Match Forecast: OL Reign Ready for First Meeting with San Diego

OL Reign is set to play its first ever match against San Diego Wave FC. The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. PT at Lumen Field in Seattle. This is OL Reign’s first time back at Lumen Field since opening the Challenge Cup there on March 18. OL Reign remains the only undefeated team in the West Division of the Challenge Cup and is looking to continue that streak against San Diego.

WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, April 14 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington

WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Twitch internationally.

2022 CHALLENGE CUP RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign: 2-0-1 (7 points, first place in the West Division), San Diego Wave FC: 1-1-1 (4 points, third place in the West Division)

Key Points Ahead of the Match:

1. LAST MEETING – This match will be the first meeting between OL Reign and San Diego Wave FC in any competition. On June 8, 2021, it was announced by the NWSL that San Diego would be the location for an expansion team to join the league in 2022. San Diego kicked off its inaugural NWSL campaign with a match against fellow expansion side Angel City FC on March 19, 2022.

2. SCOUTING SAN DIEGO– San Diego’s most recent match was on Saturday, April 2 against Angel City FC, where the team won 4-2. San Diego opened the scoring in the 19th minute of the match, when forward Alex Morgan chipped a ball across the face of the goal to Jodie Taylor, who took a shot. Her initial shot was saved, but the rebound fell back to Taylor and she made no mistake the second time around. Angel City forced an own goal from San Diego to level the score 1-1 and it looked like the two teams were headed to the locker room level, but Morgan scored a second goal for San Diego in the third minute of stoppage time to send the Wave into halftime up 2-1.

Angel City was the first to score in the second half, equalizing the game yet again when Jasmyne Spencer sent a cross into the box that fell to Christen Press, who hit it home in the 59th minute. The game was not level for long, as Morgan found another goal for San Diego in the 72nd minute and Amirah Ali added a fourth in the 81st minute to secure the 4-2 victory for the Wave.

With that win, San Diego moved into the third-place position in the West Division of the Challenge Cup with four points from three games.

3. NEW FOE – The addition of two new NWSL teams on the west coast has the potential to form new rivalries. As OL Reign finds a new foe against San Diego, the match is sure to be heated, as it has important implications in the standings. A win for the Reign would extend their lead in the West Division of the Challenge Cup standings. A win would also make the Reign first team to record three wins in the 2022 Challenge Cup and extend their unbeaten streak. However, a win for San Diego would bring the team level on points with the Reign and Thorns in the West Division.

As noted by OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey, though the teams have never played each other before, they have some similarities.

“We are very similar teams in our philosophies and how we go about the game. You look at the two teams and they have very similar traits. I think we just have to be willing to be patient when we need to be but also expose things that they don’t want us to expose,” said Harvey.

4. USING OUR DEPTH – OL Reign will be tested this week with back-to-back games on Thursday and Sunday, as well as the return of seven players who were away on international duty. Angelina, Jimena Lopez, Jess Fishlock, Quinn, Rose Lavelle, Sofia Huerta and Alana Cook all spent time with their respective national teams for the April FIFA window, so OL Reign’s lineup could look a bit different than previous Challenge Cup matches. Regardless, the team is prepared to do what it takes to win.

“This match is an opportunity for people and an opportunity for us to see how resilient we are with playing back-to-back games. Also being mindful that we put the best product on the field that we need to try and win the game,” said Harvey.

She continued, “We’ve said it all along – we want to try and be successful in every game that we play, so finding that balance is important… whilst also being mindful of the travel and the games that people have played leading up to these two games. I see it as an opportunity for people and to rotate.”

MultiCare Injury Report:

OUT

Angelina – Right Ankle

Megan Rapinoe – Right Calf

QUESTIONABLE

Quinn

Jess Fishlock

Alana Cook

Sofia Huerta

Rose Lavelle

Jimena Lopez