International Recap: OL Reign Players Finish International Duty Strong

Wales vs. Republic of Ireland

OL Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock played 71 minutes in Wales’s Pinatar Cup match again the Republic of Ireland. Wales narrowly lost to the Republic of Ireland and took fourth place in the 2022 Pinatar Cup.

Wales got off to a slow start in the match and were not clean in possession of the ball. The Republic of Ireland took advantage of that and scored in the 25th minute, when midfielder Denise O’Sullivan hit a beautiful shot into the back of the net. The Republic of Ireland did well to minimize any Welsh attacks and Wales went into halftime down 1-0.

At the start of the second half, Wales looked much cleaner and was creating more offensive chances. Forward Natasha Harding nearly found the back of the net from 18-yards out, but the Republic of Ireland’s goalkeeper was able to keep it out.

Wales was knocking at the door again when midfielder Sophie Ingle hit a shot into the crossbar. As the game was nearing its end, there were shouts for a penalty kick in favor of Wales, but the appeals were turned down by the referee and the Republic of Ireland maintained their lead through full time.

Brazil vs. Finland

OL Reign midfielder Angelina started in Brazil’s 0-0 draw against Finland and played for a full 90 minutes.

Both teams started the match strong, creating chances on goal immediately. The game was end-to-end, but as time went on, Brazil began to gain more offensive control and possession of the ball. However, Finland defended attentively and still found chances of their own to break through the Brazilian lineup.

The game remained deadlocked as the half neared its end, despite chances for Marta, Kerolin and Debinha. Brazil ended the half as the dominate team on offense, but Finland defended well enough to keep them off the board.

After halftime, Brazil applied immense pressure to Finland. Almost immediately, Debinha found a chance on goal, but Finland’s defense blocked it. In the 54th minute, it was Debinha again to find a scoring opportunity, but she couldn’t put the ball on frame.

Brazil worked hard to limit Finland’s attacking opportunities until the 81st minute, but nothing came of the chance. Tensions ran high at the end of the game as it became more physical and both teams displayed a sense of urgency. Brazil found many back to aback shots in the final minutes of the game, but each one was blocked and the game ended 0-0.

Spain vs. Canada

OL Reign midfielder Quinn played the second half in Canada’s 1-0 loss to Spain in their final Arnold Clark Cup match.

Canada began the game with great offensive work, finding a chance on goal in the first minute of the match, but a Spanish defender kept the ball out of the net. Canada continued to find chances on goal but weren’t able to take advantage of any of those chances to take the lead.

Spain began to gain some control of the match and worked the ball around the field well, building pressure on Canada. Spain found the breakthrough goal when midfielder Alexis Putellas received a pass in the box and slotted it into the back of the net in the 21st minute.

Canada continued to search for an equalizer, but Spain denied every chance and held onto the lead going into the halftime break.

After halftime, both teams came out desperate for a goal. Spain nearly doubled their lead in the 63rd minute, when Putellas headed a shot into the crossbar. On the other end of the field Canada continued to build their attack but could not find the final touch they needed.

Despite creating chances in the 79th, 84th and 90th minutes, Canada did not manage to equalize and fell 1-0 to Spain.

USA vs. Iceland

Alana Cook was the lone OL Reign player to get time in the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 5-0 win over Iceland. Cook played for 86 minutes before being subbed off. With the victory, the United States earned the SheBelieves Cup title for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall.

The U.S. displayed great patience in the match, working the ball around the field to create dangerous scoring opportunities early, but not finding the back of the net until the 37th minute. Midfielder Ashley Sanchez played forward Catarina Macario, who fired a powerful shot from the corner of the box to beat Iceland’s goalkeeper.

Iceland was not discouraged though and continued to pressure the United States back line, forcing the corps to win many headers. Before the end  of the half, the U.S. managed to score a second goal. It was Macario again, this time chipping the ball over the keeper.

After halftime, the U.S. took fifteen minutes to score another goal. It was Sanchez who found forward Mallory Pugh on the run before Pugh dribbled into the box and found the back of the net. Pugh scored again in the 75th minute after connecting with Macario to beat the Iceland defense.

The last goal of the night was added by midfielder Kristie Mewis and assisted by forward Margaret Purce, who came onto the field in the second half as a substitute. Purce played a ball into the box and Mewis was able to finish it with her first touch, securing the 5-0 win for the United States.