Match Forecast: OL Reign Ready for Home Opener Against San Diego Wave FC
SEATTLE, WA (April 15, 2022) – OL Reign is set to play its third match of the 2023 NWSL regular season, back at Lumen Field in Seattle for the first time this year. Coming off an international break, the team will take on San Diego Wave FC for first time since June 2022.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 15 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available on FOX 13+ in the Seattle area, Paramount+ in the U.S. as well as TSN+. You can get tickets to watch the match in person HERE.
2023 NWSL REGULAR SEASON RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign: 1-1-0 (3 points, 5th place), San Diego Wave FC 2-0-0 (6 points, 2nd place)
1. LAST MEETING – Most recently, the teams met in a regular season match on June 12, 2022, at Torero Stadium in San Diego. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, marking the second draw between the two sides in all competitions. In that match, the Reign conceded an early goal and spent a lot of the first half searching for an equalizer. The game-tying goal for the Reign came in the 38th minute after forward Bethany Balcer and midfielder Rose Lavelle connected in a beautiful combination play to find midfielder Jess Fishlock. Fishlock received the ball and hit a powerful shot into the upper left corner of the goal.
Today’s match up will be the fifth meeting between the two teams across all competitions all-time. The Reign remains undefeated against the Wave, tallying two wins and two draws, while only conceding three goals in the series - all by Wave FC forward Alex Morgan.
2. SCOUTING SAN DIEGO – Like OL Reign, this is San Diego’s third match of the 2023 regular season. The team started off strong, with two wins to open the season – both of which were played at their home field in California.
In their most recent match, the Wave defeated the North Carolina Courage by a score of 3-1. San Diego notched the first three goals of the match. Jaedyn Shaw scored the first goal in the 39th minute of the match, followed by Alex Morgan notching a brace in the second half. Morgan scored a goal in the 48th minute and another on a penalty kick in the 73rd minute. The Courage managed to snag one goal back, thanks to penalty kick from Kerolin in the 77th minute.
“I think they still have similar threats with the recruitment of (midfielder) Dani Colaprico and (midfielder) Meggie Dougherty Howard, I think they've tried to add another dimension to that and honestly, we played them a lot last year, but we didn't play them after June. So, it's been a long time since we've actually played against them. I think we evolved a lot since then. I think they obviously evolved a lot since then. But I still think their threats still tend to be the same,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey.
3. HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS – OL Reign is set to return to Lumen Field for the first time since last season. As the only team that opened the season with two consecutive road games, the Reign looks forward to playing back on their home field in front of their fans.
Other than the incredible support of fans, the Reign have a great track record on their home field. Throughout the previous regular season - OL Reign's first full season at Lumen Field - the Reign went unbeaten in 10 of their 11 home games, tied for the best home record in the league. The club also broke its home attendance record four times throughout the 2022 regular season over the course of the 11 home games played.
“Lumen (Field) obviously has been great for us, we really enjoy playing there. It's nice with the fans because they feel pretty close and you can really hear them and they do make a difference because they do feel really, really close to the field,” said OL Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock.
“I think Lumen was rocking at times last year and we really feel that. I think that when the fans get behind this team, you can see the best out of them. So yeah, we’re excited to have a good crowd and see everybody out there,” said Harvey.
MultiCare Availability Report:
OUT
Angelina (SEI - knee)
Phoebe McClernon (back)
QUESTIONABLE
Rose Lavelle (leg)