Semifinal Preview: Storylines to Follow When OL Reign takes on San Diego Wave FC
With last Friday’s 1-0 win over Angel City FC, OL Reign moves on to the NWSL Semifinals to take on another west coast foe – San Diego Wave FC. Here are some stories to follow as the match approaches:
QUICK FACTS:
WHEN: Sunday, November 5 at 6:30 p.m. PT
WHERE: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California
TUNE IN: The match is available to watch on CBS Sports Network. Reign fans can also get tickets for just $20 HERE.
2023 REGULAR SEASON RECORDS: OL Reign: 9-8-5 (32 points, 4th place), San Diego Wave FC: 11-7-4 (37 points, 1st place)
PLAYOFF SEEDING: OL Reign: 4th seed (Advanced to semifinal with 1-0 win over Angel City FC in the quarterfinal), San Diego Wave FC: 1st seed (Earned first-round bye)
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
FULL TEAM EFFORT: Nine different players from OL Reign’s current roster have scored a goal against San Diego and an additional three players have added assists against the Wave. In comparison, only two San Diego players have scored goals against the Reign across all-competitions.
(Goal scorers: Bethany Balcer (4), Olivia Athens (1), Jess Fishlock (1), Jordyn Huitema (1), Olivia Van der Jagt (1), Ryanne Brown (1), Sam Hiatt (1), Nikki Stanton (1). Assists: Sofia Huerta (2), Tziarra King (1), Olivia Van der Jagt (1), Quinn (1), Rose Lavelle (1).)
UNCHARTED TERRITORY: This is the first semifinal in NWSL history that will feature the current Shield winner vs. the previous year's Shield winner. San Diego clinched the 2023 NWSL Shield on October 16 with a 2-0 win over Racing Louisville FC, finishing the season with a total of 37 points. OL Reign clinched the 2022 NWSL Shield with a 3-0 win over the Orlando Pride in the last regular season game of 2022, ending the season with 40 points.
HOMEGROWN EXCELLENCE: OL Reign has three players who are from Washington – defender Sam Hiatt and midfielders Nikki Stanton and Olivia Van der Jagt. All three players have scored a goal against the Wave. Hiatt and Van der Jagt have both played in all eight meetings between the two sides, racking up 639 and 597 minutes played, respectively. Stanton has played in five matches against San Diego, for a total of 294 minutes. In addition, Stanton’s goal on April 14, 2022, was the earliest goal scored in the series, as she found the back of the net in the second minute of the match. Van der Jagt’s game winning goal in the fifth minute of second half stoppage time on April 15, 2023, was the latest goal recorded in the series.
IN THE NET: OL Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey has 7 clean sheets in her first 10 NWSL starts across all competitions. Dickey, 23, has made 33 total saves for the Reign since stepping into the net. For San Diego, Canadian international Kailen Sheridan has been in goal for 20 matches in all competitions this season. She has earned 10 clean sheets and made 72 saves. The 28-year-old won NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year last season and is nominated for the award once again.
CLASH OF THE COOLERS: As OL Reign and San Diego Wave FC have developed a rivalry-like relationship in the last two seasons, their head coaches are at the forefront of the narrative. Both head coaches – OL Reign’s Laura Harvey and San Diego Wave FC’s Casey Stoney – have excellent track records as head coaches and inspired the match up name “Clash of the Coolers” as they are both known for sitting on their sideline coolers. Harvey has won NWSL Coach of the Year more times than other NWSL coaches, snagging the title in 2014, 2015 and 2021. Stoney won the award in 2022 and is nominated for the award in 2023.