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Princeton University Athletics
Tyler Lussi '17 with the Portland Thorns and Diana Matheson '08 with the Utah Royals. Photos courtesy of the teams.
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Lussi '17, Matheson '08 in Close Battles as NWSL Challenge Cup Tournament Moves On
July 16, 2020 | Women's Soccer
Both Princeton alumnae in the National Women's Soccer League competed Friday in close games in the quarterfinals of the NWSL Challenge Cup in Utah, with Tyler Lussi '17 and the Portland Thorns moving on and Diana Matheson '08 and the Utah Royals coming up just short in the penalty-kick shootout.
The Challenge Cup replaced the planned 2020 NWSL season due to COVID-19, with all eight teams' pool-play games and the knockout rounds held in Sandy, Utah, home of Matheson's Royals.
Portland was seeded eighth in the eight-team tournament after getting just a draw during the four-game pool-play round, but the Thorns knocked off the top-seeded North Carolina Courage to advance. Lussi started and played the first 51 minutes before a 68th-minute goal by teammate Morgan Weaver ended up being the game's only goal in Portland's 1-0 win. Lussi and the Thorns will move on to meet the fourth-seeded Houston Dash in the semifinals on Wednesday, July 22 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Houston reached the semis after a scoreless draw against Matheson's Royals, with Houston outdoing Utah in penalty-kick shootout goals 3-2. Matheson started and played the first 46 minutes.
Matheson and Utah had a win and a tie during the four pool-play games to be seeded fifth, with Matheson playing in each of the team's first three games and scoring a goal in a 3-3 draw against Houston in the opener on June 30.
Lussi averaged 50-plus minutes a game across Portland's four pool-play games, including playing 90 in Portland's 1-1 draw against Washington on July 5.
The NWSL Challenge Cup final is set for July 26.
Both Lussi and Matheson are among Princeton's most successful players of all time, with Lussi remaining Princeton's all-time leader in career goals (53) and points (122) and Matheson graduating as Princeton's all-time assist leader (26) before being equaled by Lauren Lazo '15 and surpassed by one by Vanessa Gregoire '18.Â
Matheson was the 2007 Ivy League Player of the Year while Lussi was the 2014 and 2015Â Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year.Â
The Challenge Cup replaced the planned 2020 NWSL season due to COVID-19, with all eight teams' pool-play games and the knockout rounds held in Sandy, Utah, home of Matheson's Royals.
Portland was seeded eighth in the eight-team tournament after getting just a draw during the four-game pool-play round, but the Thorns knocked off the top-seeded North Carolina Courage to advance. Lussi started and played the first 51 minutes before a 68th-minute goal by teammate Morgan Weaver ended up being the game's only goal in Portland's 1-0 win. Lussi and the Thorns will move on to meet the fourth-seeded Houston Dash in the semifinals on Wednesday, July 22 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Houston reached the semis after a scoreless draw against Matheson's Royals, with Houston outdoing Utah in penalty-kick shootout goals 3-2. Matheson started and played the first 46 minutes.
Matheson and Utah had a win and a tie during the four pool-play games to be seeded fifth, with Matheson playing in each of the team's first three games and scoring a goal in a 3-3 draw against Houston in the opener on June 30.
Lussi averaged 50-plus minutes a game across Portland's four pool-play games, including playing 90 in Portland's 1-1 draw against Washington on July 5.
The NWSL Challenge Cup final is set for July 26.
Both Lussi and Matheson are among Princeton's most successful players of all time, with Lussi remaining Princeton's all-time leader in career goals (53) and points (122) and Matheson graduating as Princeton's all-time assist leader (26) before being equaled by Lauren Lazo '15 and surpassed by one by Vanessa Gregoire '18.Â
Matheson was the 2007 Ivy League Player of the Year while Lussi was the 2014 and 2015Â Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year.Â
Players Mentioned
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