Providence Park on Saturday, May 5 and left with a win. A frenetic, back-and-forth match finished with Seattle on top 3–2, giving the team a crucial three points on the road.
Portland threatened for the first time in the 9th minute, when Lindsey Horan launched a shot at Seattle’s net. Michelle Betos calmly made the save in her first action of the afternoon.
Mallory Weber looked to be through just minutes later, giving Portland another opportunity to score, but she was flagged offside before getting a shot off. In the 18th minute, Weber was presented with another sparkling opportunity. Facing Betos in a one-on-one situation, Weber’s left-footed try rang off the crossbar.
Nahomi Kawasumi earned a free kick in the 19th minute, and stood over it from roughly 35 yards out. Her curling ball into the box was inches away from connecting with Jodie Taylor, but instead was collected by Britt Eckerstrom.
Seattle’s first corner kick of the day — also taken by Kawasumi — sprung a left-footed volley attempt from Steph Catley. The Australian defender struck the ball squarely, but right into the grasp of Eckerstrom. Betos’ corralled her second save of the day on another Weber shot, contested heavily by Christen Westphal. As things started to intensify, Allie Long was booked for a yellow card after a 31st minute slide tackle.
Long nearly got Seattle on the board in the 34th minute, placing a dangerous header underneath the bar. Eckerstrom tapped the ball out of bounds, denying Long a the goal. Reign FC earned a corner kick in the 36th minute, allowing Kawasumi another chance to set up her teammates. Kawasumi’s service found the head of Bev Yanez, who headed the ball home for her first tally of the 2018 season.
Portland’s defense sprung a leak again in the 41st minute. Long lined up a shot from the center of the box, but sent it a bit too high. The first half ended with Seattle ahead 1–0. Reign FC won the first half possession battle and got four shots on goal to Portland’s three. Neither side made a substitution during the first half of play.
Thorns FC started the second half with a set of substitutions, inserting Tobin Heath for Mallory Weber and Andressinha for Celeste Boureille. Yanez went for her second score of the game in the 50th minute but pushed her left-footed chance too high and out of play.
A handful of minutes later, the ball found Lindsey Horan in perfect volley position in the 55th minute. Portland’s midfielder ripped one toward goal, but had it bounce off the crossbar.
Things continued to escalate from there, as Reign FC built their next attack. Jess Fishlock wiggled her way into the penalty area only to be brought down by Portland’s Ana Marie Crnogorcevic. The costly tackle gave Seattle a penalty kick. Jodie Taylor strolled up to the spot and calmly placed the ball inside the left post to give her team the lead again.
The brief 2–1 lead would not last for long. As the match entered its final third, Portland’s offense began presenting more danger for Reign FC’s back line. An offside call quieted the Providence Park crowd after it looked as though their team had tied things up. Lindsey Horan would eventually provide the tying score in the 70th minute on a header.
All of this scoring set the stage for Rumi Utsugi to put her team ahead late in the match. After taking a touch, cutting back to her left foot, and sizing up the keeper, Utsugi released a left-footed ball into the bottom corner of the net from 25 yards. The goal gave Reign FC a 3–2 lead in the 75th minute — a lead it would not relinquish despite an intense 15 minutes to close out the match.
Reign FC finishes its four-match road trip with a 2–1–1 record, heading home for a Saturday, May 12 clash with Sky Blue FC. The teams will kick things off from Memorial Stadium at 7 pm PDT.
Tickets for the May 12 match are available at www.reignfc.com/tickets.
