Forwards Veronica Latsko and Megan Rapinoe Earn Player of the Week Nominations
Over the weekend, OL Reign showed out in front of home fans, earning a decisive 4-1 win over Angel City FC. After initially going down a goal, the Reign fought to tie the match before halftime. In the second half, the Reign scored three goals to take all three points from the match and snap their two-game winless streak.
For their performances in the match, OL Reign forwards Veronica Latsko and Megan Rapinoe have been nominated for NWSL Player of the Week. Latsko scored two goals in the match, including the game winner, and Rapinoe earned assists on three of OL Reign’s four goals.
Rapinoe’s first assist of the match was earned on forward Elyse Bennett’s equalizer in the 34th minute of the match. The 11th-year veteran received the ball out wide on the right and took one touch down the line before serving the ball into the box. Bennett made a run into the six-yard box and connected with the ball, finding the back of the net to score her first OL Reign goal at the near post.
Latsko’s first goal of the match kickstarted OL Reign’s phenomenal second half. In the 52nd minute, Rapinoe fed Latsko a ball outside the top of the box, where Latsko took just one touch before ripping a shot to the top right corner of the goal to take the 2-1 lead for OL Reign.
The forward notched her second goal just two minutes and 16 seconds later when Rapinoe received a ball out wide from midfielder Jess Fishlock. Earning her third assist of the match, Rapinoe one touched the ball across the box to a waiting Latsko, who made no mistakes as she directed the ball into the goal.
This goal marked Latsko’s first-ever brace since entering the NWSL in 2018 and was the second-fastest brace ever recorded by a Reign player. With three goals on the season, Latsko is tied with forwards Bethany Balcer and Jordyn Huitema, as well as midfielder Jess Fishlock for the most goals scored on the team this season.
Earning the assist on the first three goals scored in the match, Rapinoe reached a club record of 25 assists all-time, ranking fifth overall in NWSL history. This is also the first time in her career that she has recorded three assists in the same match. The last time she recorded more than one assist in a match was in 2018. She is the fourth player in NWSL history to record a three-assist game in regular season play. Rapinoe currently leads the team this season in assists, with four.
Vote for forward Veronica Latsko or Megan Rapinoe for NWSL Player of the Week HERE. The poll closes at 7:15 p.m. PT.