Match Recap: Boats Brace Pushes OL Reign Through the Wave

OL Reign (7-4-2, 23 points, 3rd place) defeated San Diego Wave FC (6-5-2, 20 points, 5th place) 2-1 at Snapdragon Stadium, marking OL Reign’s second consecutive win at San Diego’s home stadium. Forward Bethany Balcer had a standout match, scoring both of OL Reign’s goals of the night.

From the first whistle, OL Reign was the dominant team, dictating the tempo of the match. The stellar play from top to bottom for the Reign paid off early, as they scored the opening goal of the match just eight minutes in.

Midfielder Quinn received the ball in the middle of the field and lofted a perfectly weighted ball to the top of the six-yard box for Balcer to get on the end of. Balcer, adept with her head in front of goal, made no mistakes as she directed the ball into the back of the net after one bounce.

The Reign continued to play solidly against the Wave, successfully thwarting every attacking play the home side attempted to create. The strong backline featuring Lu Barnes, Sam Hiatt, Alana Cook and Sofia Huerta, and goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce silenced San Diego’s offense.

After halftime, San Diego was the first to score. Just two minutes after the half began, forward Alex Morgan connected with midfielder Jaedyn Shaw to equalize. With the score level, the game ramped up, stretching end to end as the teams battled for three points.

In the 77th minute, OL Reign found the back of the net a second time, once again from the head of Balcer. Huerta used her left foot to loop a cross into the back post, where Balcer was free of defenders to head the ball into the back of the net for the second time.

The intensity of the match continued to build as the clock ticked down. In the 88th minute, forward Elyse Bennett used her speed to pressure Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan who had the ball at her feet. Bennett successfully won the ball before being knocked from her feet by Sheridan. The foul was whistled on Sheridan, and she was initially dealt a yellow card before video review saw the card changed to red.

OL Reign saw the match through against a ten-player San Diego Wave, successfully extending their unbeaten streak against the Wave to seven matches.

Key Facts:

· ANOTHER RECORD FOR HARVEY: With tonight’s win, head coach Laura Harvey set the record for most regular-season road wins in league history by a head coach. Harvey now holds the league record for most wins all-time (94) and most road wins all-time (36).

· SCORING LATE: OL Reign ranks second in the league in second-half goals (14) in the 2023 season.

· WINS COME IN WAVES: OL Reign won its third game against San Diego in 2023 across all competitions, outscoring the Wave for a combined 6-1 in those games. Additionally, the Reign have never lost to San Diego, extending the club’s unbeaten record to 5-0-2 all-time.

· BETHANY BALCER: Forward Bethany Balcer scored both of the team’s goals against San Diego, marking her fourth and fifth of the season. Balcer’s five goals leads the team.

· Balcer has 27 goals since entering the NWSL in 2019, which ranks fourth in the league. Additionally, the undrafted forward is one of two players in the NWSL to record 4+ goals in every regular season since 2019. Balcer also has seven game-winning goals in her career.

· SOFIA HUERTA: Defender Sofia Huerta assisted the game-winning goal for OL Reign in the 77th minute, her second assist of the season.

· Huerta has 31 assists all-time, tying the NWSL record for most assists in league history.

· QUINN: Midfielder Quinn assisted the opening goal of the match, marking their first assist of the season and second all-time.

· Quinn is one of six players on OL Reign to record at least one goal and one assist in the 2023 season.

· SERIES: The win brings the all-time series to 5-0-2 between the Reign and San Diego Wave FC.

UP NEXT: OL Reign (2-0-1) will play their next match on Wednesday, June 28, at Providence Park against Portland Thorns FC (1-1-0) in the UKG Challenge Cup.

MATCH SUMMARY

2023 NWSL Regular Season

OL Reign 2 – 1 San Diego Wave FC

Date/Time: Saturday, June 24, 7:00 p.m. PT

Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA

Weather: 65, clear

Scoring Summary

RGN: Balcer – 8’, 77’

SD: Shaw – 47’

Discipline

RGN: Barnes (Caution – 81’), King (Caution – 83’), Quinn (90+12’)

SD: Sheridan (Red Card – 90+1’)

Lineups

RGN: GK Tullis-Joyce, D Huerta, D Cook, D Hiatt, D Barnes ©, M Quinn (Brown 90+10’), M Van der Jagt (Latsko 67’), M Sonnett, F Huitema, F Balcer (Bennett 82’), F King (Stanton 83’)

Unused substitutes: GK Ivory, M Athens, M Canales, D Malonson, D Holmes

Total Shots: 8 (Balcer, Huerta – 2)

Shots on Goal: 4 (Balcer – 2)

Fouls: 17 (Five tied with – 2)

Offsides: 0

Corner Kicks: 2

Saves: 0

SD: GK Sheridan, D Girma, D McNabb (Pogarch 78’), D Riehl, D Westphal (Yanez 90+2’), M Van Egmond (Briede 46’), M Colaprico, M Shaw, M Dougherty Howard (Kornieck 71’), F Doniak (Ali 78’), F Morgan ©

Unused substitutes: Barcenas, Gyau, Turnbow, DeMarco

Total Shots: 8 (Morgan – 3)

Shots on Goal: 1 (Shaw – 1)

Fouls: 10 (Dougherty Howard – 2)

Offsides: 1

Corner Kicks: 5

Saves: 2 (Sheridan, Yanez – 1)

Player of the Match: Bethany Balcer

Referee: Natalie Simon

Assistant Referee 1: Noah Kenyawani

Assistant Referee 2: Bennett Savage

4th Official: Saul Rojas

VAR: Shawn Tehini

AVAR: Tony Obas