Caiya Hanks scores in the 96th minute to rescue Portland Thorns against Orlando Pride
The forward, out for 14 months with an injury, scored the 2-1 winner in stoppage time after coming on as a substitute, lifting the home side at Providence Park.
Fourteen months away from the field and eight minutes after coming off the bench were all it took for Caiya Hanks to find the back of the net again. Her goal in the 96th minute gave Portland Thorns a 2-1 win over Orlando Pride on Saturday at Providence Park, on a night that also produced another lopsided result in the NWSL: Racing Louisville routed Boston Legacy 4-1.
Hanks was coming back from a torn ACL, the kind of injury that can sometimes derail an entire career. Getting back on the field was already newsworthy. Getting back on the field and scoring the winning goal in the dying seconds of the match was an entirely different story. Portland (10-6-4) needed exactly that kind of lucky break to take home all three points.
The match had gotten tougher after Orlando leveled the score. Portland opened the scoring in the 58th minute with a strike from Deyna Castellanos, a curling shot from a tight angle that found the back of the net. The assist came from Pietra Tordin, her ninth of the season. But Orlando answered right back: Jacqueline Ovalle tied things up in the 63rd minute to make it 1-1.
That equalizer looked like it would be enough for the Pride to grab a valuable point, but it didn't hold up. Orlando (7-11-2) has now dropped three straight games, a stretch that's starting to weigh on the standings. Barbra Banda started that night, back in the lineup after playing in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia. Before kickoff, the club also honored Meghan Klingenberg, the U.S. national team defender who wore the Portland Thorns jersey from 2016 to 2024.
Louisville routs Boston behind a Fischer brace
Kayla Fischer notched the first brace of her career and was the standout performer in Racing Louisville's biggest win of the season. She opened the scoring in the 44th minute and, seven minutes later, drew a penalty after being taken down inside the box by Boston defender Jorelyn Carabalí. Midfielder Katie O'Kane converted the spot kick to make it 2-0.
The home side kept piling on. Emma Sears scored the third in the 59th minute and, just three minutes later, delivered a cross that Fischer volleyed home to seal the 4-0 and complete her brace. Boston got one back late, in the 95th minute, with a header from Sammy Smith.
Louisville (6-11-2) is still searching for its first clean sheet of the season, something the club would surely like to sort out soon. On the other side, Boston Legacy (5-10-5) has now conceded four goals in back-to-back matches, a worrying trend for a team that needs to shore up its defense.
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