NWSL Week 2 round-up: Denver Summit earns first ever point as nine-player Portland prevails | OneFootball

NWSL Week 2 featured a full slate of games and plenty of action. Three sides remain perfect early on, and fans were treated to exciting action throughout the weekend. NWSL newcomer Denver Summit earned its first point in the division with a hard-fought draw against Orlando Pride.

The three sides banking their second wins of the season were Angel City, Houston Dash and Portland Thorns. Angel City leads the pack on goal difference after scoring seven so far.

Let’s take a look at how all the latest results unfolded.

Orlando dominates but draws with Denver

After having the better of play for most of the half, the visiting side took the lead in the 24th minute. Following two corners from Orlando, Denver came out quickly. Ayo Oke sent an over the top pass to Natasha Flint and the winger spotted a streaking Melissa Kössler and fed her a perfect ball. The German international calmly slotted past Anna Morehouse for the Summit’s first lead in its brief history.

Following the goal, the pitch tilted in Orlando’s favor. The Pride dominated play, and earned its reward in the 61st minute. Jacquie Ovalle sent a perfect cross into the box and Barbara Banda got the equalizer on her birthday. Orlando continued to control the match, but neither side could find the winner. The 1-1 draw was the first of the NWSL season, with all Week 1 results producing wins.

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Washington overcomes two-goal deficit to draw with Louisville

Washington Spirit dominated possession, shots and chances in the first half, but the home side was clinical with chances. Racing Louisville put only two shots on target, and both found the back of the net.

Emma Sears took over for the Lavender. In the 28th minute, she spotted Kayla Fischer at the top of the box and Louisville’s No.9 fired past Sandy MacIver for the lead. Then, in the 43rd minute, Sears got on her horse and outran the entire Washington side to put herself in a perfect shooting situation. She made no mistake, and Racing took a 2-0 lead in to half-time.

Washington continued the pressure in the second half, and got on the scoreboard in the 51st minute. Sofia Cantore’s screamer was the Spirit’s first goal of the season, and the lead was halved. The Spirit continued its relentless attack, and got the equalizer in the 74th minute. Colombian international Leicy Santos took a perfect cross from Rosemonde Kouassi and put home Washington’s second of the night to even up the match. The two sides matched each other for the rest of way, and the points were shared.

Two players down, Portland shuts out Seattle

The 44th edition of the Cascadia Rivalry started off poorly for the home side. Midfielder Cassandra Bogere was sent off for her second yellow in just the ninth minute. And yet, the depleted Thorns struck first. Olivia Moultrie put a perfect corner into the box in the 28th minute. Pietra Tordin deftly directed a header into the net for the Portland lead. And then, unlikely enough, Portland doubled the lead in the 37th minute. Moultrie again started the play for the Thorns, sending a great lead pass to Tordin. She spotted a streaking Reilyn Turner going down the right side. The striker took the pass in stride, faked Claudia Dickey, and Providence Park celebrated the home side’s second of the night.

And then, crazily enough, Portland went down to nine players in the 57th minute. Reyna Reyes got tangled up with Seattle’s Madison Curry and pulled her hair strongly. The referee originally called a yellow, but VAR showed the violent nature of the contact, and Reyes was sent off. Seattle was in the Portland end the rest of the match, but never mounted any serious threats. The Thorn defense was rock solid, Morgan Messner made every save she needed to, and Portland rules the Northwest for now.

Houston blanks Boston to stay perfect

The home team played a solid complete match against expansion Boston, and garnered its second clean sheet in as many matches. Houston controlled the match from the start, but could not break through. Casey Murphy stopped a penalty from Malia Berkely in the 13th minute; and the ball did end up in the Boston net on the stroke of 37 minutes, but was waived off for a foul. Finally, the Dash broke through in the 43rd minute. Linda Ullmark spotted an open Kiki Van Zanten in the box, and she quickly fired past Casey Murphy.

Van Zanten followed with her second in the 59th minute after Boston could not clear their box. Kat Rader finished the scoring for the home side just six minutes later following another great run from Ullmark. Van Zanten looked to have her hat trick in the 85th minute, but the goal was called back on the offside. Houston sits atop the table with Portland and Angel City.

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Gotham and North Carolina battle to scoreless draw

Two strong defensive sides showed their prowess at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The two sides kept each other at Bay throughout the first half, with the only good chance falling to the Courage in the 45th minute. Shinomi Koyama was able to go the end of a through ball, but Ann-Katrin Berger was up to the task.

The second half started off with a good chance for the host side. Rose Lavelle sent in a strong header in the 46th minute, but Kailen Sheridan played it perfectly to keep the ball out. For the rest of the match, the two sides were unable to get past the other’s backline, and the results showed. Gotham finished with but one shot on target; the Courage had three. A wonderful defensive showing resulted in shared points.

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Angel City, Jonsdottir’s speed dooms Bay FC

Sveindís Jonsdottir is incredibly fast, and her speed gave Bay FC fits all night. The Iceland international used her blazing speed to put the visiting team up in just the fourth minute. Kennedy Fuller sprang her striker with a long through ball, and Jonsdottir put it past Jordan Silkowitz. Jonsdottir’s speed came into play again in the 33rd minute. She got behind the Bay defense and spotted Giselle Thompson coming down her wing. An easy cross left Silkowitz in no-woman’s land, and the right back easily tucked it home.

The Sveindís Jonsdottir show continued early in the second half. A perfect 54th minute corner from Evelyn Shores found the speedster’s head right in front of goal. Her brace gave the visitors a three goal cushion from which the hosts quickly tried to recover. Just two minutes later, Taylor Huff and Cristiana Girelli ran a perfect give-and-go, with Huff placing a sublime shot just inside the post. Unfortunately for Bay, that was the last offensive threat the would mount. Angel City grabbed the three points, and currently sits at the top of the table.

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Chicago drops Kansas City for first win

In the most evenly played match of the weekend, the host side fought a determined Current and nasty weather in Chicago. The two sides had trouble generating offense, with Kansas City obviously missing two-time MVP and Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga. The two sides managed just four shots on target between them, but three of those shots found the back of the net. Just before the half, the Stars took the lead. In the 43rd minute, Sam Staab’s corner dropped in the box. The Current could not clear, and Tessa Dellarose hammered home her first NWSL goal.

Just five minutes after the restart, Jordyn Huitema doubled the lead for the home team. Ryan Gareis dropped a wonderful chip right in front of goal, and the Canadian international headed home cleanly. Last season’s Shield winners would not go down easily, however. In the 57th minute, Izzy Rodriguez found herself open on the wing and delivered a terrific ball in front of goal. An unmarked Haley Hopkins easily tapped in to halve the lead. That was the last serious offensive threat from either side, and both find themselves on three points after two matches this season.

San Diego snub Utah in close 2-1 win

San Diego started off the match with the better of the play, but could not break through until a gift was served up by the Utah defense. In the 18th minute, a pass intended to cross the box and start a break out never made its intended target. Instead, the ball landed directly at the feet of Dudinha, who instantly put it past a helpless Mia Justus. The rest of the half continued with the Wave controlling play, but no goals came for either side.

The second half featured action at both ends, and eventually the home side broke through in the 68th minute. After an over the top ball was bounced around several times in the box, it fell to Lara Prašnikar. The Slovenian international careened her shot off a San Diego defender and past Leah Freeman for the equalizer. The game became more interesting when Utah’s Tatumn Milazzo was sent off in the 83rd minute for her second yellow card. San Diego took used the advantage and scored the winner just minutes later. Kenza Dali spotted Lia Godfrey in the box. A great pass and a quick finish from the rookie sealed the three points for the visitors.

NWSL Week 2 results in full

Orlando Pride 1-1 Denver Summit

Racing Louisville 2-2 Washington Spirit

Portland Thorns 2-0 Seattle Reign

Houston Dash 3-0 Boston Legacy

Gotham FC 0-0 North Carolina Courage

Bay FC 1-3 Angel City FC

Chicago Stars 2-1 Kansas City Current

Utah Royals 1-2 San Diego Wave

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