On a rainy day in Cary, North Carolina, the Portland Thorns played the North Carolina Courage in what was widely billed as as championship grudge match. North Carolina scored the only goal with a bending shot outside the box from Debinha after a tightly fought contest which either team could have won.
Parsons opted for starting the players most familiar with the team already. Kelli Hubly won the place in defense over new signing Elizabeth Ball, and Celeste Boureille got the start ahead of Angela Salem. The game started out with end to end action, with both teams transitioning from defense to attack quickly.