With OL Reign going scoreless in their first two games of the challenge cup against Houston and Portland, it seemed like everyone was just waiting to see when the first goal would come and who would score it. On May 27th at Cheney Stadium, Reign fans would be able to see that first goal from the Reign this season, and two more after that. Circling Seattle sports had Charles Hamaker there to take it all in and now break it all down
Credit goes to OL Reign photographers!
Pre-match news
There were two main headlines that came out the day of this game. The first piece of news being that the team had traded midfielder Allie Long to Gotham FC, and that the NWSL had released it's regular season schedule. It is basically the exact definition of getting the good news, and the bad news.
Allie Long trade: Allie Long was traded to Gotham FC for $80,000 in allocation money, Gotham's natural 2nd round pick in the 2022 NWSL draft, and for Gotham's spot in discovery ranking order. This trade came to the dismay of many Reign fans, as she had become a fan favorite in her 3 seasons with the club. Long is from New York, so this trade is not a bad thing in all ways, but it does hurt to lose such a talented midfielder. But, despite this, I do believe that the Reign will be able to have success with the group of Quinn, Weatherholt, and Jessica Fishlock.
Regular season schedule: The good news of the two headlines was that we finally got to see the reveal of the NWSL regular season schedule, after sort of being in the dark for the past few weeks. The Reign will start their 2021 regular season campaign with a home match on the 15th of May vs the North Carolina Courage. The season lasts through October 30th, and some games to note right off the bat would include a rivalry match in the second game of the year @ Portland on May 23rd, and a trip to New York on June 5th to see Allie Long and Gotham FC. The Reign will play a total of 12 games at home, in lovely Cheney stadium.
Starters for this contest vs the Red Stars, as announced by head coach Farid Benstiti included the following: Karen Bardsley at keeper, Lauren Barnes (returning to the lineup for the first time this game), Madison Hammond, Celia Jimenez Delgado, and team captain Steph Cox taking up the defense, Quinn, Dani Weatherholt, and Jessica Fishlock at the midfield positions, and a three forward group of Sofia Huerta, Leah Pruitt, and Megan Rapinoe. Notable players that sat to start the game that started the first two were Bethany Balcer and Amber Brooks.
Game notes, from Charles
First half: A good sized crowd had come out to Tacoma to witness the second and last home game of the challenge cup. The Reign would be aggressive immediately off kickoff, with Leah Pruitt continuing to put pressure on the ball and being aggressive in her attack, something that has been seen in the past two games. Megan Rapinoe had some good moments and some potential chances, but it did look like there was a little rust to knock off. Chicago was dominating the attack early, leading shots in the first half, but Karen Bardsley was ready and had a handful of saves as Chicago kept up their strong attack. As the first half continued, OL Reign began to start putting more pressure on Chicago with different attacks on Chicago's half, including a wonderful curling cross by Jess Fishlock, but the first shot would not come until the 33rd minute for the Reign, and it was not a shot on goal. Despite the momentum seeming to shift to the home team, Chicago's Mallory Pugh would get the ball off a throw in and use leverage to keep a defender on her hip and put away a goal in the 37th minute. The Reign would continue to keep the pressure up despite the Red Stars goal, and Sofia Huerta would put away the Reign's first goal of the challenge cup in the 41st minute, and would be rewarded with a roar from the Cheney crowd. Finally, after an aggressive attack, the team was able to put one in the net. We would head to half with a score of 1 all.
Halftime: After Chicago had a flurry of shots on goal in the early portion of the first half, the Reign had done a better job at limiting chances on goal for the away side, and it really looked like the momentum was swinging in favor of the Reign, obviously with the exception of the sneaky ball Mallory Pugh put away for Chicago. Leah Pruitt had continued to impress in this beginning half, being a huge factor in creating chances with her aggressiveness and IQ. Megan Rapinoe had looked good, but there were some moments were she slipped a little, literally and figuratively. I say that because there was a possession that she had where she did slip on the pitch at Cheney, and seemed to sort of laugh at herself. It is good to have Rapinoe back in a Reign jersey.
Second half: To open the half, there were a number of substitutions for both teams, including Tziarra King for Rapinoe, and 3 subs for the Red Stars. To start the half, both teams seemed almost even in their respective attacks, but Chicago had a slight edge. Jessica Fishlock made her presence known early in the second half with some opportunities, but was not able to put anything away. For the most part, outside of a volley shot from Huerta and some other unsuccessful opportunities, the Red Stars were dominating the attack in the beginning of this half as well. We start to get closer to the end of the match knotted up at 1 a piece, and who comes in to put the Reign up a goal? None other than Leah Pruitt. Her persistent and sharp attack had been rewarded with a goal in the 70th minute off of a nice assist from Tziarra King. Remember King's name for later here. I will say this now, Pruitt has been a lightning bolt on the attacking front (rhyme not intentional), and look for her to be a key contributor for this Reign time this season. With 9 minutes to go, some more subs were made, notably we see Amber Brooks come on for Steph Cox, Nicole Momiki come on for Jess Fishlock, Leah Pruitt gets a rest as Shirley Cruz comes in. With the Reign clinging to the one goal lead, Shirley Cruz was on the attack and was aggressive in keeping the ball, passing it off to Tziarra King near the edge of the box. King would fire a lazer off the far post and would put away the Reign's third goal, effectively sealing the win for the Reign. In the 90th minute, Chicago would get a stoppage time goal, but the Reign would be gloriously victorious, defeating the Red Stars 3-2. It was a fun filled, high energy night for the Reign that was far and away their most complete night, with some things to work on, as there will always be things to work on in sports, regardless of wins or losses.
It was a fun night and a true honor to be able to be at this game, heck, maybe I am a good luck charm for our Reign. The Circling Seattle sports podcast is proud to cover the OL Reign in addition to it's slate of Seattle teams and we are excited to be in attendance for regular season games. Until then, Go Reign, and Be bold!
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