Sophia Smith scores twice to lead Portland Thorns to a 2-0 win over Chicago

Sophia Smith scored twice to give the Portland Thorns a 2-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. Smith now has a league-leading five goals in six games.

In the 10th minute, Smith took several dribbles in the box to create just enough space to shoot, finishing into the right corner.

She scored her second in the 26th minute, running onto Christine Sinclair’s pass and sliding her shot into the left corner.

Janine Beckie thought she gave Portland a third goal in the 79th minute when she picked off goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s pass and finished into an open goal, but a video review confirmed the ball deflected slightly off Smith’s arm.

Portland (2-3-1) has now won two straight games under interim head coach Rob Gale, who replaced Mike Norris after a poor start to the season.

Eighteen-year-old Olivia Moultrie subbed into the match for Portland and became the youngest player to appear in 50 games.

The Red Stars (3-2-1) finished with 11 shots in the second half but couldn’t find a goal. Mallory Swanson had a free kick pushed over the bar by Shelby Hogan in the game’s final minutes.