Match Forecast: OL Reign Set to Open Regular Season Against Washington Spirit
OL Reign is set to play its first 2022 regular season match, on the road again the Washington Spirit at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. This is the first regular season match for both teams and the first time the two sides have met since November 2021.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 2:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 1 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
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: 0-0-0, Washington Spirit 0-0-0
Key Points Ahead of the Match:
1. LAST MEETING – The last time OL Reign and the Washington Spirit met was in November 2021, in the NWSL playoffs. OL Reign hosted the semifinal at Cheney Stadium, but ultimately fell to Washington 2-1. OL Reign had a dream start to the game when Eugenie Le Sommer scored the opening goal in the just the third minute of the match. However, Washington found an equalizer less than ten minutes later. In the 68th minute, Ashely Sanchez scored a second goal for Washington. The Reign upped the urgency, looking for a goal to keep their 2021 campaign alive. The final few minutes were a heated battle, but in the end, OL Reign fell just short and ended their 2021 season with a 2-1 loss to Washington in the semifinal, after a wild comeback season
All time, the teams have met 25 times, including three semifinal matches and 22 regular season matches. OL Reign has won 13 of those matches, including one Washington forfeit and lost seven of the matches. There have been five draws between the teams.
2. SCOUTING WASHINGTON – Like OL Reign, this is Washington’s first match of the 2022 regular season. However, the team most recently took on the North Carolina Courage in their final match of the 2022 Challenge cup group stage. The teams battled to a 2-2 draw, bringing Washington’s Challenge Cup record to two wins, four draws and zero losses.
Washington scored first in the 15th minute, when Ashley Hatch stole a ball out front and tucked a shot just outside the reach of Courage goalkeeper and into the bottom left corner of the goal. However, before the first half was over, North Carolina was awarded a penalty kick and Debinha made no mistakes with the opportunity to level the score.
In the second half, North Carolina scored first. Malia Berkely intercepted a ball in Washington’s defensive half and nailed a shot into the top left corner of the goal from outside the box to put North Carolina up 2-1. North Carolina had an opportunity to increase their lead with under 20 minutes to go, as Kerolin drew a foul in the box. Debinha stepped up to take the kick, but it was saved by Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury. Just minutes later, Trinity Rodman was fouled in the box and the third penalty kick of the match was called. Ashley Hatch stepped up to the spot and found the back of the net, securing the 2-2 draw for Washington.
3. BACK-TO-BACK GAMES – OL Reign and Washington meet not once, but twice this week. The teams are meeting for their regular season opener this afternoon, but meet again on Wednesday, May 4 in the Challenge Cup semifinal. Aside from putting the teams in the unique position of playing the same opponent twice in such a short period of time, the Reign will play three games in a week, so it is likely that the team will look to the depth of their roster to find success.
“What the San Diego game at home proved to us, is we have a deep roster that can compete in this league. It’s for times like these, where you can’t just think about these two games. You have to think about all three games that we have this week. This is where the roster comes into play,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey.
She continued, “That’s sort of the mindset we’ve got – trying to go out there and put in a performance that can get us three points, but also be mindful of then wanting to put in a performance that gets us into a final. Then, whatever happens, we have a game two or three days after that. We just have to prepare for it all.”
4. STRENGTH AND DEPTH – OL Reign has had a strong start to 2022, going undefeated in the group stage of the 2022 Challenge Cup. The team has featured several different lineups, with returning players and new signings, all of which have been important to the success of the team this year.
Ten different players contributed to OL Reign’s 11 goals scored in the group stage of the Challenge Cup. Bethany Balcer scored twice, while Sofia Huerta, Veronica Latsko, Alana Cook, Angelina, Rose Lavelle, Nikki Stanton, Sam Hiatt, Olivia Van der Jagt and Ally Watt all scored once.
“I think the new faces have done a really good job at understanding what it means to play for this club, on and off the field,” said Harvey.
MultiCare Injury Report:
OUT
Zsani Kajan (covid protocol)
Megan Rapinoe (right calf)
Olivia Van der Jagt (covid protocol)
QUESTIONABLE
None