Reign fall short in finals

OL Reign lost the 2023 NWSL Championship Game against NJ/NY Gotham FC by a score of 2-1 on Saturday. This was the Reign’s third championship appearance in their history. It was also their third championship loss.

National eyes were on the game not just to see who would win, but also to see what Megan Rapinoe would do in her last professional game. Many, not just Reign fans, were hoping for a fairy-tale ending. However, she went out not with a bang, but with a whimper: Rapinoe went down with a non-contact injury. She had to leave the game, and Harvey brought on Bethany Balcer to replace her.

Things got worse for the Reign in the 24^th, as Gotham right-winger Midge Purce drove up the side and delivered a ball to left-winger Lynn Williams, who took a clear shot right into the net. 1-0 Gotham.

But the Reign didn’t go down easily. Five minutes later Bethany Balcer placed a beautiful through-ball to Rose Lavelle, who took it all the way to the goal and knocked it past keeper Mandy Haught for the equalizer. 1-1.

Though the Reign had the benefit of some luck in the first half that kept the score tied, they couldn’t maintain that position forever. As the second minute of first half added time began, Purce kicked a corner right to Esther González in the back of the crowd, who headed it into the goal. 2-1 Gotham.

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OL Reign’s best chance to tie it in the second half came in the 60^th minute. Rose Lavelle spun away from Delanie Sheehan around midfield, drove forward, and then landed a pass to Veronica Latsko, who had nobody in front of her. She hesitated a second too long, however, and Haught blocked her shot.  

Gotham played aggressively throughout the game. The larger Gotham players won in the air, neutralizing the Reign’s strength there, especially as the second half wore on. If the Reign had adapted towards a quick, ground-focused connecting game, they might have been able to regain their footing, but they didn’t, and so by the end of the second half they were simply hoping on chaos.

Luckily, chaos delivered one final opportunity. Near the end of stoppage, Elyse Bennett had a chance to get the ball right outside the box, but Haught deflected the ball with her hands to Rose Lavelle, who took a shot but was too high. VAR ruled that Haught’s deflection took place outside the bounds of the box, giving her a red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity and giving the Reign a free kick on the edge of the box. Lavelle’s free kick bounced off Purce, and the Reign couldn’t put together another shot.

Final score: 2-1, Gotham.

Though the Reign have been in three NWSL championship games, they have not held the lead in one for a single minute. They’ve spent around half the time at a tie and half the time down: in 2014, FC Kansas City forward Amy Rodriguez put the Reign down 1-0 in the 22^nd and doubled KC’s lead in the 56^th. In 2015, Rodriguez scored the only goal of the championship game, this time in the 78^th.

Here are the eight inaugural teams in the NWSL organized by championship victories, championship appearances, and Shields won:

1.       Portland Thorns: 3 NWSL championships, 4 NWSL appearances, 2 Shields

2.       FC Kansas City*: 2 NWSL championships, 2 appearances**, 0 Shields

3.       Western New York Flash*: 1 NWSL championship, 2 appearances, 1 Shield

4.       Washington Spirit: 1 NWSL championship, 2 appearances, 0 Shields

5.       NJ/NY Gotham FC: 1 NWSL championship, 1 appearance, 0 Shields

6.       OL Reign: 0 NWSL championships, 3 appearances, 3 Shields

7.       Chicago Red Stars: 0 NWSL championships, 2 appearances, 0 Shields

8.       Boston Breakers*: 0 NWSL championships, 0 appearances, 0 Shields

*FC Kansas City, Western New York Flash, and Boston Breakers no longer exist

**3 if you count the Kansas City Current as a continuation of FC Kansas City

The Reign and the Red Stars, therefore, remain the only inaugural teams of the NWSL to not have a championship under their belt.