SEATTLE, WA. – On a hot night in Houston, Seattle Reign FC fell 1-0 to the Dash. Houston midfielder Yuki Nagasato scored the lone goal of the match in the 50th minute, despite the Reign controlling the majority posession.
In the opening minutes of the match, the Reign were on the front foot, dictating the tempo of the match and hanging onto the vast majority of the ball. The squad’s first warning shot came in the seventh minute from forward Tziarra King and not ten minutes later, forward Jordyn Huitema nearly got the best of Houston as she received a short through ball toward the endline, but Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell did just enough to prevent her shot and push the ball out for a corner kick.
Pushing high despite the heat, Seattle outshot Houston 5-4 in the half as the home side worked to get up the field as the game progressed. The 42nd minute brought the only shot on target of the half, from Huitema, but it wasn’t enough to hit the back of the net.
After the halftime break, it was Houston on front foot, finding a shot just 35 seconds in. Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey was called on in the second half, earning a stellar save in the 49th minute on a shot from Houston forward Andressa.
In the 50th minute, Yuki found the game winning goal for Houston. After a quality build up from Houston, a header clearance from the Reign lofted the ball out to the top of the 18-yard box, where the midfielder was poised to volley it straight into the back of the net.
After taking the lead, the Dash continued to press forward. Dickey’s skills were on display as she worked to shut down further opportunities for Houston, stopping both freekick and corner opportunities.
Forward Veronica Latsko saw a half chance for the Reign, sending a shot just high in the 80th minute. Two minutes later, forward Ana-Maria Crnogorčević found Huitema on a cross, but the final touch missed the back of the net.
In eight minutes of stoppage time, the Reign continued to search for an equalizer but fell just short as the final whistle sounded.
KEY TAKEWAYS:
- 21 DIFFERENT XIs: The Reign have listed a different starting XI through all 21 games this season. Only two players on the Reign have appeared in all 21 games this season – midfielder Ji So-Yun and defender Phoebe McClernon.
- POSSESSION: Reign FC finished the match with 63.1% possession tonight, its highest percentage of possession in a game this season.
- JORDYN HUITEMA: Forward Jordyn Huitema recorded six shots, tying her single-game NWSL career high. Huitema also led the team with eight duels won.
- PHOEBE McCLERNON: Defender Phoebe McClernon won all four of her tackles tonight, adding three interceptions and four duels won.
- SERIES: The loss brings the all-time series between Reign FC and Houston to 17W-5L-4D.
UP NEXT: The Reign are back home at Lumen Field on Sunday, September 29 at 3:00 p.m. PT against Bay FC in the club’s annual Latinx Heritage Match. Tickets to the match are available here.
MATCH SUMMARY
2024 NWSL Regular Season
Seattle Reign FC 0–1 Houston Dash
Date/Time: Saturday, September 21, 5:30 p.m. PT
Location: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas
Weather: 93, humid
Scoring Summary
SEA: None
HOU: Yuki – 50′
Discipline
SEA: Glas (Caution – 45+2′), Howell (Caution – 77′)
HOU: Olivieri (Caution – 60′), Andressa (Caution – 81′), Ordóñez (Caution – 90+6′), Campbell (Caution – 90+8′)
Lineups
SEA: GK Dickey, D Glas (Latsko 59′), D Barnes (C), D McClernon, D Holmes (Lester 77′), M Quinn, M Howell (Mercado 86′), M Ji, F Huitema, F King (Mondesir 59′), F Crnogorčević
Unused substitutes: GK Ivory, GK Perez, M Stanton, M James-Turner, M McCammon
Total Shots: 11 (Huitema – 6)
Shots on Goal: 2 (Huitema – 2)
Fouls: 11 (Glas – 4)
Offsides: 0
Corner Kicks: 5
Saves: 1 (Dickey – 1)
HOU: GK Campbell (c), D Chapman, D Nielsen, D Patterson, D Harris, M Alozie (Soto 90′), M Yuki (Puntigam 71′), M Olivieri, M Rubensson, F Ordóñez, F Andressa (Gareis 86′)
Unused substitutes: M Schmidt, GK Hinz, D Ayson, GK Mckinney, D Alvarez, M Brian
Total Shots: 10 (Andressa – 3)
Shots on Goal: 2 (Andressa, Yuki – 1)
Fouls: 12 (Olivieri – 5)
Offsides: 0
Corner Kicks: 5
Saves: 2 (Campbell – 2)
Referee: Jamie Padilla
Assistant Referee 1: Chris Schurfranz
Assistant Referee 2: Ricardo Ocampo
4th Official: Melvin Rivas
VAR: Kevin Broadley
AVAR: Kaili Terry
