Match Recap: Seattle Reign FC Grabs a Point Against Portland
Back at Lumen Field for the first time since May 19, Seattle Reign FC battled to a 0-0 draw against the team’s biggest rival, Portland Thorns FC. With 9,052 fans in attendance, Seattle largely controlled the tempo of the match, falling just short of finding the back of the net.
The Reign kicked off with five changes to their previous Starting XI, but didn’t miss a beat settling into the match. Thorns forward Janine Beckie set the tone for the rivalry match early, earning a yellow card just three minutes in.
The first half brought on several quality chances for the Reign, but nothing quite connected with the back of the net. Midfielder Quinn notched the Reign’s first shot of the match in the 19th minute, but their attempt went off target. Defender Ryanne Brown quickly followed suit, directing her shot on target in the 21st minute.
Seattle looked solid defensively, holding the Thorns to zero shots on target until the 42nd minute of the match. To close out the half, forward Jordyn Huitema took two shots – one on target and one off target, but it wasn’t enough to get by Shelby Hogan in goal for the Thorns.
At the start of the second half, midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt subbed onto the field for Quinn, but otherwise the Reign lineup remained unchanged. Seattle continued to push into the attack throughout the half, serving in several dangerous crosses.
In the 64th minute of the match, the Reign enforced a high press, causing the Thorns to turnover the ball in their own half. The play ended in a shot from forward Bethany Balcer, but it went high and the score remained 0-0.
Through the end of the match, the Reign pressed on, searching for a game winning goal but were missing the final quality touch needed to find the back of the net. At the final whistle, the rivals were deadlocked 0-0 for the fifth time in the head-to-head series.
KEY TAKEWAYS:
NEW STARTING XI: Through all 13 games this season, the Reign continues to utilize the depth of the squad, having not listed a replicated starting XI in 2024. Defender Sofia Huerta is the only player to start in all 13 games and to play every minute this season for a total of 1,170 minutes.
BETHANY BALCER: Forward Bethany Balcer made her 100th regular season appearance today against Portland, becoming just the fifth player in club history to reach the milestone.
Since entering the league in 2019, Balcer leads the team in appearances (100), goals (32) and shots (178).
RYANNE BROWN: Defender Ryanne Brown earned her first start of the season and finished the match with a team-leading five interceptions and three shots.
CLAUDIA DICKEY: Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey made her first start since Week 4 after suffering an injury on April 14 at Bay FC. Dickey finished the match with one save and earned her second clean sheet of the season.
Dickey now has five regular season shutouts in her career, tied for the sixth-most shutouts in club history.
SERIES: The draw brings the all-time series to 15W-15L-10D between the Reign and Portland Thorns FC.
UP NEXT: The Reign are home at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington once again on Sunday, June 23 to take on Racing Louisville FC in the club’s annual Pride Match, presented by Starbucks at 3:00 p.m. PT. Tickets to the match are available now!
MATCH SUMMARY
2024 NWSL Regular Season
Seattle Reign FC 0 – 0 Portland Thorns FC
Date/Time: Sunday, June 16, 1:00 p.m. PT
Location: Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
Weather: 60, mostly cloudy
Scoring Summary
SEA: None
POR: None
Discipline
SEA: Brown – (Caution – 53'), Huitema – (Caution – 89’)
POR: Beckie (Caution – 3'), Dias – (Caution – 67'), Müller (Caution – 85')
Lineups
SEA: GK Dickey D Huerta, D Barnes (c), D McClernon, D Brown (Holmes 76’), M Fishlock, M Quinn (Van der Jagt 46’), M Ji (Athens 89’), F Latsko (King 62’), F Balcer (Adames 89’), F Huitema
Unused substitutes: GK Ivory, D Cook, M Stanton, M James-Turner
Total Shots: 10 (Brown, Huitema – 3)
Shots on Goal: 2 (Brown, Huitema – 1)
Fouls: 11 (Five tied with – 2)
Offsides: 0
Corner Kicks: 3
Saves: 1 (Dickey – 1)
POR: GK Hogan, D Sauerbrunn, D Hubly, D Reyes (Payne 87’), D Müller, M Sinclair (Dias 62’), M Sugita, M Fleming (Wade-Katoa 87’), F Linnehan (Klingenberg 73’), F D’Aquila, F Beckie
Unused substitutes: Alvardo, Nally, McKenzie, Sheva, Kozal
Total Shots: 6 (Six tied with – 1)
Shots on Goal: 1 (Sinclair– 1)
Fouls: 9 (Müller, Sugita– 2)
Offsides: 2
Corner Kicks: 2
Saves: 2 (Hogan – 2)
Player of the Match: Phoebe McClernon
Referee: Alyssa Nichols
Assistant Referee 1: Jennifer Garner
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen McGonagle
4th Official: Jaclyn Metz
VAR: Adorae Monroy
AVAR: Tony Obas