Thorns survive Legacy rally behind Tordin’s hat trick in 4-3 win

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Pietra Tordin scored three goals and the visiting Portland Thorns held off the Boston Legacy 4-3 on Sunday in the first meeting between the teams.

In the day’s other National Women’s Soccer League matches, Angel City FC and the Seattle Reign played to a 2-2 draw, and Bay FC and the Chicago Stars went scoreless.

At Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Tordin’s first career hat trick gave Portland enough cushion to survive Boston’s comeback attempt after Thorns coach Robert Vilahamn was ejected in the 58th minute for intentionally deflecting a dead ball away from play.

Awarded a free kick in just the second minute of the match, Tordin pinged the shot off goalkeeper Casey Murphy’s gloves. Four minutes later, Sophia Wilson scored to put Portland ahead 2-0.

Tordin added her second goal after Jessie Fleming intercepted a pass, extending Portland’s lead to 3-0.

Six minutes after Boston’s Bianca St-Georges cut into Portland’s lead in the 31st minute, Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold sent a long ball forward that found Tordin running toward goal. Tordin finished the chance and became the youngest Thorns player to ever score a hat trick at 22. She leads the NWSL with 15 goal contributions.

Alba Caño and Amanda Gutierres each scored in the second half to pull Boston (5-10-5) within one, but Portland (10-6-4) held on in the highest-scoring NWSL match of the season.

The Seattle Reign and Angel City FC played to a draw after visiting Angel City (7-7-4) rallied late in the second half.

With Angel City down 2-1 in the 72nd minute, Evelyn Shores — who entered as a substitute in the 69th — played a long ball to Prisca Chilufya, who also entered in the 69th. Chilufya finished with ease.

The Reign (7-7-4) fell behind in the 32nd minute when 20-year-old Angel City defender Gisele Thompson tiptoed around Seattle’s defense and slotted a shot past goalkeeper Claudia Dickey.

Seattle equalized in the 50th minute when Sally Menti collected a precise pass from Mia Fishel and fired past goalkeeper Angelina Anderson. Two minutes later, Menti set up Fishel for a powerful strike.

In Evanston, Illinois, Bay FC and the Chicago Stars had three goals disallowed for offside before settling for a scoreless draw.

Chicago (4-13-2) appeared to take the lead in the 26th minute when Anna Gasper’s shot found the back of the net, but the goal was ruled out for an offside call against a teammate.

Visiting Bay (5-9-5) had two goals disallowed later in the match, including Alex Pfeiffer’s first-half finish and Karlie Lema’s second-half header.

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This story has been corrected to show that Pietra Tordin has 15 goal contributions, not 15 goals.

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