Match Forecast: OL Reign Back Home for Battle Against the Dash
OL Reign and the Houston Dash are set to meet for the first time since in the 2022 season. The teams are back-to-back in the standings and tied on points.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 3:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, August 7 at Lumen Field
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available on Paramount+ and Twitch internationally.
2022 REGULAR SEASON RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign: 5-3-6 (21 points, 4th place, Houston Dash: 6-4-3 (21 points, 3rd place)
Key Points Ahead of the Match:
1. LAST MEETING – OL Reign and the Houston Dash last met in 2021. The Reign picked up the 1-0 win to pick up an important three points near the end of the 2022 season. OL Reign took the early lead in the match, with Bethany Balcer’s seventh goal of the season in the seventh minute of the match. The play started with excellent pressure from Jess Fishlock to dispossess Houston. Fishlock combined with Le Sommer to get a shot off, but the shot was saved by Houston goalkeeper, Jane Campbell. Balcer was already waiting for the rebound and tapped the ball into the net to give the Reign an early advantage.
2. SCOUTING HOUSTON – Currently, Houston is in 3rd place in the NWSL standings, tied with the Reign at 21 points. They are coming off a 4-2 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC 4-2 last Sunday. Gotham took the lead early into the match, but then conceded an own goal to equalize. Houston Midfielder Shea Groom added a second for her team in the 30th minute, giving Houston a 2-1 lead going into halftime. After the break, Houston notched a third in the70th minute. Just a few minutes later, Houston earned a penalty kick and converted, adding their fourth and final goal of the match. Gotham scored a second goal in the 82nd minute to bring the score to 4-2, but it was not enough to spur the comeback.
3. FIRST MEETING THIS SEASON – OL Reign has not played Houston at all this year, so the team will need to adjust to a fresh Houston side, while keeping the fundamentals in mind.
“I think with Houston, you always know that there's fundamentals that they always are good at. They're very good in transition. They've got a lot of pace across the front line and they've got quality across different lines, so I think those things haven't changed. I think just the, honestly, just the way that they defend a little bit is what's been the biggest change," said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey.
4. RESILIENT – After two tough games on the road, OL Reign is ready to be back home and take on the Dash at Lumen Field.
"Yeah, I think obviously they've done really well since the new coach came and it's a new test for us and obviously off what's been a tough week for us with three games in such a short space of time and with the travel, I think it's an opportunity for us to dig in and go and show how resilient we are and go and put on a performance at home after two tough away games,” said Harvey.
"Yeah, we're just excited to finally face a new opponent and kind of bring new challenges," said OL Reign defender Alana Cook.
MultiCare Availability Report:
OUT
Angelina (SEI – ACL)
Bethany Balcer (Illness)
QUESTIONABLE
None