Portland Thorns FC were crowned 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup Champions on Saturday. Christine Sinclair opened the scoring in the eighth minute as the Thorns utterly dominated NJ/NY Gotham FC throughout the first half.
In the second half the game opened up and Portland would rue all of their missed chances. Gotham’s Carli Lloyd rose above Becky Sauerbrunn to head in an equalizer. The match was decided from the penalty spot.
Both teams stepped to the spot with confidence. Through six rounds there were only two misses, both of which hit the post.