Seattle Reign FC hosts Spokane Zephyr FC for a closed-door scrimmage on Saturday
Reign FC hosted a closed-door scrimmage against USL Super League side Spokane Zephyr at the Providence Swedish Performance Center & Clubhouse on Saturday afternoon as the team continues its preparations for the 2025 NWSL season.
Rather than a typical match split between two 45-minute halves, the two teams played in three, 30-minute increments. The match featured goals from midfielder Sam Meza, forward Lynn Biyendolo (Williams), and forward Maddie Dahlien.
The first group of players hit the ground running early when Biyendolo stole the ball from Spokane’s defender inside the eighteen-yard-box, laid it off to Meza, who then slotted it past the opposition’s goalkeeper and into the back of the net in the second minute of match-play. Five minutes later, it was Biyendolo’s turn to score for the Seattle side. Forward Jordyn Huitema utilized her on-the-ball speed to drive toward the top of the 18-yard box and pass it off to a wide open Biyendolo, who curled the ball far post.
The Reign continued its strong form into the second 30-minute period, maintaining the majority of possession while finding themselves in front of goal more than a few times. The first opportunity came in the 52nd minute when midfielder Maddie Mercado’s free kick found the foot of first-year defender Emily Mason, but her shot hit the crossbar. A minute later, winger Nérilia Mondésir curled the ball with the outside of her left foot to Dahlien who proceeded to attempt a shot from point blank range, but the Spokane keeper’s diving save prevented the ball from going in the goal. The rookie’s efforts in the attack came to fruition with seconds left to spare, off a give-and-go combination play between her and forward Ana-María Crnogorčević. After receiving the ball back from Crnogorčević, the UNC alum dribbled toward the box before driving the ball past Spokane’s keeper.
The final 30 minutes came with a few worthy attacking build-ups for the home side, including a diagonal run toward the right flank from Crnogorčević in the 70th minute, who then managed to get a cross off to Mondésir before the ball went out for a goal kick. Two minutes later, a header clearance from defender Julia Lester resulted in a counterattack for Seattle when Mondésir retrieved the ball, dribbled down the middle of the pitch and found Mercado down the left wing. Mercado nearly scored for the Reign, but her shot attempt skimmed the crossbar.
Spokane found the back of the net in the final minutes of the third period, but it wasn’t enough to surpass the home team.
The Reign will resume preseason training in Southern California next week for the Coachella Valley Invitational. The team will face Bay FC on Feb. 16 before taking on Angel City on Feb. 22. Day passes are still available for fans to watch the Reign compete and can be purchased at www.reignfc.com/tickets/cvi
Three Takeaways
New Energy
An exciting, new spark was present in today’s scrimmage with recently acquired Biyendolo collecting a goal and an assist, rookie Dahlien scoring for the Seattle side and former Gotham keeper Cassie Miller shutting out Spokane in the second 30-minute period. Rutgers alum Mason, along with non-roster invitees Moira Kelly and Maddie Porhaska also made significant contributions.
Meza in the Middle
Sam Meza was influential in all areas of the pitch during her stints in the first and second 30-minute periods. Not only did she score the opening goal of the match, she was constantly tracking back and shutting down any potential build-ups from the Spokane side through her high-press and tactical positioning during quick transition moments.
Deep Squad
The Reign showcased its deep bench in Saturday afternoon’s scrimmage, with 24 players making an appearance in the 90 minutes of match-play. While Head Coach Laura Harvey presented each period with a different combination of players, the togetherness and intensity displayed on the pitch remained the same throughout the duration of the match.