Reign FC Triumph Over FCKC in Rematch of NWSL Championship Game
Seattle Reign FC picked up its second consecutive win of the season by defeating FC Kansas City 1–0 at home tonight at Memorial Stadium in front of a crowd of 4,083.
With the win, Seattle now sits tied with Chicago in third place, three points behind the league-leading Washington Spirit and one point behind the 2nd place Portland Thorns FC, who Reign FC will face in their next home match.
Midfielder Kim Little delivered the lone goal of the night in the 56th minute, while Seattle’s defense consistently choked FCKC’s offensive attempts throughout the match, holding the Blues to only four shots on goal.
Seattle managed but one shot in the first half while FCKC doubled that tally with two, one of which required Reign FC keeper Hope Solo to make her only save of the night.
Coming back from halftime with the score knotted at 0–0, forward Merritt Mathias took the ball down to the left corner where she chipped it back to Manon Melis just inside the 18. Melis then passed it to midfielder Kim Little who dribbled it past Blues defender Amanda Frisbie and aimed a strike straight back into the left corner of the net for the goal.
After the goal, injury and fatigue began to be a factor for Reign FC, as forward Elli Reed went down in the 70th minute after a melee at the mouth of the goal. While she stepped off, a collision at the left corner of the KC box between Blues midfielder Alexa Newfield, Melis, and midfielder Keelin Winters had Melis clutching her ankle, having irritated a previous injury.
Reed returned to the match while forward Kiersten Dallstream came in for Melis in the 75th minute. After suffering from leg cramps in the 80th minute, Mathias was substituted out, with Michelle Cruz entering the match for the first time this season.
In the closing moments of the match FCKC pushed forward in attempt to even up the score, yet they struggled to maintain possession in Reign FC territory and were unable to answer to Little’s goal. Having lost to FCKC in their last meeting — the NWSL Championship Match — tonight’s win was a welcome result for Reign FC. The win is just the third time in four seasons that Seattle has defeated its Midwestern rivals.
“I thought it was very ‘Reign — Kansas,’” said Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey. “It was very tactical and edgy. I said to the girls that every game we play against them is pretty much like that. There’s limited chances and it could come down to mistakes or a bit of brilliance. Thankfully today, Kim’s bit of brilliance won us the game.”
Reign FC will travel to Orlando to face the Orlando Pride at Camping World Stadium on Sunday, May 8. The match will be streamed live on YouTube at youtube.com/nwsl beginning at 2:00 p.m. PT.
On Saturday, May 14, Reign FC will host Portland Thorns FC in the first of four regular season matches this season at 7:00 p.m. PT. Tickets start at just $18 and are available at reignfc.com/thorns or by calling (855) REIGN-FC.
