Match Recap: OL Reign Fall 1-0 to Chicago

OL Reign (2-2-3, 9 points) picked up their second loss of the season as they fell 1-0 to the Chicago Red Stars (3-1-2, 11 points). Despite limiting Chicago’s chances in the first half, the Reign were unable to find the back of the net on the road.

OL Reign started the match on the front foot, spending a lot of the time in their offensive half. The Reign did well to apply pressure to the Red Stars as a unit, effectively pinning the home side in their own half of the field.

The Reign found two shots in the first half hour of the match. Midfielder Quinn got a shot off in the 10th minute, but it was blocked by Chicago. With OL Reign’s best chance of the half, defender Lu Barnes took a high shot from the top of the 18-yard box to challenge Alyssa Naeher in goal for the Red Stars, but Naeher was just able to make the save.

In the 30th minute of the match, OL Reign goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce made a great save to keep the score level. Chicago defender Kayla Sharples played a ball in to forward Mallory Pugh, who got to the top of the six-yard box before attempting a shot to the near post. However, Tullis-Joyce was there to deny her.

OL Reign defended two more chances on goal for Chicago before the end of the half, but the backline remained solid to send the teams into halftime tied 0-0.

At the start of the second half, Chicago got on the board early. After a sequence of short passes outside of OL Reign’s 18-yard box, midfielder Samantha Fisher slipped a ball through to Pugh, who took a touch to settle the ball and found the back of the net.

The Reign searched for an equalizer but were limited to just three shots throughout the half and were unable to direct any of those chances on target. At the final whistle, OL Reign fell 1-0 to Chicago.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

·       Lu Barnes played her 175th regular season match with the Reign

·       Lu Barnes took OL Reign’s only shot on the goal throughout the match in the 23rd minute of the match

·       Phallon Tullis-Joyce was voted Player of the Match for her 6 saves throughout the match

UP NEXT: OL Reign play San Diego Wave FC at Torero Stadium on Sunday, June 12 at 2:00 p.m. PT.

MATCH SUMMARY

2022 NWSL Regular Season

OL Reign 0-1 Chicago Red Stars

Date/Time: Saturday, June 4, 2022, 12:00 p.m. PT

Location: SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois

Weather: 69, Cloudy

Scoring Summary

RGN: None

CHI: Pugh – 47’

Discipline

RGN: None

CHI: Aguilera (Caution – 18’), Hill (Caution – 90+2’)

Lineups

RGN: GK Tullis-Joyce, D Huerta, D Cook, D Hiatt, D Barnes (Lopez 80’), M Quinn (Athens 80’), M Van der Jagt, M Angelina (Stanton 67’), M Lavelle, F Latsko (King 67’), F Balcer (Watt 87’)

Unused substitutes: GK Ivory, D Miramontez, M Canales, D McClernon

Total Shots: 5 (Five tied with– 1)

Shots on Goal: 1 (Barnes – 1)

Fouls: 13 (Balcer – 4)

Offsides: 1

Corner Kicks: 3

Saves: 6 (Tullis-Joyce – 6)

CHI: GK Naeher, D Milazzo, D Sharples, D Morse, M DiBernardo (Nagasato 91’), M Colaprico, F Aguilera (Hill 76’), F Luebbert (Mautz 76’), F Pugh, F Cook (Stevens 64’), F Griffith (Fisher 46’)

Unused substitutes: GK Boyd, M Foster, F Dawber, D Kowalski

Total Shots: 9 (Pugh – 4)

Shots on Goal: 7 (Pugh – 4)

Fouls: 15 (Luebbert – 4)

Offsides: 0

Corner Kicks: 5

Saves: 1 (Naeher – 1)

Budweiser Player of the Match: Phallon Tullis-Joyce

Referee: Alex Billeter

Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Rodman

Assistant Referee 2: Jessica Carnevale

4th Official: Alex Beehler