PORTLAND (May 17, 2026) - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) earned a gritty 0-0 draw Sunday afternoon at a raucous Providence Park, withstanding a late surge by the Portland Thorns to earn a point on the road.
ACFC warded off multiple threats by Portland in the closing minutes of the match, including several corners. Thorns midfielder Jessie Fleming drove a low shot that clanged off the left post in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but the Angel City defense cleared the ball before the Thorns could threaten again.
ACFC became the first team to take points off Portland at Providence Park this season, with the Thorns having won all three of their previous home matches.
“I'm proud of the players that we got away with a point in a very difficult away game,” Head Coach Alex Straus said. “At the same time, we can still do better, and that's what we are striving for.”
Goalkeeper Angelina Anderson secured her second shutout of the season. She made what may have been the play of the match in the 50th minute, diving to stop a low, one-timed shot from close range by Portland forward Sophia Wilson.
Anderson’s save preserved a scoreless tie early in the second half.
“I feel like I needed a big save like that, and I was just happy to be able to come up big in that moment,” Anderson said. “That's the position of goalkeeping, it's how can you impact the game in moments that you need to impact.”
The stalwart defensive effort by Angel City resulted in multiple opportunities on the offensive end, including seven corners.
Attacker Casey Phair had a scoring chance off of a long throw from midfielder Nealy Martin in the 69th minute. The ball was nodded on by multiple players before finding Phair, who forced a save from Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold with a strong header at the left post.
ACFC’s first major threat of the second half came in the 55th minute, when rookie forward Taylor Suarez spun past two Thorns defenders before launching a shot with the outside of her right foot from the edge of the six-yard box. But Arnold blocked the ball away for a corner.
“We came here and we created enough to score a goal today,” Straus said, adding, “We saw that when we played [Portland] at home in L.A. a couple of weeks ago, and we saw it today, that these are two teams that are pretty even in performance.”
Angel City held strong against a potent Thorns attack in the opening half, deflecting several shots and limiting Portland’s players on set pieces.
Defender Sarah Gorden made a crucial block in the 20th minute, stepping in front of a shot by Thorns forward Reilyn Turner at the left corner of the six-yard box. Gorden also chased down Wilson when she appeared to be in on goal in the 30th minute.
“This last period has been the best I've seen of Sarah,” Straus said. “After she was on the bench a couple of games, she has grown a lot. She's taken the challenge, and she's taken another step.”
Midfielder Carina Lageyre made her first professional start, playing 79 minutes before being replaced by forward Claire Emslie.
“I was excited just to play and help the team any way I could,” Lageyre said, adding, “I felt ready, and I felt like the girls around me had full faith and trust in me as well.”
Forward Riley Tiernan was back in the Starting XI after coming on as a second-half substitute in the previous match. Martin made her 100th NWSL regular-season appearance.
ACFC will be back at BMO Stadium for its next match, hosting the Kansas City Current on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. PT. The match will be televised on Victory+.
