May 1, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – OL Reign News Release
SEATTLE, WA – OL Reign (0-1-0, 0 points) fell 2-1 to the Washington Spirit (1-0-0, 3 points) in their 2022 season opener. The two teams will battle again in just days, when they meet in the Challenge Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
From the first whistle, the game was end to end, both teams hungry to get on the board. Both sides opted to apply high pressure to the other, opening the opportunity for quick counterattacks. In the eighth minute of the half, Jess Fishlock played a great ball to Ally Watt, who took on Camryn Biegalski in Washington’s 18-yard box.
Biegalski challenged Watt, fouling her in the process and awarding OL Reign with a penalty kick. Rose Lavelle stepped up to take the penalty kick in the ninth minute. She put the shot low to her left, but Aubrey Kingsbury dove to make the save.
With momentum in their favor, Washington found success in the attack, using one-touch passing to quickly work into scoring position. The home side opened the scoring of the match in the 14th minute, when Ashely Sanchez nailed a shot from the top of the box into the back of the net.
The goal did nothing to slow the tempo of the game and both sides were back to pressing high. Phallon Tullis-Joyce came up big for OL Reign on multiple occasions, saving each shot Washington fired at her to see OL Reign through to halftime down 1-0.
After halftime, both teams returned to the field with same intensity as the first half. OL Reign was on the front foot, doing better to connect passes and play out of pressure. OL Reign’s first opportunity of the half came a few minutes, when the team put the ball into the back of the net, but it called back for offside.
OL Reign continued to threaten offensively and were the first to find the back of the net in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Balcer did well to win possession for the Reign and play Watt out wide. Watt got to the endline to play a cross into the box….