April 16, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – OL Reign News Release
SEATTLE, WA. – OL Reign (2-1-0, 6 points, 4th place) picked up a massive win in their 2023 home opener against San Diego Wave FC (2-1-0, 6 points, 3rd place). In front of another record-breaking crowd, midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt scored a stoppage time game winner to push the Reign ahead of the Wave.
In the first half, OL Reign started strong, opening the shooting of the match in just the fourth minute. In an electric environment, the Reign continued to build pressure on San Diego, doing incredible work on both ends of the field.
Captain and defender Lu Barnes had a standout performance, making many quality challenges to keep the Reign on the front foot. On the other end of the field, defender Sofia Huerta was putting in hard work, attempting more crosses and creating more opportunities than any other player on the pitch.
At halftime, the score remained 0-0 with OL Reign recording six shots and one on target, while San Diego only managed half as many shots, with none on target.
In the second half, goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce was immediately called on to step up for the Reign. In the 49th minute, she made a game-changing save, denying what looked like the opening goal for San Diego. The action continued back and forth through the second half as the teams battled to take control of the match.
In the 73rd minute, momentum shifted in clear favor of the Reign once more, when Reign original forward Megan Rapinoe subbed onto the field after missing the Reign’s first two matches with an injury. Rapinoe found a shot on goal just a minute later, not quite finding the back of the net, but reenergizing the Reign and the crowd at Lumen Field.
As time was running out in the match, Tullis-Joyce came up huge for the Reign once again, when she made another save, stopping forward Alex Morgan from getting in on goal. It looked like the match would end goalless until five minutes into stoppage time, when an OL Reign corner kick caused chaos in and around the 18-yard box.
The initial ball was served into the box, but popped out after several blocked opportunities, to the feet of Van der Jagt, who smashed the ball into the back of the net and securing three points for the Reign in front of their first home crowd of the 2023 season.
Key Facts:
– With tonight’s attendance of 9,219, OL Reign set a new club attendance record for a home opener.
– OL Reign continues to dominate at Lumen Field, going…
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