May 22, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – OL Reign News Release
SEATTLE, WA – OL Reign and the Washington Spirit are set to meet for the third time this month, but the first time at Lumen Field. This budding rivalry match will be the second time the teams meet in the 2022 regular season. The Reign are looking to pick up their first win of the season against a Washington side that previously got the better of them twice.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 3:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 22 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Twitch internationally
2022 REGULAR SEASON RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign: 0-1-2 (2 points, 10th place), Washington Spirit 1-1-1 (4 points, 7th place)
Key Points Ahead of the Match:
1. LAST MEETING – OL Reign and the Washington Spirit have already met twice in 2022. Both matches occurred early this month, just a few days apart. They first met in their regular season opener on May 1, at Audi Field. Washington 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. In the 53rd minute, Balcer did well to win possession for the Reign and play Watt out wide. Watt got to the end line to play a cross into the box. Kingsbury made the initial save but could not hold onto the ball. Lavelle was already there waiting and tapped the ball into the back of the net to open OL Reign’s scoring in the 2022 season. The Reign couldn’t quite hold onto the lead though, as Washington found a game winner in the 66th minute of the match.
Just a few days later, the teams met again, this time in the Challenge Cup semifinal. Though they were the number one seed in the tournament, OL Reign had to play the game in Washington, D.C. rather than hosting. The match was intense and OL Reign looked solid. The team was just missing that finishing touch to put the ball in the back of the net. Regulation ended 0-0…