On This Day in Reign History
On July 30, 2014, the Reign clinched its first ever NWSL Shield in a dominate 4-1 win over the Houston Dash. Between the tough conditions in Houston, Texas and very little rest between games, the Reign weren’t expected to dominate the game, but against all odds, the Reign did just that.
The game had a dream start for the Reign, as a top-quality pass sequence involving Kim Little, Steph Cox, Sydney Leroux and Megan Rapinoe ended in a 2nd minute goal from Leroux. With an increase in confidence, the Reign took control both offensively and defensively. Before the second half was over, Fishlock and Little combined to find another goal for the Reign. Hope Solo was called on in goal to make a save, which she did by trapping the ball between her knees, but that would be Houston’s best chance throughout the entire game.
In the second half, Megan Rapinoe floated a ball that looked to be a cross but found the side netting of far post perfectly to put the Reign up 3-0. Houston found a goal back in the 55th minute, but that did not stop the Reign. Little scored another goal for the Reign in the 78th minute to secure the monumental victory for the team.
This victory marked the first time that the Reign had earned their first piece of hardware – the NWSL Shield. The 2014 season was a huge turnaround for the Reign, following an inaugural 2013 season that saw the team finish seventh place out of eight teams.
Head coach Laura Harvey, who is returning to the Reign following the 2020 Olympics, took matters into her own hands after the club’s less than ideal start, making major changes with only 9 players from the 2013 team returning for the 2014 season.
During the 2014 season, the Reign set a league record unbeaten streak of 16 games, with a 13-0-3 record. Following the stellar regular season performance, the team earned several league awards. Laura Harvey was named Coach of the Year, while Kim Little won the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player awards. Kendall Fletcher, Jess Fishlock, Little and Nahomi Kawasumi were named to the NWSL Best XI team while goalkeeper Hope Solo and defenders Lauren Barnes and Stephanie Cox were named to the Second XI team.