Match Forecast: OL Reign Battle the Washington Spirit in Tacoma on Sunday
OL Reign will take on the Washington Spirit at Cheney Stadium in the club’s second home match of the 2021 NWSL regular season on Sunday, May 30 at 4:00 p.m. PT.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m. PT at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington
TICKETS: Sunday’s match against the Washington Spirit is sold out.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available to watch on Paramount+ in the United States while international viewers can catch the game on Twitch
2021 RECORD AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign 1-0-1 (4 points, fifth place) / Washington Spirit 1-1-1 (4 points, sixth place)
Key Points Ahead of the Match
LAST MEETING – OL Reign and the Washington Spirit have not met since the 2019 NWSL regular season, when they battled to a 2-2 draw at Audi Field on September 14, 2019. In that match, the Reign initially went down 1-0 when Ashley Hatch scored for the Spirit in 30th minute. However, Rosie White and Bethany Balcer combined in the 35th minute to tie it up before halftime. The second half brought a goal for each team as well, ending the game 2-2. The two teams did not meet in the 2020 Challenge Cup, 2020 Fall Series or 2021 Challenge Cup. Overall, against the Spirit, OL Reign has an all-time record of 12 wins, four losses, and five draws.
OL REIGN LOOK TO EXTEND THEIR UNBEATEN STREAK TO THREE GAMES – OL Reign is unbeaten in the 2021 NWSL regular season. In their first match against the North Carolina Courage, the game ended in a 0-0 draw despite the combined 30 shots taken throughout the match by both teams. In their most recent match, OL Reign mounted a comeback against their Cascadia rivals, Portland Thorns FC. After going down 1-0 just four minutes into the match, OL Reign managed to score twice in a seven-minute period. Megan Rapinoe put OL Reign on the scoreboard when she slid a free kick past the Portland goalkeeper in the ninth minute. Not long after, Dani Weatherholt played a ball to the feet of Shirley Cruz in the box. Cruz hit the ball low and hard to the right corner of the goal, putting OL Reign up 2-1. Both teams battled until the final whistle, but the 2-1 score line held, making OL Reign one of five teams unbeaten after two matches.
Defender Kristen McNabb noted that the support of the fans this season has been great for the team coming off a year of playing in empty stadiums. “It’s been amazing. Even our season opener, just having the amount of fans allotted, it makes a huge difference. When momentum drops and we kind of need that extra push, the fans have been massive.”
SCOUTING WASHINGTON – The Washington Spirit started their 2021 season with a 1-1 draw against the Orlando Pride, with forward Ashley Hatch scoring a second half goal for the Spirit. They played their second match against Racing Louisville. Despite Washington’s best efforts including 29 shots and 61% of possession, Louisville came away with the 2-0 victory. Notably, rookie Trinity Rodman sustained an injury in stoppage time and nearly had to be taken by stretcher off the field. Thankfully, she was able to walk off the field on her own accord. The Spirit played a midweek match against the Houston Dash on Wednesday, where they picked up a 2-1 victory, despite going down a player in the 50th minute, when Andi Sullivan picked up a red card.
LAVELLE WATCH – Rose Lavelle began training with OL Reign this week after arriving from Manchester City and is available for selection in the match this weekend. Before her move to Manchester City, Lavelle played for the Washington Spirit for two seasons, meaning her return to NWSL action could be against her former team. Lavelle had only good things to say about her former team. “I think it’s very fitting that it lined up this way. I love the Spirit, I love the girls, Richie was great. It’ll be a fun competitive game but hopefully we will come out on top. As an athlete, you have to treat every game as a big game. I’m just going to have fun, enjoy it, and hopefully win.”
Ahead of the match, head coach Farid Benstiti said, “Rose is at 100%. She is physically fit, and she has immediately been adopted into the team because she is very nice, a very good athlete and good person.” When asked about playing in the match this weekend, Lavelle said she is willing to play whatever role the team needs. “I’ve been here for a couple days and the team has been super welcoming. I’m excited to be able to get to play in a game this weekend with everyone. I am ready for whatever. I’ll sub in, I’ll start, whatever they need of me, I’ll be ready.”
MultiCare Injury Report
OUT
Watt – Right Knee
Celia – Right Thigh
Momiki – Right Leg
QUESTIONABLE
Quinn – Left Leg
BECU Virtual Fan Zone
OL Reign will host a Q&A session with players at facebook.com/olreign beginning 15 minutes after the match. The Virtual Fan Zone is presented by BECU.