Match Recap: OL Reign Fall 1-0 to Kansas City
OL Reign (4-3-5, 17 points) lost 1-0 in the blistering Kansas City heat against the Kansas City Current (5-4-3, 18 points), picking up their first loss in over a month.
OL Reign started the match on the offensive front foot. The team pressed the Current into their own half, applying intense pressure to force turnovers. OL Reign forwards Tziarra King and Bethany Balcer both saw chances on goal early on but couldn’t quite put the ball on frame.
It was one way traffic in favor of the Reign until the 18th minute of the match, when Kansas City midfielder Victoria Pickett went down in the box and the referee awarded a penalty kick to the home side. Midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta stepped up to the spot and fired a shot into the upper right corner of the net to five the Current a 1-0 lead.
After the goal, the Reign went back into the attack, looking to equalize. King, as well as midfielders Kim Little, Jess Fishlock and Oliva Van der Jagt all forced goalkeeper AD Franch to do work in the box but came up short on an equalizer.
In the 31st minute of the match, OL Reign found their best chance of the half, when the ball was bouncing around a disorganized Kansas City 18-yard box. Balcer gained possession of the ball amidst the chaos and had Franch beat as she hit a powerful shot to the right side of the goal, but the woodwork prevented the ball from finding the back of the net. OL Reign found two more shots before the end of the half, but went into halftime down a goal.
After the break, OL Reign was forced to play defense, as Kansas City began to progress offensively. The backline dealt with attack after attack from Kansas City but did enough to keep the ball out of the back of the net. Offensively, the Reign found fewer chances on goal than in the first half.
In the 78th minute of the match, OL Reign forward Tobin Heath made her return to the NWSL and Reign debut. Along with the addition midfielder Nikki Stanton and Olivia Athens, the Reign had a burst of energy, but still struggled to find a final ball through the Current.
As time dwindled in the match, National Team Replacement player, defender Ryanne Brown made her OL Reign debut and the Reign forced an 89th minute save from AD Franch in goal, off Watt’s shot. Though the team continued to push through more than six minutes of stoppage time, they were unable to find an equalizer and dropped three points to the Current in their first of three consecutive matches on the road.
UP NEXT: OL Reign’s next match is Saturday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m. PT against Angel City FC.
MATCH SUMMARY
2022 NWSL Regular Season
OL Reign 0-1 Kansas City Current
Date/Time: Sunday, July 17, 2022, 4:00 p.m. PT
Location: Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas
Weather: 85, Sunny
Scoring Summary
TEAM
1H
2H
FT
OL Reign
0
0
0
Kansas City Current
1
0
1
RGN: None
KC: LaBonta – 18’
Discipline
RGN: Hiatt (Caution – 74’),
KC: Loera (Caution – 90’)
Lineups
RGN: GK Tullis-Joyce, D Barnes, D Hiatt, D McClernon, D Miramontez (Brown 88’), M Van der Jagt, M Little, M Fishlock (Stanton 78’), F King (Heath 78’), F Latsko (Watt 59’), F Balcer (Ahtens 78’)
Unused substitutes: GK Dickey, GK Dickey, D Malonson, M Canales
Total Shots: 18 (Three tied with – 3)
Shots on Goal: 4 (Four tied with – 1)
Fouls: 12 (Hiatt – 3)
Offsides: 3
Corner Kicks: 10
Saves: 4 (Tullis-Joyce)
KC: GK Franch, D Edmonds, D Ball, D Merrick, D Mace (Leach 88’), D Del Fava, M Loera, M LaBonta (McCain 87’), M Pickett (Curran 73’), F Hamilton, F Kizer (Bennett 63’)
Unused substitutes: M Nolf, D Rodriguez, D Winebrenner, GK Miller
Total Shots: 17 (Kizer – 4)
Shots on Goal: 5 (Del Fava – 2)
Fouls: 8 (Ball – 2)
Offsides: 0
Corner Kicks: 2
Saves: 4 (Franch – 4)
Budweiser Player of the Match: Phallon Tullis-Joyce
Referee: Alex Billeter
Assistant Referee 1: Jessica Carnevale
Assistant Referee 2: Matthew Seem
4th Official: Emily Gomez