Savannah DeMelo Loaded on Ambulance, Reign Match vs. Racing Louisville Suspended
The Seattle Reign played one half of a match on Sunday against Racing Louisville FC, but the second half was postponed due to a Savannah DeMelo medical emergency.
By Callaghan Bluechel
SEATTLE, Wash. — As far as I am aware, this is the only time in NWSL history a game has been suspended for a medical emergency. Not even during the Savy King incident in May, where the Angel City defender was loaded off the field with an oxygen mask, did NWSL completely postpone the rest of play.
That happened on Sunday evening in Seattle. A couple minutes into stoppage time, Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo—who had been having an excellent game up to that point—went to the ground. First, she sat down, and players and medical staff rushed over, before she lied down on the pitch soon after. Halftime was called, and an ambulance entered the pitch. DeMelo was loaded onto a stretcher and into the ambulance, which drove her to a Seattle-area hospital.
Sunday’s match was officially suspended soon after, and it will be completed at an as-of-yet undisclosed date.
The most important news came at 7:00 PM Pacific time, as NWSL released a statement that DeMelo was stable and alert after having received medical treatment.
This wasn’t the first time DeMelo has been taken off after sitting down on the field, as a similar situation played out on March 22, when DeMelo was carted off after sitting down on the field. In that game, she had dizziness and struggled to breathe, but the incident on Sunday appeared to be much more severe.
DeMelo was diagnosed in 2024 with hyperthyroidism, and as such has had regular bloodwork done. The March 22 incident was reportedly due to an imbalance in her medication, but what the proximate cause of Sunday’s issue was is as of yet unknown.
Although no one on either side scored in the first half, there were some notable performances for the Reign. Claudia Dickey made three saves, the most impressive of which was a 34th minute diving catch against DeMelo. Maddy Curry had some strong challenges along the right side of the pitch. Perhaps most impactful for future decisions was Mia Fishel’s play, which showed strong passing and dribbling as well as promising creativity.
But when it comes to the NWSL, the biggest takeaway is that this year’s earlier Savy King incident indeed changed the league’s operating procedure when it comes to life-threatening incidents. While it is currently unknown just how serious DeMelo’s emergency was on Sunday, it was evidently serious enough to postpone the game entirely.
