In front of 3,730 fans at Memorial Stadium, Seattle Reign FC tied 1–1 in their second and final match of the season against the Boston Breakers. The result extends Reign FC’s league-leading streak of 14 matches undefeated at home.
The draw keeps Reign FC’s (5–3–6, 21 pts) home record an unbeaten 4–0–4 this season. Forward Nahomi “Naho” Kawasumi scored the lone goal, extending Reign FC’s home goal scoring streak to 25 games. The club has outscored teams 33 to 12 at home during this stretch.
“I didn’t think we really imposed ourselves on the game enough,” said Seattle Reign FC head coach and general manager Laura Harvey. “We created some good chances, but not enough. We just didn’t control the game well enough for me. I told the girls at the end of the game that there was just something flat about us. I don’t know what it was, but we’re going to have to talk about what that might be and how we can solve that. We can’t play like that at home and expect to win games.”
Seattle’s first chance came in the 13th minute of the match. Defender Rebekah Stott sent a dangerous cross into the box. After a missed clearance from a Breakers defender, midfielder Lindsay Elston was able to turn and create space to take a shot, but Breakers goalkeeper Abby Smith was there to make the save.
Reign FC’s lone goal in the match came in the 32nd minute from Naho. A short clearance from Smith put the ball at Naho’s feet near the top of the box. The forward was able to take a touch to settle the ball and send a shot that bent into the upper-right corner of the goal.
Boston forward Adriana Leon then scored the equalizer in the 43rd minute. Defender Christen Westphal sent in a cross from the top of the box and Leon was able to redirect the ball into the back of the net at the backpost.
The action slowed in the second half and Reign FC’s best chance to break the deadlock came in the 47th minute. After the Breakers failed to clear a Reign FC corner kick, Naho chipped the ball back into a crowded penalty box. Elston volleyed the ball and forced Smith to make a diving fingertip save.
Naho was named Reign FC player of the match for her efforts. The forward’s goal was her fourth goal of the season. Naho played the full 90 minutes in the match and tallied two shots.
Tonight’s result sees Reign FC points total for the season improve to 21, but Seattle falls to fifth place on the NWSL table. Other results today saw Portland Thorns FC, the Orlando Pride, and the Houston Dash earn wins. Sky Blue and the Chicago Red Stars ended in a tie.
Reign FC’S next match is this Saturday, when they host Sky Blue FC for the second and final time this season. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm PT. The previous meeting between the two teams was the 2017 season opener on April 15th, resulting in a 1–1 draw.
