In a Women's International Cup third-place match, Chelsea defeated the Portland Thorns 1-0.

In the opening period, the offenses traded opportunities back and forth. When Christine Sinclair went up the middle to receive a pass from Morgan Weaver in the 13th minute, the ball almost missed the goal by going wide. The very next play saw Chelsea get a scoring chance of their own thanks to Pernille Harder, who carried the ball all the way into Thorns territory before passing it to Guro Reiten, who then handed it to Sophie Ingle for a shot. Bella Bixby thankfully made the save.

Things improved significantly in the second half. More goal-scoring opportunities emerged as the energy level increased. Guro Reiten, who scored for Chelsea after Pernille Harder's original shot was stopped, helped the team score the game's lone goal in the 64th minute. Sam Kerr's header went against the crossbar four minutes later as Chelsea came close to scoring its second goal. Christine Sinclair intercepted the ball in midfield and gave it to Sophia Smith, who then had a breakaway. The goalkeeper then prevented Smith from scoring after having a clear shot. 

[Photography by ICONIC photographer Jackie Shinstrom]

Written by Wes Shepherd