Pietra Tordin Leads Nine-Player Thorns Past Reign 2-0 in Cascadia Rivalry

Portland Thorns FC lost a player before most of Providence Park had settled into their seats, lost another just before the hour, and still sent Seattle Reign FC home with nothing.

Pietra Tordin scored one and set up another as the Thorns beat the Reign 2-0 on Friday night in front of 21,321 fans, a record home opener crowd according to the club. Reilyn Turner added the second goal, Morgan Messner made four saves, and Portland closed out the 44th edition of the Cascadia Rivalry with nine players on the field. The Thorns are 2-0-0 with 6 points. Seattle slipped to 1-0-1 with 3.

Ten Players and a Plan

The chaos arrived early. Cassandra Bogere was booked in the eighth minute for a foul on Jess Fishlock, then fouled Nérilia Mondésir on the right wing a minute later and saw a second yellow. Portland was down to 10 before the clock hit double digits, the soccer version of losing your phone on the walk into the concert.

Seattle had the early juice, too. Maddie Dahlien got in behind on a Fishlock through ball in the third minute and dragged her shot just wide, and in the 12th she cut inside her marker and fired at the near post, only for the ball to be deflected behind. After the corner, Ainsley McCammon fired narrowly wide from outside the box.

Yet the shorthanded hosts never played like a team clinging to a ledge. Isabella Obaze went close twice with headers off Olivia Moultrie and Mimi Alidou deliveries, and Sam Hiatt forced Claudia Dickey into a save from the right side of the six-yard box in the 22nd minute. In the 28th, Moultrie whipped in another corner, Tordin attacked the near post and glanced a header into the bottom right corner. 1-0.

Nine minutes later came the dagger. Moultrie found Tordin between the lines, and Tordin turned and slipped Turner through on the break. Turner carried it into the box and finished low with her left foot past Dickey. 2-0. A half that started in disaster ended with Seattle failing to put a single shot on target.

Down to Nine, Still Standing

Seattle came out of the break with purpose. Madison Curry's drive in the 46th minute was blocked, and two minutes later Dahlien raced in behind and forced Messner into her first save of the night.

Then things got even stranger. After a video review, Reyna Reyes' card was upgraded and she was sent off for violent conduct in the 57th minute. According to the Reign, there had never been a red card in this derby before Friday. Now there were two, both for Portland.

With nine players, the Thorns pulled Turner and Tordin on the hour for Marie Müller and Sophia Wilson, then sent on Jayden Perry for Alidou, essentially boarding up the windows. Per the club, it was Müller's first competitive appearance since November 2024. Seattle answered with five substitutes between the 68th and 78th minutes.

The Reign say Dahlien rattled the near post in the 62nd minute. Messner handled the rest. She stopped Mondésir from distance in the 74th, got down to another Dahlien effort in the 89th and, after seven minutes of added time were announced, saved a Sofia Huerta strike from outside the box in the final seconds.

The Turning Point

Turner's goal in the 37th minute. Before it, a 1-0 lead against a team camped in your half was never safe. After it, the Reign needed two goals against an opponent that was suddenly happy to sit deep and clear everything that moved. When Reyes went off 20 minutes later, that cushion was the only reason Providence Park stayed calm. One goal would have meant a siege. Two meant a fortress.

Tordin Runs the Show

Tordin was the difference: one goal, one assist, one shot, and that shot went in. Per the Thorns, she has now had a hand in all three of Portland's goals this season, with a goal and two assists. The header was all timing. The assist was all vision, receiving with her back to goal and finding Turner's run in one motion.

Turner made the most of her look, scoring her first goal of the year, according to the club, on two shots. Moultrie supplied the corner for the opener and fed Tordin in the move for the second, a quietly complete night from the playmaker.

Messner deserves her flowers, too. Four saves, a second straight clean sheet to begin the season according to the Thorns, and a calm presence behind a team that cleared the ball 56 times. That is not a typo, and it worked.

For Seattle, Dahlien was the most dangerous player on the field, with five shots, two on target, and constant runs behind the defense. Curry fired three times from left back. The Reign also gave debuts to Ward and Cedeño, both of whom made their club and NWSL bows off the bench, per the Reign.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Seattle 62.1 percent, Portland 37.9 percent.
• Shots: Seattle 17, Portland 8, yet both teams put 4 on goal.
• Crosses: Seattle sent in 49 and completed just 7. Portland tried 6 and found a teammate with 5.
• Clearances: Portland 56, Seattle 7.
• Saves: Messner 4, Dickey 2.

What It Means

Portland opened with a 1-0 win at the Washington Spirit, so that is two wins and two clean sheets from two matches. Per the club, they have not lost their last six regular season home matches against Seattle (four wins, two draws), and they now hold 18 wins, 16 losses and 10 draws against the Reign across all NWSL competitions. There is no time to celebrate: Portland visits San Diego Wave FC on Wednesday, March 25.

Seattle won 2-1 at the Orlando Pride on opening weekend, so this is the first stumble of the season. They return to action Wednesday night against the Kansas City Current, the first of three consecutive matches at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Washington, according to the Reign.

Seattle's problem was not effort. It was the final ball. Forty-nine crosses and seven completions is a ratio that sends a coaching staff straight to the film room.

Closing Take

Portland treated the final half hour like the last level of a video game with two lives already gone: no fancy moves, no risks, just survive and get to the credits. The Thorns are perfect, the Reign are left wondering how 62 percent of the ball and 17 shots against a shorthanded opponent produced nothing, and the rivalry has a new chapter. Rivalries are supposed to get weird. This one got weird, and Portland got the points.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match details as reported by Thorns.com and ReignFC.com.