Fans are probably going to remember the Thorns’ home draw against the Washington Spirit this week for two frustrating moments (plus... that other thing, but bear with me for a minute): Francisca Ordega’s maddeningly stupid first-half goal, and Lindsey Horan’s spectacularly screwed-up penalty kick. Soccer games are ninety minutes long, though, and it’s a mistake to reduce this match to the highlight reel.
A thorn to the Spirit for getting it together at exactly the wrong time.
Washington looked rough against the Courage last weekend, especially defensively. Whitney Church and Taylor Smith were abysmal, with Smith looking woefully outmatched against North Carolina’s forwards, both in sheer athleticism and positional awareness, and Church looking like she couldn’t even be bothered to try to keep up.