A Needed Win
Reign stop skid, end week in solid position.
Going into Sunday’s game against the Orlando Pride, the OL Reign hadn’t won a regular season game since June, slipping to 7th in the standings during the intervening two months. The Orlando Pride, being 7-9-1 with a -2 goal differential going into the game, presented a decent opportunity for a get-right game.
The opportunity became much more available in the third minute, as Pride goalie Anna Moorhouse incurred a red card for tripping Bethany Balcer during a goal scoring opportunity. Orlando subbed out midfielder Jordyn Listro for backup goalie Carly Nelson, dropped back, and fortified their position.
Although most of the first half took place in Orlando’s half of the pitch, the Reign spent a lot of their time creating half-chances. However, they did create some good scoring opportunities, such as a 5th-minute free kick that led to a series of corners and a shot from the right side of the box by Fishlock, as well as several shots on goal throughout the half that Nelson ate up.
The Pride finally buckled in the 49th minute, when a Rose Lavelle shot in the box bounced off a defender and right to Jordyn Huitema, who promptly kicked it into the goal. 1-0 Reign.
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As the second half wore on, Orlando became more and more aggressive, trying to equalize. They got quite close, but the Reign held firm on defense, and Claudia Dickey made some strong saves. The Reign won, 1-0.
Despite the win, the game produced an injury scare regarding Bethany Balcer, as she had to leave the game not long after being run into by Moorhouse in the opening stretch. Coach Harvey didn’t yet have a conclusive update on the situation in the press conference.
“Balcer got hurt in the initial red card challenge, and tried to run, and then felt pain,” she noted. “I don’t know exactly what it is. I think she’s getting assessed and looked at, so we don’t quite know.”
According to Harvey, the Reign’s game plan didn’t shift much after Orlando went down a player, noting that it was more a matter of responding to the way that the Pride dealt with their disadvantage.
“The strategy from us didn’t really change. The strategy for them changed, that they dropped,” she stated. “We played Houston earlier in the season, and their player was sent off early in the game, not as early as this, but in the first half, and they were really aggressive. They still kept plays higher up the field, and we were a bit shellshocked from that. Today, Orlando decided to drop and go 4-4-1.”
Although the Reign didn’t play their best on offense, they did manage to pull out a win to stop their 3-game losing streak. Huitema emphasized how needed the goal and the win was.
“I think, obviously, we want more from ourselves, I think that’s something we always expect. I think, coming off such a difficult run where we’ve been behind, putting one [goal] was just kind of breaking the ice for us,” she explained. “Progressing, against even 11-man, I think that you’re going to see a different version of us. I think it’s just getting that monkey off our shoulder, getting that first one in, getting a breath, we’ve had a lot of pressure. We’ve put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do well.”
Harvey echoed her thoughts, offering similar comments about the positivity of their victory despite uneven play.
“The game could have been over and done with after sixty minutes, we need to take more of our chances and create more opportunities, but the biggest thing today was three points, no question, and we got that.”
The win on Sunday propelled the Reign back into fourth in the NWSL and well within striking distance of the Shield. Here are the current top six:
San Diego Wave: 30 points, 9-6-3
Portland Thorns: 29 points, 8-5-5
North Carolina Courage: 28 points, 8-6-4
OL Reign: 27 points, 8-7-3
NJ/NY Gotham: 27 points, 7-5-6
Washington Spirit: 26 points, 6-4-8
Before continuing the regular season, the Reign play in the Challenge Cup playoffs, with the semifinal on September 6th at 7:00 PM against Racing Louisville FC. If the Reign defeat Louisville, they will move on to the final on September 9th, against either the Kansas City Current or the North Carolina Courage. After that, the Reign return to the regular season on September 16th for a key game in Portland.
