OL Reign 2
Houston Dash 0
May 6, 2023
Lumen Field – Seattle, WA
NWSL Regular Season
OL Reign hosted the Houston Dash on Saturday evening at Lumen Field in Seattle.
The match was additionally noteworthy for the return of Houston coach Sam Laity to Seattle for the first time. After a decade in Seattle as an assistant under three different head coaches and a very successful stint as interim head coach before the rehiring of Laura Harvey, Laity would find himself on the opposing bench. A Reign original, Laity would receive a warm welcome from the home crowd.
Both clubs were coming off midweek Challenge Cup matches. The Reign had played Angel City to a goalless draw and Houston had defeated Chicago 2-0 at home prior to the trip up to the Pacific Northwest.
OL Reign have been very strong at home in all eras, but especially stingy at Lumen Field. The Dash entered the match having grabbed points in five consecutive road matches. Earlier results on the day also gave the Reign a chance to move to the top of the table with three points, even with Rose Lavelle and Quinn not available.
An initial early pressing from Seattle was not able to break through and the Dash absorbed, settled, and pushed right back. Houston was also creating dangerous chances and getting corners in the early stages, not merely sitting back.
Even with squad rotation for minutes management, the travel and midweek matches have tested rosters. In the 12th minute it appeared the hosts’ Jordyn Huitema had a goal, but it was waived off hot handball. In the sequence leading up to the goal Seattle was calling for a Houston handball for a penalty. In the end of the sequence it was still level and goalless.
The Dash did a solid job of absorbing and clogging the middle. As the half progressed the play was more in the middle third for some time. To counter, the Reign began to work the ball more down the left through Megan Rapinoe, who was down the line with shots on gal and serving a number of crosses to Reign forwards crashing the middle.
Both defenses have been stingy in the early part of the season, so even with steady pressure the match went into the interval goalless.
The hosts would break through in the 53rd minute. Veronica Latsko would get a header low to the far post off a Rapinoe cross. The Reign had pushed along the left flank much of the first half and it finally paid off when a forward was able to get a clean touch on a cross.
One of the pre-match talking points was about how both defenses were good at closing out matches, and how neither had given up a goal in the final 30 minutes of a match in the first two months of the season. With the match at 1-0, that story line would come into focus.
Latsko would continue to contribute to the scoreline, putting a cross to the far post where Huitema would get on the end of in the 68th minute. Dash keeper Jane Campbell would attempt to clear the header out of the air but to no avail. Both Reign goals had come from pushing the ball wide as the Dash central defense continued to be tough to break down.
The Reign would hold on, closing out the two nil victory.
This was a hard fought match with two defenses that are tough to break down. Seattle managed to nab goals playing outside in, while Houston just was not able to quite break through.
The win was also the 100th in league play for the Reign, the second NWSL club to accomplish that milestone.
Three points for the Reign push them to the top of the table after six matches with 13 points, one point about both Portland and Washington.
Paul Kahl match gallery, all photos by Paul Kahl
BOX
Scoring
RGN: Latsko (Rapinoe) – 53’, Huitema (Latsko) – 68’
HOU: None
Discipline
RGN: Stanton (Caution – 90+3’)
HOU: None
Lineups
RGN: GK Tullis-Joyce, D Huerta, D Cook, D Hiatt, D Barnes ©, M Sonnett, M Fishlock, M Balcer (King 83’), F Latsko (Brown 89’), F Huitema (Bennett 89’), F Rapinoe (Stanton 75’)
Unused substitutes: GK Dickey, M Athens, M Canales, D Malonson, D Holmes
Total Shots: 12 (Huitema – 4)
Shots on Goal: 4 (Four tied with – 1)
Fouls: 8 (Latsko – 3)
Offsides: 4
Corner Kicks: 1
Saves: 3 (Tullis-Joyce – 3)
HOU: GK Campell, D Chapman, D Dydasco, D Jacobs, D Prisock, M Sanchez, M Schmidt ©, M Viggiano, F Petersen, F Salmon, F Ordonez
Unused substitutes: GK Madden, M Solaun, M Hirst, D Desiano, D Jennings, D Harris
Total Shots: 7 (Olivieri – 3)
Shots on Goal: 3 (Three tied with – 1)
Fouls: 11 (Three tied with – 2)
Offsides: 2
Corner Kicks: 5
Saves: 2 (Campbell – 2)
Referee: Brandon Stevis
Assistant Referee 1: Alicia Messer
Assistant Referee 2: Baboucarr Jallow
4th Official: Jaclyn Metz
Var: Benjamin Wooten
Avar: Will Riffle
(Editor’s Note: Nate Koppelman’s photo gallery can be found here.)
