Spencer Scores First Goal of Season as Reign FC Beats the Washington Spirit 2–0
A first-half goal from Jasmyne Spencer, followed by Jodie Taylor’s insurance goal in the second, gave Seattle Reign FC (9–4–6, 33 points) a 2–0 win in its return to NWSL play. The win over the Washington Spirit (2–13–4, 10 points) preserves Seattle’s second-place ranking with five matches remaining in the regular season. Lydia Williams made two saves as the Reign FC defense cemented its ninth clean sheet of the year.
Spencer wasted no time getting the Seattle offense going. Just two minutes into play, the Reign FC forward took a pass from Jess Fishlock, turned toward the net and looked to shoot. Her attempt floated just too high and out of play, marking Seattle’s first shot of the match.
Washington answered with their own chance three minutes later. Alyssa Kleiner committed a foul outside the box, giving the Spirit a free kick from a dangerous shooting position. Tori Huster stepped up for Washington and tried her luck but missed the target. Seattle would draw a corner and free kick of their own in the seventh and eighth minute. Rapinoe sent the corner into the near post to no avail, as Washington cleared the ball to safety. Spencer won the foul, leading to another Rapinoe set piece, this one from roughly 30 yards away. Her service landed with Fishlock, whose header wasn’t enough to put Reign FC on the board.
Both sides traded scoring chances for the next several minutes. In the 11th, Rapinoe raged into the penalty area and set up for a lefty shot at a difficult angle. Though her initial try was blocked, Seattle still mustered a shot after a series of failed clearances and passes. Jodie Taylor struck her first shot of the night in the 12th minute, pushing it too tall. Fishlock would also miss high on Seattle’s next shot in the 15th minute.
Ashley Hatch narrowly missed the first goal of the night mere moments later. The Washington forward found herself in the box in the 17th minute, in finishing position via Meggie Dougherty Howard’s cross. Hatch could do nothing more than head the ball wide, missing the post and denying Washington an early lead and Hatch of her fifth goal in 2018.
Fishlock fired her next shot at Spirit goalkeeper DiDi Haracic in the 26th minute. Standing just outside the six-yard box, the Welsh midfielder laced a shot into center of the goal mouth. Unfortunately for Seattle, Haracic got her mitts on it to keep things level at zero. Save for a brief push forward whistled dead on an offside, Washington’s offense was kept fairly quiet for the rest of the half.
A brief sequence of incredible effort by Rapinoe in the 30th minute resulted in a sterling opportunity for Seattle. After taking a quick throw-in, Rapinoe set up Taylor on the doorstep of the goal. Taylor couldn’t quite get a shot off before Washington’s defense descended on her. Two minutes later, Allie Long gathered a sky-high ball in the box, sealed off a defender, and looked to score. The ball went goalward with a bit too much air under it, sailing over Haracic’s head. Kleiner made a valiant effort on a 37th minute cross, taking Rapinoe’s pass on the overlap, but sent the service into Haracic’s arms.
Reign FC’s first-half form was finally rewarded just moments before the break. In the 44th minute, Long sent a beautiful ball forward from the midfield. Spencer’s deft touch brought the ball down at the top of the box, where she used the outside of her foot to best Haracic and put Seattle in the lead. Her tenacious effort and class finish gave Spencer her first goal of the season.
On the other side of the break, Williams made her first save of the night. Ashley Hatch ripped a deep shot in the 48th minute hoping to sneak it over Williams’ head but Seattle’s keeper calmly retreated to her line and lifted the shot up and over the crossbar to secure the save.
Washington logged the first substitutions of the match in the 61st minute. Rose Lavelle and Andi Sullivan came on for Francisca Ordega and Havana Solaun, looking to give Washington a second-half spark. Not long after the lineup changes, Rapinoe and Taylor teamed up for a potential scoring situation. Rapinoe carried the ball nearly the length of the field before passing to Taylor for a finish that missed the mark.
Spencer’s second goal of the night narrowly escaped her in the 63rd minute. Standing alone in the box, her header proved too powerful and went above the frame. Vlatko Andonovski made his first substitution in the 68th minute, bringing on Morgan Andrews in place of Kristen McNabb. Washington countered by calling for Mallory Pugh to replace Hatch.
Not long after the pair of substitutions, Seattle cashed in its second goal of the night. Playing quickly off a restart, Rapinoe twirled a bouncing throw-in toward the goal. Taylor got on the other end, having found space in a scrambled Spirit defense. Her chip shot cleared Washington’s keeper and crossed the goal line to put Seattle’s lead at 2–0. Rapinoe earned an assist for her well-placed throw-in. The sequence leading to the goal bore resemblance to one of Seattle’s scores on July 7 against Houston, when Taylor also pushed in a Rapinoe throw-in assist.
Taylor’s goal brings her to seven on the season. Rapinoe’s assist marks her fifth of the year, and second to come directly off a throw. As the match neared its conclusion, Seattle held most of the possession and continued to push ahead. Fishlock almost knocked in her first goal of the season on a one-touch rocket aimed at the back post. Williams would make a superb save on Caprice Dydasco in the 80th minute that put a stop to Washington’s last real scoring chance.
Megan Oyster picked up a yellow card in the 84th minute for a tackle on Rose Lavelle, giving the Reign FC defender her first booking of the year. This would stand as the only discipline of the match, as Washington avoided any cards. Spencer received a standing ovation upon leaving in the 89th minute. The striker headed to the sideline, serenaded by a raucous Seattle crowd, as Christen Westphal stepped in. Jaycie Johnson was Andonovski’s final substitution, making her Reign FC debut in the third minute of stoppage time and filling in for Rapinoe.
Three critical points keep Reign FC in second place with five matches remaining. The club takes on Utah on August 11 before returning to Seattle for a trio of consecutive home matches against Chicago, Houston, and North Carolina. With a tight table, every match is critical in Seattle’s final playoff push. Tickets for the remaining matches are available at www.reignfc.com/tickets.
