Thorns defeat Wave 2-1, head to NWSL championship match

Crystal Dunn got here off the bench and scored in stoppage time to provide the Portland Thorns a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Wave within the first of two semifinal matches Sunday within the Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League.

The Thorns will face the winner of the late recreation between OL Reign and the Kansas Metropolis Present within the league championship recreation subsequent weekend in Washington.

Dunn, who additionally performs for the U.S. nationwide workforce, has been easing her manner again after giving start to a son 5 months in the past. Her purpose from out entrance got here off a nook about three minutes into stoppage time.

The semifinals come amid persevering with fallout over an investigation that discovered systemic misconduct and abuse throughout the league.

U.S. Soccer commissioned former appearing U.S. Legal professional Basic Sally Q. Yates to analyze following a collection of scandals that rocked the NWSL final season.

Yates’ report got here out earlier this month. In it, she detailed the Thorns’ dealing with of harassment and sexual coercion allegations leveled at former coach Paul Riley.

Riley coached Portland in 2014-15. Two former gamers, Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly, accused Riley of misconduct final 12 months in a report in The Athletic. After the discharge of the Yates investigation, two Thorns executives had been fired.

The introduced crowd was 22,030 at Windfall Park. Followers got here out in help of the gamers however there have been requires Thorns proprietor Merritt Paulson to promote the workforce.

Taylor Kornieck put the Wave up early with a header off a cross from Alex Morgan within the eighth minute. The Thorns equalized with Rocky Rodriguez’s volley off a bounce within the twentieth.

The Thorns have gained two NWSL championships, in 2013 and 2017. The Wave are new to the 12-team league this season.

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