Match Recap: OL Reign Earns 1-1 Draw on the Road in San Diego
OL Reign (2-2-4, 10 points) battled to a 1-1 draw against San Diego Wave FC (4-2-3, 15 points) on the road at Torero Stadium in San Diego. The team started a bit slow, but really grew into the game and flipped the momentum into their favor.
OL Reign got a shot off in the second minute of the match, but then had to focus on a spell of defensive work. Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce make a crucial save in the third minute of the match, when she stepped up to the top of the box and used her feet to stop forward Alex Morgan from scoring the opening goal of the match.
The Reign continued to defend San Diego’s offensive combinations, stopping two shots from Morgan before conceding a goal in the eighth minute of the match when goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan played a through ball to Morgan over the top of OL Reign’s backline.
It took OL Reign a few minutes to begin to connect after conceding a goal, but in the 15th minute of the match, the Reign mounted a promising attack. Midfielders Jess Fishlock and Rose Lavelle connected with forwards Bethany Balcer and Ally Watt, forcing the Wave to concede a corner kick. Defender Sofia Huerta served the ball into the box, finding the head of Quinn, but they were unable to direct the ball on target.
OL Reign found another chance to equalize in the 30th minute of the match when some chaos in San Diego’s 18-yard box ended in a low shot from rookie midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt, but her shot was stopped by Sheridan in goal.
In the 38th minute, OL Reign found the equalizing goal they had been searching for the majority of the first half. At the end of a team passing sequence, Balcer and Lavelle connected in a beautiful combination play before Fishlock received the ball and hit a powerful shot into the upper left corner of the goal.
After the halftime break, OL Reign came back out with momentum seemingly shifted in their favor. Forward Megan Rapinoe came onto the field as a substitute and immediately made an impact. In the 49th minute, Rapinoe’s nailed a shot from the top of the box, but San Diego was saved by the crossbar.
As the two teams continued to battle for three points, defender Alana Cook made an excellent recovery run to stop a San Diego break in the 67th minute. Between the 79th and 89th minute, OL Reign took four shots, but couldn’t quite find the final touch needed to take the lead.
Midfielder Angelina, who came into the match as a sub, was hustling all over the field to win possession for the Reign. In stoppage time, Rapinoe and Angelina connected to beat San Diego’s defense before finding the feet of Lavelle. Lavelle used her footwork to win a 1v1 battle and get a shot off, but her shot went just over the bar.
Despite an action packed five minutes of stoppage time, the match ended 1-1 and the teams split the points.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
· Midfielder Jess Fishlock scored her 35th all-time regular season goal, which ranks 9th all-time among active players in the league
· With this draw, OL Reign remains undefeated against San Diego Wave FC with a series record of two wins and two draws
· After taking a point from this match, the Reign are in 6th place in the NWSL standings and have earned 10 points from eight games
· Midfielder Rose Lavelle earned her first regular season assist of year on Jess Fishlock’s 38th minute goal
· With this 1-1 draw, OL Reign have gone six consecutive games without conceding multiple goals. The last time the team did this was in 2018 when they went 11 consecutive games without allowing multiple goals
UP NEXT: OL Reign play Angel City FC at Lumen Field on Saturday, June 18 at 7:00 p.m. PT. Get tickets here.
MATCH SUMMARY
2022 NWSL Regular Season
OL Reign 1-1 San Diego Wave FC
Date/Time: Sunday, June 12, 2022, 2:00 p.m. PT
Location: Torero Stadium, San Diego, California
Weather: 69, Sunny
Scoring Summary
OL Reign 1 - 1 San Diego Wave FC
RGN: Fishlock – 38’
SD: Morgan – 8’
Discipline
RGN: None
SD: Casey Stoney
Lineups
RGN: GK Tullis-Joyce, D Huerta, D Cook, D Hiatt, D Barnes, M Quinn, M Van der Jagt (Angelina 81’), M Fishlock, M Lavelle, F Watt (Rapinoe 46’), F Balcer (Latsko 73’)
Unused substitutes: GK Dickey, D Lopez, D Miramontez, F King, M Stanton, D McClernon
Total Shots: 15 (Lavelle – 4)
Shots on Goal: 4 (Four tied with – 1)
Fouls: 3 (Three tied with – 1)
Offsides: 1
Corner Kicks: 7
Saves: 1 (Tullis-Joyce – 1)
SD: GK Sheridan, D McNabb, D Girma, D Riehl, D Westphal, M Briede (Doniak 46’), M van Egmond, M Kornieck (McGrady 72’), M Jakobsson (Ali 72’), F Turnbow (Taylor 60’), F Morgan (Johnson 90+2’)
Unused substitutes: M Pulver, D Gyau, F Schimmer, GK Telford
Total Shots: 13 (Morgan – 5)
Shots on Goal: 2 (Morgan, Turnbow– 1)
Fouls: 13 (Taylor – 4)
Offsides: 4
Corner Kicks: 6
Saves: 3 (Sheridan – 3)
Budweiser Player of the Match: Jess Fishlock
Referee: Calin Radosav
Assistant Referee 1: Melissa Beck
Assistant Referee 2: Fernando Fierro
4th Official: Patricia McCracken