For the second time in 2018, Seattle Reign FC and Orlando Pride battled for 90 minutes without either side finding a decisive goal. Sunday night’s match in Seattle was played in front of 5,251 fans, who were treated to a defensive masterpiece from both sides.
Physical, swarming play defined the first ten minutes of the match. Several tough challenges and on-ball duels led to players sprawled out on the pitch. An Orlando foul gave Reign FC a free kick from a handful of yards outside the box. Jess Fishlock sized up a shot, but pushed it a bit wide, denying Seattle a lead in the 9th minute.
The 14th minute brought another scoring chance when Nahomi Kawasumi placed a ball on Jodie Taylor’s head. Reign FC’s English forward got underneath the ball and popped it up. Her shot settled into the hands of Haley Kopmeyer, playing her first game at Memorial Stadium as a visiting player. When a through ball sprang Kawasumi behind Orlando’s backline in the 18th minute, it was Kopmeyer again stepping up to provide the last line of defense. After keeping Kawasumi’s shot out, the former Reign FC keeper also denied the ensuing attempt by Kiersten Dallstream.
Trouble looked like it would strike Seattle in the 22nd minute. Alanna Kennedy headed a ball that ricocheted off the crossbar off a set piece from former Reign outside back Carson Pickett. The ball then fell to Sydney Leroux right on the doorstep of a goal, but her header inched past the post and out of play.
Dallstream had another shot at goal in the 26th minute. The former Washington State Cougar tried to curl a shot up and over Kopmeyer, but Orlando’s goalie gloved the shot. Three minutes later Fishlock chipped a pass ahead for Jodie Taylor, who was called offside before getting to the ball. Action remained mostly in the middle of the pitch for the next several minutes, as both teams failed to connect on any passes that could lead to a real chance.
Rumi Utsugi attempted to score off a volley in the 38th minute. Utsugi was gifted a shin-high bounce, but her shot went wide of the mark. A couple minutes elapsed, and Kawasumi found Bev Yanez on a throw-in deep in Orlando territory. Yanez’s centering pass from inside the box couldn’t link up with any Reign FC teammates. Seattle mounted an opportunity again in the 44th minute, when Dallstream played Utsugi, who sent a cross into the box. Orlando’s defense headed the ball away before Seattle could reach it, effectively ending the half.
Seattle entered the locker room deadlocked at zero for the second straight match. In doing so, Reign FC extended its streak of not allowing a first half goal to 10 matches. Seattle is the only team in the NWSL not to allow a goal in the first 45 minutes of a match this season.
Kawasumi was alone in the box just two minutes into the second half. With the ball on her right foot and an opportunity for her first goal of the season, Kawasumi’s one-touch shot skittered past the goal and out of bounds. Things intensified after that. Lydia Williams made her first save of the night in the 51st minute, trapping a Pride shot after a series of bounces around the penalty area.
Seemingly seconds later, Kawasumi again found herself with the ball and a chance to score. This time, her strike was on-target, but tapped over the net by Kopmeyer. Sydney Leroux went with her left foot for a 55th minute shot, ripping a powerful effort above the goal. Seattle checked in with the first substitutes of the night, as Vlatko Andonovski elected to insert Jasmyne Spencer and Elizabeth Addo for Kiersten Dallstream and Nahomi Kawasumi.
Christen Westphal provided a Seattle shot in the 66th minute. The attack-minded defender’s shot scooted just left of the goal. Following a Jasmyne Spencer yellow card, each team made its way forward in the 73rd minute.
Orlando had a fruitless free kick, which morphed into a Reign FC counter. Unfortunately, Seattle could not put together one last pass to get a shot off, and the attack ended. While enjoying a mostly quiet night, Williams was pressed into duty for a miraculous save in the 74th minute.
Spencer found Jodie Taylor on a key through ball in the 77th minute. While the development looked promising, it ended before Reign FC could shoot at Kopmeyer.
Play stopped briefly in the 82nd when Lauren Barnes went down with an injury. Seattle’s veteran defender got back to her feet and played the rest of the match. Spencer sprinted up the field and sent a hopeful aerial ball for Jodie Taylor in the 85th minute, but it went long for a goal kick. Orlando won a free kick from an Elizabeth Addo foul, but their 88th minute free kick bounced easily into Lydia Williams’ grasp.
One final attempt came up short in the 90th minute. Spencer found some space, and lined a left-footed pass across the box. Her pass went untouched all the way through the penalty area, just out of the reach of any goal scorers. Both sides left the field with one point, heading into the FIFA break with their second draw in as many games against each other.
Seattle’s next home match comes on June 23 against the first place North Carolina Courage. Tickets for the June 23 match — which is Pride Match 2018 — are available at www.reignfc.com/tickets.
