OL Reign to Host UKG NWSL Challenge Cup Semifinal at Lumen Field

The National Women’s Soccer League has announced the finalized four-team playoff bracket ahead of the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup semifinals, with OL Reign earning the top seed in the tournament for a second consecutive year. The semifinals are set to kick off Wednesday, September 6.

Atop the West division, OL Reign earned 14 points (4-0-2), maintaining an undefeated record and becoming the only team in Challenge Cup history to not allow a goal during group play. The club’s stellar performance secured a home semifinal match, to be hosted at Lumen Field on Wednesday, September 6 at 7:00 p.m. PT, against No. 4 seed Racing Louisville FC (4-2-0, 12 points). Tickets to the semifinal are available now here. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed Kansas City will host No. 3 seed North Carolina Courage at Children’s Mercy Park at 5:00 p.m. PT. Both semifinal matches will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Throughout the group stage, OL Reign displayed its depth when rotating lineups across all six games in the West division. Goalkeepers Claudia Dickey and Laurel Ivory each recorded three clean sheets, tied for the most in the league and one shy of tying the single-tournament record of four. Additionally, OL Reign was just one of three teams in the league to have at least 24 players appear in two or more games. 

Racing Louisville, who entered the league in 2021, is one of three teams OL Reign has never lost to across all NWSL competitions. Through their six NWSL meetings all-time, OL Reign won the opening match, 2-0, and has tied Louisville five consecutive times in the regular season, marking OL Reign’s second-longest run of consecutive draws against a single opponent in league play.

The two teams have met twice during the 2023 regular season, with both matches resulting in 2-2 draws. Despite trailing by two goals in both games, OL Reign rallied late in the second half to earn a point from each game. There are seven active OL Reign players with at least one goal in the head-to-head series, with forward Tziarra King tied for the lead in scoring (2).

Outside of NWSL competition, the two sides met during The Women’s Cup final in 2022, which resulted in a 2-1 win for OL Reign.

The winner of each semifinal match will advance to the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup final, slated to kick off Saturday, September 9, at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Championship match will air live on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+ for fans in U.S. NWSLSoccer.com for fans outside of the U.S.

This year’s edition of the Challenge Cup features the largest prize pool in league history, thanks to the title sponsor of the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, UKG. The $1.1 million prize pool represents a significant step toward achieving pay parity with the U.S. men’s game and also inspired record bonus pool increases for the 2023 NWSL season.

Fans can get tickets to the match HERE, as well as explore premium and group experiences on our website. For any questions regarding ticketing, please email tickets@olreign.com or call 866-997-3446.