Reign clinch playoff berth with 3-2 victory over Red Stars

Last match recap

In the last Reign match, in the literal rain, the home front here at Cheney stadium was able to pour it on for a result of 3-0 over the 8th place Orlando Pride. Bethany Balcer would get the party started right out of the gate with a 3rd minute goal off of a Sofia Huerta cross, the connection those two have had this season has resulted in many goals and don’t be surprised to see it stay that way going forward. After boats’ goal, Eugenie Le Sommer scored a brace after goals in the 28th and 32nd minutes, both assisted by Dzsenifer Marozsan. After cruising to a 3-0 halftime advantage, it was smooth sailing as the Reign were able to ride that early scoring wave to victory, adding a clean sheet in the process. The home side dominated Portland in shots, shots on goal, corners, crosses, and possession and took three more points in order to build their case for the playoffs.

Injury report:

• OUT:

  • Megan Rapinoe, right thigh injury

    • Pinoe remains out against Chicago for this game, but news from Head coach Laura Harvey is that there is a solid chance that she could come back to play next match against Portland on the 13th. Keep an eye out for Megan’s status for that match.

• QUESTIONABLE:

  • NONE

Key points to the game:

1. Starting the match quickly: This has been a focus point for the Reign all season. In 9 of their 11 wins, the Reign have scored within the first 20 minutes of the match. They have scored 12 goals in those first 20 minutes of those nine wins. Starting off hot has been a winning recipe for the Reign, and as the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
2. Locking up a bye week and homefield advantage: This is similar to last match when I said “Hold the fort,” but now, with only three matches to go after the Chicago match, we are keeping an eye on playoff seeding and the playoffs as a whole. The Reign have a better record at home by three more wins, so it is safe to say that you want to be able to get a bye week of rest, and be able to play games at home here in Cheney stadium.
3. Don’t look ahead: Looking ahead to the Thorns match on Wednesday would be a mistake. Too many times in the sports world have I seen teams look ahead of the opponent that is right in front of their face, keeping their eyes on a future matchup, and lose because of that. Do not look ahead of Chicago, take care of business on the road to the playoffs.

Starting lineup:

• Goalkeeper: Sarah Bouhaddi is your starting goalkeeper for this matchup, a spot she has held down since Karen Bardsley went down with injury and since after Ella Dederick’s short stint in goal.

• Backline: The backline is made up of Kristen McNabb, Lauren Barnes, Alana Cook, and Sofia Huerta

  • This backline has been the sort of new normal that we see since the doubleheader on August 29th when the Reign beat Portland 2-1. With McNabb and Huerta playing a sort of hybrid defensive wing, the Reign have had more offensive chances and it helps with their flexibility all over the field.

• Midfield: The midfield unit is made up of Quinn, Jess Fishlock, and Rose Lavelle

  • Expect Rose Lavelle to be an offensive spark plug that should both feed the attacking front and get some chances of her own. Quinn should continue to play in front of the backline as a sort of defensive mid role, a role that they have been great in. Jess Fishlock will do a little bit of both, and if you know the Reign, you know that she is the heart and soul of this team.

• Attacking front: The attacking front featured Angelina, Dzsenifer Marozsan, and Bethany Balcer

  • In getting the starting lineups for this match, it was certainly interesting to see that Angelina was starting. Angelina has great potential and this match is a great opportunity for her to showcase just some of what she can do. She is joined by reigning NWSL player of the month Bethany Balcer, and Maro.

• Bench unit: Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Amber Brooks, Dani Weatherholt, Eugenie Le Sommer, Celia, Steph Cox, Sam Hiatt, Shirley Cruz, and Ally Watt make up the bench unit

  • Ally Watt makes her first appearance on the bench this season! It has been great to see Ally recover from her knee injury, and seeing her available on the bench is a great step forward.

  • This bench is notable for many reasons, whether it is Le Sommer on the bench or Tziarra King not on the bench. The Reign’s problem of having too much talent and not enough spots is present on the bench week in and week out.

Both teams meet at midfield and lock arms during the 6th minute of the match in solidarity in regard to the horrific events that took place and were silenced until recently.

First half

Chicago would come out of the opening whistle ready to attack, bringing on the pressure heavily to the Reign. The Red Stars mounted opportunity on top of opportunity, via corner kick or run of play. Their relentless effort would net them a goal in just the 13th minute, when Mallory Pugh would fire off a shot off of Sofia Huerta, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. Chicago would continue to be the obvious aggressor in this match until the 25th minute mark, when the Reign would start getting shots off on Cassie Miller, Chicago’s keeper while Alyssa Naeher is out. The Reign would effectively “flip the switch,” when Jess Fishlock would take a long shot from just outside the top of the box, finding the top right corner of the goal to equalize in the 31st minute! Fishlock and the Reign were not quite done there, however, as after a few attempts, Sofia Huerta would finally connect with a teammate on a cross in the box when she would find Jess Fishlock’s head to bring the Reign to the lead, 2-1 in the 34th minute! The half-woman, half-dragon Fishlock would record a brace in a matter of just four minutes of play. This game would go to the halfway mark with a score of Reign 2, Red Stars 1.