Match Recap: OL Reign Wipe Out San Diego Wave to Remain Undefeated at Home
OL Reign (2-1-3, 9 points) earned a massive win over first-place San Diego Wave FC (4-2-0, 12 points) to round out their swell of games at Lumen. The 1-0 match featured a game winning goal from a set piece, expertly served in by defender Sofia Huerta and headed home by Midfielder Rose Lavelle.
From the first whistle, OL Reign was the dominant team, despite playing last Sunday and Wednesday. The Reign moved the ball around the field, looking to break San Diego’s backline, while also applying high pressure to the Wave when possession was lost.
In the first 25 minutes of the match, the home side took three shots – two of which were from rookie midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt and one from forward Bethany Balcer. Though they did not find the back of the net, the team had San Diego on the back foot. The Reign did well to limit the opportunities of San Diego, not allowing a shot until the 25th minute of the match or a shot on target until the 79th minute. Though OL Reign dominated, things were level at the half.
OL Reign came out the better team in the second half as well. OL Reign midfielders Quinn and Van der Jagt came up big in the midfield, really controlling the transitional moments of the game. The Reign had six chances on goal before finding a breakthrough.
On a set piece in the 75th minute, Huerta swung the ball into the box, perfectly placed for Rose Lavelle to score a diving header to put the Reign ahead of the visitors. Energized, the Reign opted to press forward, rather than holding back to defend the lead.
OL Reign remained an offensive threat through the final whistle and confidently took all three points from the match. The match also featured an exciting milestone for OL Reign original, Jess Fishlock. The midfielder and 2021 MVP reached her 150th regular season match played. Every one of her matches were played with OL Reign and she is the first international player to reach this milestone.
In additional, OL Reign announced at halftime of the match that midfielder Kim Little will be returning to the team.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
· Jess Fishlock played her 150th regular season match with the Reign
· OL Reign remain undefeated at Lumen Field
· The shutout today for Reign is 4th in a row for the club. This is first time since August 2018 that Reign have record 4 straight clean sheets.
· With Sofia Huerta's assist today, she's just one behind Jess McDonald on the all-time list (regular season)
UP NEXT: OL Reign play the Chicago Red Stars at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday, June 4 at 12:00 p.m. PT.
MATCH SUMMARY
2022 NWSL Regular Season
OL Reign 1-0 San Diego Wave FC
Date/Time: Sunday, May 29, 2022, 12:00 p.m. PT
Location: Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
Weather: 55, Cloudy
Scoring Summary
RGN: Lavelle – 75’
SD: None
Discipline
RGN: Hiatt (Caution – 23’)
SD: McGrady (Caution – 71’)
Lineups
RGN: GK Tullis-Joyce, D Lopez, D Hiatt, D Cook, D Huerta, M Quinn, M Fishlock (Watt 62’), M Van der Jagt, F Latsko (King 72’), F Lavelle, F Balcer
Unused substitutes: GK Ivory, D Barnes, D Miramontez, M Athens, M Angelina, M Stanton, D McClernon
Total Shots: 14 (Balcer, Lavelle – 3)
Shots on Goal: 4 (Lavelle – 2)
Fouls: 10 (Three tied with – 2)
Offsides: 2
Corner Kicks: 1
Saves: 3 (Tullis-Joyce – 3)
SD: GK Sheridan, D McGrady, D Girma, D Riehl, D McNabb, D Westphal, M Van Egmond, M Kornieck (Schimmer 87’), M Taylor (Turnbow 62’) F Jakobsson (Ali 62’), F Morgan
Unused substitutes: F Doniak, M Briede, M Pulver, D Gyau, D Hansen, GK Lowder
Total Shots: 6 (Kornieck – 2)
Shots on Goal: 3 (Kornieck – 2)
Fouls: 7 (McNabb – 2)
Offsides: 2
Corner Kicks: 5
Saves: 3 (Sheridan – 3)
Budweiser Player of the Match: Rose Lavelle
Referee: Brandon Stevis
Assistant Referee 1: Alicia Messer
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Gonzalez
4th Official: Gloria Resendiz