By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – In front of a club standalone attendance record of 10, 746, the OL Reign ended their 2022 regular season with hardware. A three goal first half propelled the Reign to a rout of the Orlando Pride, and secured the clubs first NWSL Shield since 2015. All three of the starting Reign forwards found the back of the net, in the order of Megan Rapinoe, Jordyn Huitema, and Bethany Balcer. The Reign have now earned a bye, and will host a semifinal matchup on Sunday, October 23rd with kickoff time at Lumen Field still to be determined.
Sofia Huerta embraces Laura Harvey following the final whistle (Marriah Menchaca)
Jordyn sparks the joy
Young forward Jordyn Huitema is one of many exciting players on this Reign roster, and her star should only grow as she continues to play. A prime example of that was tonight’s match, a one goal one assist breakout performance. The forward found the back of the net on a great through ball pass from fellow Canadian Quinn, dribbling around Orlando keeper Erin McLeod and tucking the ball in the net. Huitema’s assisted came on the matches opening goal, as the forward found teammate Megan Rapinoe trailing to beat McLeod.
Our selected player of the match, Huitema has potential through the roof. As mentioned, as time goes on, she should only get better. At the age of 21 (makes me, Charles, feel not so great athletically as I am 21 and nowhere near as talented), Huitema should display her great talent and skill for years to come, just like another 21-year-old who plays across the street...
Jordyn Huitema scores to give the Reign a two goal lead (Photo by Marriah Menchaca)
Megan making most of 2022 run
Veteran forward Megan Rapinoe has been on a blazing pace since her return to the club after the USWNT took home the hardware at the CONCACAF W tournament. In the nine matches since her return (August 2nd), Rapinoe has scored assisted, or notched both stats in all but one of those nine. Prior to that stretch, Rapinoe had played in five Reign matches, not tallying either a goal or assist. The form that Rapinoe has shown is scary for the rest of the league, as it is clear that the veteran is hungry for an NWSL title. Rapinoe talked about what this win meant, postgame.
“I think it's taking sort of each stage as it is... This was incredibly important to us. We want to compete for everything. I mean it was a little bit of a joke, but even The Women's Cup, it's like we had to go to Louisville and there's some semblance of a trophy on the line, we want to win it... But, it has been elusive, we did not forget, ever, the championships that we lost after dominant years, so we want to continue this run of form that we're in. I feel like we have a really good momentum going in, obviously coming off that super tough road trip, but just such a character builder and just a huge momentum swing for us. So, keep building on that, have a good overseas trip for everyone or international trip for everyone and then get back and take care of some business that we haven't before. That's the goal."
Megan Rapinoe brings the ball up the field (Photo by Marriah Menchaca)
Reign secure shield after wild 2022 regular season
A wild first year at Lumen Field results in the Reign sitting atop the NWSL regular season standings. Considering the talent on this roster at the beginning of the year, this made sense. When the Reign added players like Tobin Heath, Jordyn Huitema, and Kim Little (Heath and Little only played a little bit unfortunately, as Heath had season ending surgery and Little was only present on a loan), it became very real that the Reign could win their third shield in club history.
The Reign will not have to play for a period of about 22 days, and will be able to get a sort of rest period for their players that will be heading on a short international break. Having those players back and being able to allow them to get a small rest AFTER they return is huge, considering the number of players that normally go on international duty for the Reign.
Bethany Balcer scored the first goal (Photo by Marriah Menchaca)
The win secures each player on the roster a $10,000 bonus. Midfielder and 2021 NWSL MVP discussed that bonus, postgame.
"I think I've said this for 10 years, when I set foot in this league: I have no idea why this Shield is not celebrated with far more respect because I'll tell you something, winning this league throughout the whole year, being at the top of the league is not f****** easy, let me tell you. I've won leagues everywhere. It is the hardest thing to do over here, and so for us to do it this year, specifically, when there's lots going on... But, for us to win this league this year, it's different. It's special. Yeah, 10 grand is great. Thank you very much. But for us, we wanted to win the league, we wanted to show everybody that we are OL Reign and we are a club that achieves and wants to be at the very top of everything, year in, year out and it has been a long time coming for us to be back where we are tonight. So yeah, obviously the extra money, the bonuses, that's great, it's coming. But for us, it's about putting this club back where it belongs -winning the league and being the best team in this league right now means you're one of the best teams in the world, let me tell you that and that's exactly where we deserve to be. So, sorry, I just have to say that."
Laura Harvey gives Jess Fishlock a piggy back ride (Photo by Marriah Menchaca)
What’s next?
As previously mentioned, the Reign get the luxury of some time off before their first playoff match of 2022. The date is set for when the Reign will host a semifinal matchup, but the time is still yet to be determined. The Seattle based club will have plenty of time to recuperate, regenerate, and scout their potential opponents before the match takes place on Sunday, October 23rd. Tickets to the match are currently available, and we hope to see you out there!
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