The Portland Thorns won the possession battle Saturday night, but the Washington Spirit won the defensive war — and made Francisca Ordega’s first-half goal stand up in a 1-0 win at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
The Spirit’s back line held firm as Portland’s repeated entries were thwarted. The Thorns (4-3-3), who came in averaging more than two goals per game, were shut out for only the second time. Washington improved to 3-5-2.
Whenever the Thorns tried to shift their attack from the midfield toward the penalty area, the Spirit were ready.
“If they’re gonna have possession and just knock long balls forward and try to win second balls, I think we managed to do that,” Spirit Coach Jim Gabarra said.