Match Recap: OL Reign Earn First Win of the Regular Season
OL Reign (1-1-3, 6 points) picked up their first win of the regular season tonight against the Kansas City Current (0-4-1, 1 point) with a 1-0 win.
OL Reign started the match on the offensive front foot, earning a shot on target just 13 seconds into the match in a great team build up. Rose Lavelle’s shot was saved by AD Franch, but it set the pace for an OL Reign side that would take 20 total shots throughout the match.
In the 22nd minute of the match, OL Reign created another chance, this time forcing chaos throughout the Kansas City 18-yard box. Forward Tziarra King took the first shot in the sequence, but it was saved by Franch, who came off her line. Fishlock won possession of the ball after the save and connected a pass inside the box. OL Reign got one more shot off before Kansas City finally cleared the danger.
OL Reign took 12 total shots in the first half and put six on target but were unable to find the back of the net.
The difference maker of the match was forward Bethany Balcer, who came onto the field as a substitute in the 63rd minute of the match. The tenacious forward, who recently celebrated her 50th NWSL regular season appearance, scored a header goal in the 80th minute of the match. The goal was assisted by defender Sofia Huerta, who swung a beautiful ball into the box.
That goal was the lone goal of the match and pushed OL Reign to earn their first win of the season. The team is now on six points and in seventh place in the NWSL standings.
In the post-match press conference, head coach Laura Harvey expressed that the team needed the win, but that should not be the focus of the night.
“I think in light of what happened yesterday in Texas, I think that as much as we're really happy that we got the win and we know that's our job to do, I think that we all came here with a heavy heart and wanted things to change. I've lived in this country now for nearly 10 years and it's mind-blowing to me that this continues to happen.”
She continued, “I've got a three-year-old nephew who I just thought about immediately when I saw the news and I'm sure everyone does that and to think that he might go to a preschool and never go home is heartbreaking to think of all the families that have been affected every day by this craziness. It needs to change. It needs to stop. There's no excuse and we want that to change immediately."
Forward Megan Rapinoe said, “It's literally the definition of insanity. The entire country is being completely held hostage as [Golden State Warriors Head Coach] Steve Kerr said last night and I mean quite literally hostage in a hostile environment where you can go to church, you can go to the grocery store, you can go to school and end up dead by whatever it is, 50 senators or 49 senators, whatever the number is. It's just completely insane. I think it's like every single mass shooting now is just an AR-15. It's just f****** insane. So, obviously nothing is going to change immediately, but I urge people to use their voice and vote or to call their representatives or to badger their representatives or to vote them out if they don't change this because we're just quite literally being held hostage in this country for no reason whatsoever.”
“So, obviously, from myself, Harv, the team, the whole organization, our whole heart goes out to everyone in Texas and every one of those families affected. It'll change everybody's lives forever in that community and it's just horrific. It makes it seem pointless to come play, really. It's difficult to do that. I know everybody is doing their job and having to show up today and try and fake their way through it, but it's so heartbreaking. Obviously, things need to change. I just don't know how many more of these we want to see because they're just going to continue to happen every single day until we do something about it," said Rapinoe.
We urge our fans and members of our community to act immediately by sending their U.S. Representatives an email advising them to support legislation to require background checks on all gun sales.
MATCH SUMMARY
2022 NWSL Regular Season
OL Reign 1-0 Kansas City Current
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 25, 2022, 7:00 p.m. PT
Location: Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
Weather: 65, Sunny
Scoring Summary
OL Reign 1 - 0 Kansas City Current
RGN: Balcer – 80’
KC: None
Discipline
RGN: McClernon (Caution – 6’), Angelina (Caution – 62’)
KC: Nolf (Caution – 27’)
Lineups
RGN: GK Tullis-Joyce, D Barnes ©, D McClernon, D Cook, D Huerta, M Van der Jagt, M Fishlock (Athens 93’), M Lavelle, F Latsko (Rapinoe 46’ (Watt 93’)), F Angelina (Balcer 63’), F King (Quinn 63’)
Unused substitutes: GK Dickey, D Lopez, D Miramontez, D Hiatt
Total Shots: 20 (Lavelle – 7)
Shots on Goal: 9 (Lavelle – 3)
Fouls: 14 (Angelina – 3)
Offsides: 1
Corner Kicks: 3
Saves: 0
KC: GK Franch, D Ball (McCain 85’), D Winebrenner, D Leach, M Del Fava, M Scott, M Loera, M Nolf (Edmonds 46’), M Pickett, F Hamilton, F Bennett
Unused substitutes: F Talley, F Johnson, GK Schneider
Total Shots: 7 (Loera, Ball – 2)
Shots on Goal: 0
Fouls: 8 (Bennett, Scott– 2)
Offsides: 1
Corner Kicks: 5
Saves: 8 (Franch – 8)
Budweiser Player of the Match: Bethany Balcer
Referee: Adorae Monroy
Assistant Referee 1: Stephen Mcgonagle
Assistant Referee 2: Jeremy Davis
4th Official: Jaclyn Metz