SEATTLE, WA. – Seattle Reign FC fell 1-0 on the road to the North Carolina Courage. After making an unexpected early change, the Reign fought to get into the game, applying spells of high pressure to force the Courage to give up possession of the ball, but it wasn’t enough to grab points on the road.
The match got off to a rocky start for the Reign, as midfielder Quinn was injured just minutes into the match and forced to sub off of the field. Midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt replaced them in the midfield and play continued as the Reign worked to adjust to the unplanned change.
The Courage narrowly kept the majority of possession in the first part of the match but were disrupted due to the Reign’s frequent high press. In the 14th minute of the match, the Courage had their first chance on goal, but the headed ball was easy work for goalkeeper Laurel Ivory.
The next six minutes of the match brought two shots from the Reign, but neither was a challenge for Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy. It wasn’t until the 37th minute that either team found the back of the net. The home side added the lone goal of the match, when forward Ashley Sanchez crossed the ball into the box, finding forward Tyler Lussi on the run.
It seemed that the Courage were keen to double their lead in the 41st minute, but Ivory was there to smother a close-range chance from Courage midfielder Brianna Pinto and prevent the Reign from conceding another goal.
Just as the half was coming to a close, Seattle forward Tziarra King nearly had a repeat of her Goal of Week shot from last week, but the cross bar saved the Courage and sent the Reign to halftime down 1-0.
Both teams came back from the halftime break with no changes and battle continued on. The Reign got on the front foot throughout the second half, earning a chance just three minutes in when King played a great ball into the box and midfielder Angharad James-Turner’s headed shot went just wide.
A minute later, the Reign had another half chance in the box, but King, who put herself in a great position, was unable to connect with the ball. The Reign continued to earn chances on goal, from the feet of forward Veronica Latsko and midfielder Ji So-Yun, but nothing made it beyond Murphy.
At the 70th minute, Seattle made a triple sub, bringing defender Ryanne Brown and forwards Emeri Adames and Bethany Balcer and adding a new dose of energy into the lineup. Brown got the ball just two minutes later, surging forward from her place in the backline to start an attacking play.
The Reign continued to search for equalizer up until the final whistle to salvage a point on the road. Weinert, who subbed onto the field for King, used her speed to bypass the Courage’s defensive efforts and played the ball to Ji. Ji fired off a cross, looking to find Balcer in the box, but a collision stopped her from getting on the end of the ball. The Reign had two final chances, both coming deep into stoppage time, but both were kept out of the back of the net.
UP NEXT: Seattle Reign FC returns home to Lumen Field for a Friday night match on May 3 at 7:00 p.m. PT vs. San Diego Wave FC. Fans can get tickets to the match HERE or a Spring Mini Plan to attend all three Reign home matches in May HERE.
MATCH SUMMARY
2024 NWSL Regular Season
Seattle Reign FC 0 – 1 North Carolina Courage
Date/Time: Saturday, April 27, 4:00 p.m. PT
Location: WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina
Weather: 72, partly cloudy
Scoring Summary
SEA: None
NC: Lussi – 37′
Discipline
SEA: None
NC Murphy (Caution – 67′)
Lineups
SEA: GK Ivory, D Huerta, D Barnes (c), D Cook, D McClernon (Brown 70′) M Quinn (Van der Jagt 5′), M Ji, M Fishlock, M James-Turner (Balcer 70′), F King (Weinert 82′), F Latsko (Adames 70′)
Unused substitutes: GK Perez, M Athens. D Woodham, D Holmes
Total Shots: 17 (Four tied with – 3)
Shots on Goal: 6 (Ji, King – 2)
Fouls: 8 (Ji, McClernon – 2)
Offsides: 3
Corner Kicks: 3
Saves: 3 (Ivory – 3)
NC: GK Murphy, D Rauch, D Berkely, D Kurtz, D Williams, M Miura (Jackson 89′), M O’Sullivan (c), M Pinto, (Manaka 62′) F Lussi (Hopkins 78′), F Sanchez (Weatherholt 78′), F St. Georges (Pickett 62′)
Unused substitutes: GK Bova, M Mertz, D Winebrenner, D McCutcheon
Total Shots: 10 (Sanchez – 3)
Shots on Goal: 4 (Four tied with – 1)
Fouls: 7 (Three tied with – 2)
Offsides: 0
Corner Kicks: 2
Saves: 7 (Murphy – 7)
Player of the Match: Olivia Van der Jagt
Referee: Gerald Flores
Assistant Referee 1: Ethan Buege
Assistant Referee 2: Matthew Rodman
4th Official: John Matto
VAR: Kevin Broadley
AVAR: Maggie Short
