Match Recap: OL Reign Holds Down Houston to Round Out Three-Game Week

OL Reign (4-1-1, 13 points, 1st place) earned a solid 2-0 win against the Houston Dash (1-2-3, 6 points, 8th place) to round out their three-game week. With this win, OL Reign earned their 100th all-time regular season win and moved to the top of the NWSL standings.

From the start of the first half, the game was a chess match between head coaches Laura Harvey and Sam Laity. Houston applied a lot of defensive pressure to the Reign, making the home side work hard to find a way around them. OL Reign came out with a lot of energy, despite having played two matches already this week.

OL Reign was on the attack in the 12th minute when it seemed like there was a handball in the box from Houston but play went on. Just one minute later, forward Veronica Latsko lofted ball into the box, where forward Bethany Balcer nearly got a foot on it, but let it run through to forward Jordyn Huitema. Huitema took one touch with her body before going to ground to get the ball into the back of the net, however the goal was called back for a handball.

Throughout the first half, OL Reign put in 15 crosses and six shots, but couldn’t quite find the final touch into the back of the net to take the lead. At the halftime whistle, the score remained 0-0.

After halftime, OL Reign continued to push on and build momentum in the match. Less than 10 minutes into the half, the Reign got on the score board. Rapinoe served a ball into the box from the left side of the field, where Latsko made no mistake as she headed the ball into the back of the net in the 53rd minute.

15 minutes later, in the 68th minute, OL Reign doubled their lead with a goal from Huitema. The play started with Rapinoe playing a ball into the center of the field, just above the 18-yard box. Balcer got a cheeky touch on the pass, flicking it in behind to Latsko. The forward took one touch before serving the ball to the back post, where Huitema beat her defenders to head the ball into the back of the net.

With a firm lead in the match, the Reign continued to work hard offensively and defensively to hold onto the lead and clean sheet. With a flurry of the subs to ensure legs stayed fresh, the Reign saw the game through to the end, taking all three points and moving to the top of the NWSL standings.

Key Facts:

·       SERIES: The win brings the all-time series to 17-4-3 between the Reign and Houston Dash.

·       KEEPING IT 100: Tonight’s win marks OL Reign’s 100th regular season win all-time, becoming the second fastest club in NWSL history to reach this milestone.

·       NOT IN OUR HOUSE: OL Reign extended its home unbeaten streak to six games with tonight’s win and has a regular season home record of 9-1-4 since naming Lumen Field home at the start of the 2022 season. With only one home loss since 2022, the Reign have a 93% unbeaten record at home.

·       PERFECT PURPOSE: The team is a perfect 3-0-0 in the new primary kit for 2023, Purpose.

·       JORDYN HUITEMA: Forward Jordyn Huitema scored the team’s second goal of the night off a header in the 68th minute, recording a goal in back-to-back regular season games.

·       Huitema has two goals in the 2023 regular season and four all-time.

·       VERONICA LATSKO: Forward Veronica Latsko scored the opening goal of the match in the 53rd minute, marking her first of the 2023 season. Latsko’s most recent goal came against the Dash on September 25, 2022, in Houston. In the 68th minute, the forward assisted the second goal of the match with a cross to forward Jordyn Huitema. Latsko is one of 11 players to record a goal and assist in the same game this season, joining teammate Bethany Balcer.

·       Latsko has nine goals and six assists all-time, two goals and two assists with the Reign and seven goals and four assists during her time with the Dash (2018-21).

·       MEGAN RAPINOE: Forward Megan Rapinoe assisted forward Veronica Latsko to give the team a 1-0 lead in the second half.

·       Rapinoe has 22 assists all-time, which ranks second in club history.

·       PHALLON TULLIS-JOYCE: Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce earned her third clean sheet of the season, the most in the league.

·       Tullis-Joyce has 12 clean sheets all-time, setting a club record for most clean sheets in Reign history.

UP NEXT: OL Reign is on the road next weekend, taking on the North Carolina Courage on Sunday, May 14 in Cary, North Carolina at 12:00 p.m. PT. Fans can tune into the match on Paramount+ or attend a watch party at Rough & Tumble Pub in Ballard.

MATCH SUMMARY

2023 NWSL Regular Season

OL Reign 2 – 0 Houston Dash

Date/Time: Saturday, May 6, 7:00 p.m. PT

Location: Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Weather: 57, partly rainy

Scoring Summary

RGN: Latsko – 53’, Huitema – 68’

HOU: None

Discipline

RGN: Stanton (Caution – 90+3’)

HOU: None

Lineups

RGN: GK Tullis-Joyce, D Huerta, D Cook, D Hiatt, D Barnes ©, M Sonnett, M Fishlock, M Balcer (King 83’), F Latsko (Brown 89’), F Huitema (Bennett 89’), F Rapinoe (Stanton 75’)

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

Total Shots: 12 (Huitema – 4)

Shots on Goal: 4 (Four tied with – 1)

Fouls: 8 (Latsko – 3)

Offsides: 4

Corner Kicks: 1

Saves: 3 (Tullis-Joyce – 3)

HOU: GK Campell, D Chapman, D Dydasco, D Jacobs, D Prisock, M Sanchez, M Schmidt ©, M Viggiano, F Petersen, F Salmon, F Ordonez

Unused substitutes: GK Madden, M Solaun, M Hirst, D Desiano, D Jennings, D Harris

Total Shots: 7 (Olivieri – 3)

Shots on Goal: 3 (Three tied with – 1)

Fouls: 11 (Three tied with – 2)

Offsides: 2

Corner Kicks: 5

Saves: 2 (Campbell – 2)

Player of the Match: Veronica Latsko

Referee: Brandon Stevis

Assistant Referee 1: Alicia Messer

Assistant Referee 2: Baboucarr Jallow

4th Official: Jaclyn Metz

Var: Benjamin Wooten

Avar: Will Riffle