, the backline prevented an equalizer.

And the Thorns keep on fighting in 2025.

Full Time: 1-0

Portland heads to Audi Field next to take on the No. 2 Washington Spirit on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. PT.

Gotham FC upset No. 1 Kansas City – who won the NWSL Shield and recorded 21 more regular season points than any other team in the league – with a 2-1 extra time victory.

The path to a NWSL Championship is wide open for the remaining four teams, who happen to make up the last four NWSL Championship titles.

The young Thorns look to upset the highest-ranked club left and clinch a spot in the Nov. 22 final.

"Youngest team in the league. Look at all the stats. Seven players out for a season, that takes time to build," Gale said. "You don't wave a magic wand from the stands, and suddenly it all comes together."

"Turnover of the group dealing with the adversity – it takes time, but they've stuck together throughout and anytime it got a little dicey or we had a bad result, we rebounded," he continued. "Bounce-back ability of this team has been absolutely outstanding all season long, but it takes time. No big cellies. We're not done yet."