Portland Thorns FC delivered a stunning 4-1 victory over Gotham FC at Providence Park on Tuesday night, reigniting their NWSL campaign with goals from four first-time scorers and climbing from ninth to fifth in the league standings.

📌 Scorers:
Alidou (7′), Hanks (61′), Perry (73′ pen), Castellanos (80′) | Esther (8′) for Gotham

The Thorns set the tone early when Marie-Yasmine “Mimi” Alidou, a recent signing from Benfica, scored her debut goal off a pinpoint assist from rookie Caiya Hanks. Despite an immediate equalizer from Gotham’s Esther, who scored her fifth of the season, Portland maintained pressure with an aggressive press and inventive attacking play.

Coach Rob Gale admitted the quick reply from Gotham disrupted his squad’s momentum temporarily, but lauded their resilience:

“We let one mistake define us for 15 to 20 minutes… but the composure returned.”

The turning point came in the second half when Sam Coffey’s cross was met by Hanks, who slotted it home with a confident first-time finish. Jayden Perry, a rookie defender from UCLA, then extended the lead with a penalty—her first professional goal and a confident strike that echoed her collegiate form.

The night’s exclamation point came from Deyna Castellanos in the 80th minute, calmly finishing after a sequence of rebounded shots to seal the emphatic win.

The result hands Portland their most prolific performance of the season and a much-needed boost amid the absence of star forward Sophia Wilson, currently out due to pregnancy.

“We were due,” said Hanks post-match. “We came out with fire. When we’re that team, we win.”

Key Takeaways:

• Portland now sit 5th in the NWSL table, just behind Gotham.

• All four Thorns goals came from players scoring their first for the club.

• Gotham, 2023 league champions, struggled to respond and have now conceded five goals in two games.