INDIO, CA (February 15, 2026) - Powered by a pair of goals by midfielder Maiara Niehues, Angel City defeated the Portland Thorns, 2-1, in its opening match of the Coachella Valley Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
Niehues opened the scoring for Angel City in the second minute, heading in a cross from defender Gisele Thompson. Niehues received Thompson’s lofted ball from the right side of the box and finished past Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold at the left post.
The Brazilian midfielder doubled the lead in the 56th minute off an Angel City corner. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller delivered a well-placed cross from the left flag to an unmarked Niehues, who confidently tapped the ball into the back of the Portland net.
“It’s a perfect start for the season,” Niehues said. “It’s important to have these opportunities because we’re training hard every day and every week.”
The exhibition contest marked defender Savy King’s first return to game action since her cardiac incident on May 9, 2025. King started the match and played 30 minutes.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for the last nine months, and so to be back out there with my girls is just the best feeling in the world,” King said. “My teammates have been so supportive throughout this entire process, and my family is here, so it just felt amazing to be back out on the field.”
Sunday’s game also marked the first Angel City match for midfielder Ary Borges. She had a scoring chance at the edge of the six-yard box in the 20th minute and was active in controlling the pace of play in the first half.
“I’m so happy to have played my first minutes with this team,” Borges said. “Today was a really special game for me, and I’m excited that we won. We’re building momentum for our first NWSL match.”
Portland scored its lone goal of the game in the 89th minute. Trialist Renee Lyles carried the ball from midfield into the Angel City box and slotted a shot into the right corner of the net, bringing the Thorns back within one.
Angel City had several other prominent chances. Niehues earned a free kick in the 45th minute when she was fouled at the right side of the Portland box. After midfielder Hina Sugita’s initial cross was handled by the Thorns’ defense, the ball found its way back into the box for shots by Fuller and defender Evelyn Shores. But both attempts were blocked away by Arnold.
Forward Prisca Chilufya, who entered the game at halftime, had a scoring opportunity in the 55th minute. She chased a long ball from defender Sarah Gorden into the Portland box and fired a low, driven shot, but Thorns goalkeeper Morgan Messner pushed the ball away with her left hand.
Angel City controlled the play for most of the first half. Portland’s strongest chance of the first half came off a corner in the 37th minute, when a curled ball from Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie dropped at the feet of defender Reyna Reyes. But goalkeeper Angelina Anderson was well positioned and comfortably able to save Reyes’s shot.
Anderson played the first half for Angel City and kept a clean sheet. Goalkeeper Hannah Seabert replaced Anderson at halftime and made multiple saves, including stopping two scoring chances generated from Portland set pieces.
Angel City will be back in action at the Coachella Valley Invitational next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Pacific versus Seattle Reign FC and will be streamed live on Angel City’s Youtube page (HERE).
