At times on Sunday afternoon, a consistent drizzle threatened to become a downpour on the Moda Pitch at Memorial Stadium and the sold-out crowd of 6,303 in the stands.
But instead of Mother Nature, it was the Reign FC offense that ultimately provided the deluge on the net.
A 3–0 win over Portland Thorns FC — including two goals from forward Beverly Yanez in a five-minute span out of halftime — moved Seattle into first-place in the NWSL standings as the team completed a two-game rivalry sweep of Portland in five days.
Seattle had already posted a 1–0 victory at Providence Park in Portland on Wednesday.
Head coach Laura Harvey said there’s no extra motivation necessary when it comes to a matchup with Thorns FC.
“I don’t have to do a speech,” Harvey said. “They’re all ready to go. I probably have to calm them down. Calm myself down too.”
After Seattle controlled possession for most of the first half, Reign FC got on the board in the 38th minute. Midfielder Kim Little played a through ball to midfielder Jessica Fishlock, as the latter slotted a shot past Portland goalkeeper Nadine Angerer to give Seattle the lead.
It was at that point that head coach Laura Harvey felt better about her team getting the result.
“From when we scored, I didn’t really think that the game was in doubt,” Harvey said. “Because when we tend to get a lead, we very rarely give it up, especially here.”
Out of the break, Yanez erupted for two goals in a five-minute span to put the game away. In the 46th minute, Little sent a cross into the box — a ball Yanez happily referred to as ‘ridiculous’ — with Yanez heading it in to give Seattle a two-goal advantage.
Just four minutes later, forward Megan Rapinoe played a low cross into the box, with Yanez there to finish from close range.
“Being able to put two quick ones away and set the tone for the second half was big for us,” Yanez said.
Yanez is now second in the NWSL with eight goals on the year while Little sits first in the league for assists with six.
While Seattle finished its season series with Portland with a 2–0–0 record with Sunday’s win, Reign FC also pushed its home unbeaten streak at Memorial Stadium to 20 games, dating back to the start of 2014.
Seattle has gone 15–0–5 in the shadow of the Space Needle over that span, including a 6–0–1 record on the Moda Pitch in 2015, with Reign FC outscoring its opponents 20–5 at home this year.
“It’s a phenomenal achievement,” Harvey said of the streak.
Reign FC won’t have a chance to add to the stretch until mid-August. Before its next home game, against Houston on August 12, Seattle heads back out on the road to take on the Boston Breakers next Saturday at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium in Allston, Mass.
Tickets to tonight’s match against Thorns FC sold out hours before kick-off. Fans looking to attend the next home match against the Dash can buy their seats here.
Match Report
Match: Seattle Reign FC vs. Portland Thorns FC
Date: July 27, 2015
Venue: Moda Pitch at Memorial Stadium (Seattle, Wash.)
Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. PT
Attendance: 6,303
Goals by Half 1 2 F
SEA 1 2 3 PTFC 0 0 0
Scoring Summary
SEA — Fishlock, 38' (Little)
SEA — Yanez, 46' (Little)
SEA — Yanez, 50' (Rapinoe)
Misconduct Summary
PTFC — Johnson, 82' (Caution)
PTFC — Ayo, 89' (Caution)
Lineups & Stats
SEA: GK Haley Kopmeyer, D Kendall Fletcher, D Rachel Corsie, D Lauren Barnes, D Stephanie Cox, M Keelin Winters, M Jessica Fishlock, M Kim Little, F Merritt Mathias (Katrine Veje, 59'), F Beverly Yanez (Amber Brooks, 82'), F Megan Rapinoe (Danielle Foxhoven, 71')
Substitutes not used: Caroline Stanley, Mariah Bullock, Kiersten Dallstream, Elli Reed
PTFC: GK Nadine Angerer, D Rachel Van Hollebeke (Kaylyn Kyle, 65'), D Kat Williamson, D Emily Menges, D Steph Catley (Kendall Johnson, 44'), D Clare Polkinghorne, M McCall Zerboni, M Allie Long, M Sinead Farrelly (Mana Shim, 20') (Ayo Anonma, 60'), M Tobin Heath, F Christine Sinclair
Substitutes not used: Michelle Betos, Jodie Taylor
Referee: Matthew Franz
Assistant Referee: Deleana Quan, Jeremy Riley
Fourth Official: Levi Rippy
Stats Summary
Shots: SEA — 16 / PTFC — 5
Shots on goal: SEA — 9 / PTFC — 2
Saves: SEA — 2 / PTFC — 6
Corner kicks: SEA — 7 / PTFC — 3
Fouls: SEA — 13 / PTFC — 9
Offside: SEA — 2 / PTFC — 6
