Match Forecast: OL Reign Set to Take on San Diego Wave FC in the NWSL Semifinals

OL Reign takes on San Diego Wave FC tonight in an NWSL semifinal match up. The team, who previously defeated Angel City FC in the quarterfinal, will be looking for the all-important win to advance to the NWSL final. Everything is on the line in this must-win match. 

WHEN AND WHERE: The Reign kickoffs at 6:30 p.m. PT at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA 

WHERE TO WATCH: Fans can tune in to watch the match on CBS Sports Network or attend/host an OL Reign watch party.

2023 NWSL Playoff Seed: OL Reign: 4th seed, San Diego Wave FC: 1st seed 

Key Points Ahead of the Match: 

1. LAST MEETING – The last time OL Reign and San Diego Wave FC met was July 28 of this year at Lumen Field. It was a tight battle, as many of the matches between these two west coast teams are, but ultimately the Reign came away with a 1-0 win. OL Reign forward Bethany Balcer scored the game winning goal in the 71st minute when she stepped up to the penalty spot and coolly blasted the ball into the back of the net, adding her fourth all-time goal against the Wave.  

2. SCOUTING SAN DIEGO – Since the Wave won the NWSL Shield and earned the first overall seed heading into the playoffs, the team has not played a match since the regular season ended. In their final regular season match, San Diego took on Racing Louisville FC at Snapdragon Stadium, coming away with a 2-0 win to clinch the shield. The Wave’s two goals were scored by Jaedyn Shaw and Alex Morgan – the only two Wave players that have scored on the Reign in all competitions.  

"I think that our games against each other are always pretty tight. I think this year and last year, we know that we are quite similar in a lot of ways as teams, but we know the things that we have to do against them to have success and we've obviously proven that which is nice,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey. 

“So, I think we're just very focused on making sure that we do the things that we know we need to do to have success in those moments, but also know that, in reality, it doesn't really mean anything. I think the true sentence is that we're playing the Shield winners, this league doesn't lie and when you know that you're coming up against that, you've got to prepare for that in the right way, so I think we've been very conscience and prepared on making sure we have all the sort of i's dotted and t's crossed to make sure that we're fully prepared for what we think they'll bring and the ways in which we can hopefully hurt them." 

3. MUST WIN – OL Reign is in another must-win match, as the winner of this match up will move on to the NWSL final, while the runner up will end their 2023 NWSL season. The Reign roster is a mix of young players and veterans, some who have been with the team for years and others who are just joining. All of these players, regardless of background or experience, are united by their excitement to get out on the field tonight and battle to book OL Reign’s ticket to the final for the first time since 2015. 

“I I think we're really excited, there's been such a fun buzz around the team right now since we've been in Seattle and this week leading up to the semifinals,” said OL Reign defender and captain Lu Barnes.  

“We're experienced in this, but I think we've got a group that truly hasn't been together for a really long time, so there's some newbies and some that have been on other teams that have been in these positions. But yeah, the overall vibe has been incredible, it's really buzzing and I think everyone's excited that we get to be on the pitch tomorrow." 

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