OL Reign 1-0 over Angel City FC in NWSL Playoffs Quarterfinal

OL Reign 1
Angel City FC 0
October 20, 2023
Lumen Field – Seattle, WA
NWSL Playoffs Quarterfinal

Angel City FC made the trek up the West Coast to Seattle to take on OL Reign on Friday night to kick off the 2023 NWSL Playoffs.

The Friday night time slot was made necessary with Lumen Field being the site of the match and the NFL Seahawks playing at home on Sunday. The short turnaround after the excitement of Decision Day Sunday five days ago had both sides riding momentum heading into the match.

OL Reign would not have qualified if not for the second half heroics of Reign OG’s Megan Rapinoe and Jessica Fishlock, cracking three second half goals in Chicago to push the Seattle club up to fourth in the table. Anything less than the win at the Red Stars and the Seattle season would have been over.

Angel City has ridden a second half of the season wave, crushing Portland Thorns 5-1 to jump into the fifth seed after chasing the playoff line all summer and fall. Interim head coach Becky Tweed has rallied the club after a rough first half of the season.

The ongoing question of which match will prove to be Megan Rapinoe’s final match was also present.

A week with short rest did not seem to have any influence on the early stages. Both sides pushed the high press and some hard challenges early to set a tone.

The pressure created chances for both sides, but the early stage saw both defenses ultimately stuffing challenges, not allowing for early goals.

The best chances came from interesting individual efforts, set pieces, and long crosses on the diagonal. Reign midfielder Jessica Fishlock tried to chip Angel City keeper Angelina Anderson in the thirteenth. ACFC Forward Sydney Leroux redirected a cross in the thirtieth minute that was trouble for Reign keeper Claudia Dickey. Megan Rapinoe created havoc in front of the goal in the thirty-fourth on a free kick into the box.

The match would go to the interval level and goalless.

The second half nearly saw Megan Rapinoe duplicate the early goals against Chicago from the weekend. Fishlock found an open Rapinoe on the left flank, but the shot in the forty-seventh hit the side netting.

Resilience and disciplined team play had propelled Angel City through the end of 2023 and it was on full display. The Reign offense was pushing wide and trying to go over and through, but the LA side held firm, even as the post would help them withstand a furious sequence in the fifty-second and fifty-third minutes.

The playoff atmosphere and physical play kept the 12,152 in attendance active and loud and the match moved along. Tensions began to pick up on the sidelines as there seemed to be a fair amount of letting much of the contact go. With the match being an elimination game, the scoreline being level made every challenge and opportunity that much more potentially impactful.

Rose Lavelle entered the match in the sixty-fourth minute looking to bring a spark to the Seattle attack, immediately drawing the attention of the ACFC defense.

Alyssa Thompson entered the match for Angel City moments later, the 18 year old phenom making her NWSL playoff debut.

Jordyn Huitema would be helped off the field with ten minutes to go. Bethany Balcer would enter in her place.

Extra time and penalties began to loom over the match as the final fifteen minutes began and the match remained level and goalless. Anderson would come up with a big save on a Lavelle volley in the eighty-fifth, pushing the ball just over the bar.

And then the goal happened. In the eighty-seventh minute Reign defender Phoebe McClernon’s left footed cross went just over Balcer and found Veronica Latsko. Latsko’s header from short range would put the hosts on the board and finally break the deadlock.

The goal would hold. Angel City’s fantastic run over the second half of 2023 would come to an end. OL Reign would win a postseason match for the first time since 2015.

Next up for the Seattle side will be a date with shield winners San Diego Wave on November 5 – after the international break – for a chance to remain in San Diego for the final on November 11.

LINK For Photog Album Paul Kahl

LINK For Photog Album Nate Koppelman

BOX

Scoring

OLR: Latsko – 87′
ACFC: None

Discipline

OLR: Huerta (Caution – 90+5’)
ACFC: McCaskill (Caution – 76′)

Lineups

OLR: GK Dickey, D Huerta (Stanton 90+4’), D Cook, D Barnes (c), D McClernon, M Quinn (Lavelle 64’), M Sonnett, M Fishlock, F Latsko, F Huietma (Balcer 79’), F Rapinoe (Van der Jagt 90+3’)
Unused substitutes: GK Ivory, M Angelina, D Hiatt, D Brown, F Bennett

Total Shots: 9 (Rapinoe – 3)
Shots on Goal: 5 (Fishlock – 2)
Fouls: 7 (Rapinoe – 3)
Offsides: 0
Corner Kicks: 2
Saves: 0 (Dickey – 0)

ACFC: GK Anderson, D Nielsen, D Gorden, D Riley © (Spencer 81’), D Vignola, M McCaskill, M Henry, M Hammond (Johnson 89’), F Leroux (Le Bihan 81’), F Camberos (Endo 81’), F Emslie (Thompson 70’)
Unused substitutes: GK Haracic, D Reid, M Weatherholt, M Nabet

Total Shots: 2 (Camerbos – 2)
Shots on Goal: 0
Fouls: 13 (Vignola– 3)
Offsides: 0
Corner Kicks: 3
Saves: 3 (Anderson – 3)

Referee: Brad Jensen
Assistant Referee 1: Art Arustamyan
Assistant Referee 2: Matthew Rodman
4th Official: Abdou Nidaye
VAR: Grek Dopka
AVAR: Maggie Short