In the club’s first home match of the year, Seattle Reign FC defeated the University of Washington 4–1 in its annual Community Shield Match at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 9, in front of a solid pre-season crowd of 3,633.
The contest was the final pre-season match for Reign FC, leaving the club undefeated in its four pre-season matches after notching wins against Portland Thorns FC, the Houston Dash, and Oregon State University in a tournament in Portland, Ore. last week.
Seattle begins regular season play in the NWSL against Sky Blue FC on Sunday, April 17.
Forward Manon Melis started the scoring in the 18th minute when she drew UW keeper Sarah Shimer off her mark and chipped a ball over her head, putting Reign FC on the board.
Reign FC’s second goal of the night came when Melis assisted forward Beverly Yanez in the 26th minute with a cross that Yanez slotted into the back of the net. Just before halftime, Melis notched her second goal of the night with a shot from the right corner of the box off an assist from defender Carson Pickett, putting Seattle up 3–0 at the half.
“I got the ball a little further out wide and I saw Merritt (Mathias) streaking forward and Manon behind her. I wanted to hit an early serve to Merritt, but when you hit a serve anything can happen,” said Pickett. “A defender kind of deflected it a little and it gave Manon the chance to finish.”
In the second half, forward Merritt Mathias added to Seattle’s lead after she was brought down in the box and was awarded her a penalty kick. Mathias took the penalty and her shot soared past Shimer’s outstretched arms, putting Reign FC up 4–0.
Against the run of play, in the 85th minute UW’s Paige Serwold jumped on a rare mistake by the Reign FC backline to get past goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer and grab the UW’s only goal of the match.
Melis, the former Dutch international, was a standout in today’s match having earned a brace.
“She’s different to what we’ve had before… in the sense that she’s really direct. You saw that in her first goal,” said Harvey. “She’s so quick, it’s scary. We’ve got to try and unleash that on people. If we get her in the right positions, it doesn’t matter if you know she’s quick because you still have to try and catch her.”
The Community Shield Match benefited the athletic programs of Seattle Public Schools. Attendees were encouraged to donate to a GoFundMe campaign which aims to raise $10,000. The donations will offset costs for student athletes, including transportation and equipment expenses. The campaign is still open and those wishing to donate may do so at https://www.gofundme.com/reignfc
The Reign FC will open the 2016 NWSL regular season against Sky Blue FC on Sunday, April 17 at 4 p.m. PT at Memorial Stadium. Tickets are available at Reignfc.com/tickets. Seats start at just $18.
Match Report
Match: Seattle Reign FC v. University of Washington
Date: April 9, 2016
Venue: Memorial Stadium (Seattle, Wash.)
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. PT
Attendance: 3,633
Scoring Summary
SEA — 18’ Melis
SEA — 26’ Yanez (Melis)
SEA — 45’ Melis (Pickett)
UW — 85’ Serwold
Misconduct Summary
UW — Caution — Amanda Johnston
Lineups & Stats
SEA: GK Haley Kopmeyer, D Lauren Barnes, D Carson Pickett (46’ Michelle Cruz), D Elli Reed (83’ Paige Nielsen), D Kendall Fletcher, M Havana Solaun (56’ Dani Foxhoven), M Keelin Winters ©, M Lindey Elston (80’ Erica Shelton), F Manon Melis (63’ Kate Bennett), F Merritt Mathias (54’ Kiersten Dallstream), and F Beverly Yanez.
Substitutes Not Used: GK Andi Tostanoski
UW: GK Sarah Shimer, D Taylor Sekyra, D Dominique Bond-Flasza, D Havana McElvaine, D Ally Brahs, M Pascale Dumesnil, M Sam Kokoska (61’ Amanda Johnston), F Miranda Rawlings, M Shaye Villanueva, F Becca Schoales (64’ Paige Serwold), F Rachel Wheeler.
Substitutes: D Madi Kinzer, M Brittany Porter, F Kimby Keever, Ava Lewis
