In their last match against Houston, Sophia Smith was able to score within 32 seconds, making it the fastest goal in Thorns history. In this Sunday’s match against Kansas City, at first glance, it looked as if Sophia Smith started the scoring off again. Unfortunately for Kansas City, they put Portland on the board first, with an own goal by Kristen Edmonds in the 10th. That own goal aside, it’s clear Kansas City is starting to rebuild. They were focused, came strong to the ball and had some quality possessions. In fact, statistically the two teams were basically evenly split on everything – including possession, shots and even pass accuracy. However, control of the game remained with Portland, even though the Thorns have yet to tap their full team potential. Both Sophia Smith and Simone Charley are clever, quick and constantly in the mix but, haven’t quite figured out how to sync up with each other. Marissa Everett on the other hand, has been exactly the player coach Mark Parsons said she would be. She continues to be in the right place at the right time, and would be the lone Thorn to score, off a deflection in the 42nd minute. Another notable moment of the match came in the first half when Portland keeper, Bella Bixby, had an impressive one handed save. Bixby would keep KC off the board to end the game with a clean sheet.