Portland Thorns Fall 2-1 to Defending Champs North Carolina Courage

The NWSL became the first professional team sports league to return to play during the COVID-19 pandemic. The launch of the 2020 Challenge Cup in Utah kicked off Saturday on CBS and CBS All Access as the two-time reigning champion North Carolina Courage held off a scrappy Portland Thorns FC team at Zions Bank Stadium by a final score of 2-1. The game marked a rematch of the 2017 and 2018 championship games.

.@LindseyHoran with the setup, @SimoneCharley with the cool finish. 👌 #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/g6jtjk4a3V

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) June 27, 2020

Prior to the start of the match, all players took a knee in honor of the Black Live Matter movement. Courage star forward Debinha scored the first goal of the tournament, while Portland equalized shortly after in the second half. Lynn Williams scored the game-winning goal on a header during added time to secure the three points for the North Carolina.

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