SEATTLE (AP) — Jenna Nighswonger, Lynn Williams, and Taylor Smith scored in the first half to give Gotham FC a 4-1 win over OL Reign on Sunday.
Gotham (5-1-2) moved to the top of the National Women’s Soccer League with the win in front of 8,146 fans at Lumen Field.
Nighswonger, a rookie, opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a left-footed shot from outside the 18-yard box that was just out of the reach of Reign goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Williams pounced on a bad touch from a Reign defender and made it 2-0 in the 12th minute.
Smith added a goal in the 38th minute, getting a one-touch pass from Delanie Sheehan in the box and pushing it into the left corner.
Bruninha stole a ball in the box and unleashed a shot into the near-post corner to put Gotham up 4-0 in the 73rd minute.
Jordyn Huitema got a goal back for the Reign (4-3-1) four minutes later. Elyse Bennett won the ball on a corner kick and sent it to Huitema, who slipped it into the goal from close range.
THORNS 4, RED STARS 0
Portland scored three goals in the opening 16 minutes and went on to hand Chicago its third straight loss.
More than 20,000 fans were in attendance at Providence Park in Portland.
The Thorns (4-1-3) have just one loss this season after dropping a 2-1 decision on the road against the Houston Dash last week.
Sitting at the bottom of the standings, the Red Stars (1-6-1) have lost seven straight road games.
Kelli Hubly scored in the eighth minute from a tough angle to put the Thorns in front. Crystal Dunn’s goal in the 14th minute padded Portland’s lead.
It was Dunn’s team-leading fifth goal of the season and came on the same day as her son Marcel’s first birthday.
Two minutes later, 17-year-old Olivia Moultrie scored again for the Thorns to make it 3-0. Natalia Kuikka added a fourth goal for Portland early in the second half.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
