OL Reign 3
NJ/NY Gotham FC 2
NWSL Regular Season
Cheney Stadium – Tacoma, WA
August 21, 2021
OL Reign hosted NJ/NY Gotham FC Saturday night in Tacoma as the playoff run in for the 2021 NWSL regular season is in full swing. The hosts had failed to score in both 2021 previous regular season matches, dropping all six points to the visitors from Gotham. With playoff position cluttered and Olympians returning, points are at a premium and the table watching week to week is now much more intense.
Photo: MEL
The first half saw returning Olympians in both starting elevens. Ifeoma Onumonu got on the board in the ninth minute for Gotham, converting from short range. Onumonu got her brace in the fifteenth. For the Reign, good possession and chances had not led to goals early and they found themselves down two from the excellent finishing by Onumonu.
Gotham showed poise in the midfield, taking on the Reign press, but moving the ball well into space to create the chances they were finishing.
OL Reign took 13 shots in the first half, putting five of them on goal and found themselves down two nil. In many ways, this is a microcosm of how 2021 has been a frustrating campaign for the side.
Photo: MEL
After the interval, both sides continued in the same vein. OL Reign finally broke through in the 57th minute when a Kristen McNabb header off a Megan Rapinoe corner cut the lead in half. It appeared to be a cathartic moment for the home side.
In the 77th minute the home side leveled the match at two. Megan Rapinoe converted from the spot after Sofia Huerta drew a penalty along the right edge of the box.
When it looked like the match was going to end level at two, Megan Rapinoe drew a second penalty for the Reign, in about the same spot. The conversion made the match 3-2 Reign, as stoppage time would run out and the Reign would get their first win over Gotham FC this season and the first win for returning coach Laura Harvey.
Megan Rapinoe brings it home with a penalty kick (Photo: MEL)
The three points for OL Reign jumped them up the table to third place as of the end of the match. With so many teams clustered together and some teams with matches in hand, that 3rd place spot will likely change without them playing as early as Sunday.
BOX SCORE
Scoring Summary
RGN: McNabb – 57’, Rapinoe – 77’, 90+1’
NJ/NY: Onumonu – 9’, 15’
Discipline
RGN: None
NJ/NY: Lee (Caution – 32’), Long (Caution – 79’)
Lineups
RGN: GK Bouhaddi, D Hammond, D Cook, D McNabb, D Barnes ©, M Lavelle (Angelina 83’), M Weatherholt (Quinn 67’), M Fishlock, F Rapinoe, F Balcer (Marozsán 71’), F Huerta
Unused substitutes: GK Dederick, D Brooks, F King, D Cox, M Cruz, D Celia
Total Shots: 27 (Rapinoe, Lavelle – 6)
Shots on Goal: 13 (Rapinoe, Lavelle – 3)
Fouls: 12 (Rapinoe, Weatherholt – 3)
Offsides: 3 (Rapinoe – 2)
Corner Kicks: 9
Saves: 3 (Bouhaddi – 3)
NJ/NY: GK Sheridan, D Dydasco, D Lewandowski, D Johnson, D Eddy (Dorsey 60’), M Long, M Zerboni ©, M Lee (Richardson 60’), F Kawasumi, F Lloyd, F Onumonu (Viens 83’)
Unused substitutes: GK Haracic, D Skroski, D Flores, M Pinto, M Cudjoe, M Thiney
Total Shots: 7 (Onumonu – 3)
Shots on Goal: 5 (Onumonu – 3)
Fouls: 13 (Long – 4)
Offsides: 2 (Lee, Kawasumi – 1)
Corner Kicks: 2
Saves: 10 (Sheridan – 10)
Officials
Referee: Lukasz Szpala
Assistant Referees: Kali Smith, Salma Perez
