Match Recap: OL Reign Surfs Through San Diego

OL Reign (2-0-1, 7 points, 1st place) crashed through the San Diego Wave (1-1-0, 3 points, 3rd place) at Snapdragon Stadium in their midweek match up, taking all three points with a 3-0 win. This win keeps OL Reign at the top of their UKG NWSL Challenge Cup Group.

From the first whistle, it was clear that OL Reign was ready for the match as they worked the ball around the field and pressed San Diego at every opportunity. In the ninth minute of the match, OL Reign midfielder Nikki Stanton took a shot from just inside the box and hit the crossbar, sending the Wave an early warning sign for what was to come.

OL Reign dominated the midfield, with Stanton, Quinn and Olivia Athens controlling the central spaces and preventing San Diego from piecing together a truly threatening attack. As the game progressed it became more physical and several early yellow cards were handed out, but both teams continued to press on.

In the 29th minute, OL Reign finally got on the board after challenging the Wave for nearly half an hour. The sequence started with a great spell of defensive work from OL Reign to win the ball back from San Diego. Athens slotted a ball down the line to forward Tziarra King, who took the space in front of her before sliding a ball all the way across the box. On the right side of the box, defender Ryanne Brown was making a late run and got on the end of the cross, passing the ball into the back of the net to take the lead for the Reign and tally her first professional goal.

OL Reign rode the 1-0 lead into halftime before coming out strong once again in the second half. Less than ten minutes into the half, the Reign doubled their lead. In the 54th minute, forward Jordyn Huitema won possession of the ball deep in San Diego’s half and dribbled into the box. The forward managed to get the ball across the face of goal, where the ball deflected off Wave defenders before being poked into the back of the net by midfielder Olivia Athens.

The Reign did not relent after the second goal but instead found the back of the net once more in the 60th minute. King once again got the endline and served a ball into the box. On its way, the ball took a deflection off a Wave player, falling to the middle of the box. Huitema wasted no time getting to the ball and finding the far post for OL Reign’s final goal of the night.

Up three goals, OL Reign continued to dominate the match, continuing to create chances and keep San Diego off the board. At the final whistle, the Reign took all three points and served San Diego their biggest loss in club history.

Key Facts:

·       THE STREAK CONTINUES: OL Reign extended its unbeaten streak to six games against San Diego Wave FC (4-0-2), having never lost to the second-year club across all competitions.

·       OLIVIA ATHENS: Forward Olivia Athens scored the team’s second goal of the match in the 54th minute, marking her first goal of 2023.

·       RYANNE BROWN: Defender Ryanne Brown scored the opening goal of the match in the 29th minute, her first professional goal.

·       CLAUDIA DICKEY: Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey made her second NWSL start for the Reign, recording a clean sheet in both games. The second-year goalkeeper finished the match with two saves.

·       Dickey leads all NWSL goalkeepers in shutouts in the 2023 Challenge Cup, with two.

·       JORDYN HUITEMA: Forward Jordyn Huitema extended the Reign’s lead to three when she scored in the 60th minute.

·       Huitema has two goals in the 2023 Challenge Cup, which is tied for the most in the league, and has scored in five of the last nine games for the Reign across all competitions.

·       SERIES: The win brings the all-time series to 4-0-2 between the Reign and San Diego Wave FC.

UP NEXT: OL Reign is back home at Lumen Field in the Seattle soccer event of the year! Sounders FC and OL Reign both take on Portland in an exciting doubleheader event. Tickets are nearly sold out, so get them while you can!

MATCH SUMMARY

2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup

San Diego Wave FC 0 – 3 OL Reign

Date/Time: Wednesday, May 31, 7:00 p.m. PT

Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California

Weather: 61, cloudy

Scoring Summary

RGN: Brown – 29’, Athens – 54’, Huitema – 60’

SD: None

Discipline

RGN: Sonnett (Caution – 16’), Stanton (Caution – 21’), Holmes (Caution – 22’), Malonson (Caution – 67’)

SD: Kornieck (Caution – 19’), Gyau (Caution – 90+2), Colaprico (Caution – 90+4)

Lineups

RGN: GK Dickey, D Brown (Huerta 73’), D Cook ©, D Sonnett (Malonson 62’), D Holmes, M Stanton, M Quinn, M Athens (Bennett 62’), F Latsko (Van der Jagt 46’), F Huitema (Hiatt 82’), F King

Unused substitutes: GK Dickey, D Barnes, F Rapinoe, M Luany

Total Shots: 7 (Seven tied with – 1)

Shots on Goal: 5 (Five tied with – 1)

Fouls: 11 (Stanton – 3)

Offsides: 1

Corner Kicks: 3

Saves: 2 (Dickey – 2)

SD: GK Yanez, D Pogarch, D McNabb (Girma 46’), D Riehl ©, D Gyau, M Hill (Jakobsson 46’), M Briede, M DeMarco, M Kornieck (Colaprico 62’), F Ali (Dougherty-Howard 78’), F Shaw (Barcenas 62’)

Unused substitutes: GK Sheridan, M Enge, D Shorts, D Westphal

Total Shots: 7 (Shaw – 2)

Shots on Goal: 2 (DeMarco, Hill – 1)

Fouls: 12 (Gyau – 4)

Offsides: 1

Corner Kicks: 5

Saves: 2 (Yanez – 2)

Player of the Match: Ryanne Brown

Referee: Anya Voigt

Assistant Referee 1: Seth Barton

Assistant Referee 2: Juan Pablo Casas

4th Official: Ricardo Fierro

VAR: Kevin Broadley

AVAR: Maggie Short