GiveMeSport
·19 August 2021
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·19 August 2021
Fifteen-year-old Olivia Moultrie scored her first goal for Portland Thorns with a fantastic free-kick at the .
Portland Thorns came up against Houston Dash in the opening round of the WICC at Providence Park.
Houston Dash had a 2-0 lead at the end of the first half thanks to goals from Shea Groom. But Natalia Kuikka hit back for Portland Thorns in the 51st minute, before Moultrie curled her first professional goal home in the 57th minute.
Portland Thorns went on to defeat Houston Dash 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out after the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
"I'm just so glad it went in, because all I cared about was winning the game, and for us moving on to the next match," Moultrie said. "And that's what we did. So I couldn't be more happy."
Moultrie faced an uphill battle to gain her spot in the Portland Thorns team. She had turned professional aged 13 after signing a deal with Nike, but was prevented from playing in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) due to a rule prohibiting players under 18-years-old.
Moultrie filed a lawsuit against the NWSL in May in her bid to play, and a judge granted a preliminary injunction allowing her to do just that in June. She has now reached a settlement with the league. The teenage star became the youngest player in NWSL history when she made her debut for Portland Thorns on July 3rd.
Portland Thorns will now play Olympique Lyonnais for the WICC title on Sunday at 3am BST. Houston Dash and Barcelona are set to play on the same day at 12:30am BST to avoid a last-place finish.
Lyon overcame Barcelona in their clash at Providence Park. Mariona Caldentey put Barcelona 1-0 up in the ninth minute, before Amel Majri equalised in the 20th minute. Amandine Henry gave Lyon the lead just seven minutes later.
With the game finely poised in the second half, Caldentey struck again in the 63rd minute to bring Barcelona level. Lyon clinched victory, however, after Melvine Malard scored in the dying minutes of the game.
The WICC is streamed live on DAZN with English language commentary, as well as French and Spanish commentary for those respective matchups.
The matches are shown on DAZN for subscribers, and are also available for free on DAZN’s YouTube channel in more than 120 markets across Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.