Players to watch:
OL Reign midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt scored the latest goal in Reign history with her 95th-minute winner in the team’s 1-0 win on Saturday. It was Van der Jagt’s first goal in any NWSL competition since scoring at 93:44 against Angel City on April 17, 2022, in the Challenge Cup, the previous latest goal in team history. In the Challenge Cup midweek, OL Reign instead relied on a goal from forward Jordyn Huitema and what was ruled on own goal after midfielder Jess Fishlock’s shot from forward Megan Rapinoe’s corner was redirected into the back of the net.
Chicago forward Penelope Hocking scored the first two goals of her professional career with a second-half brace in the win over the Current. Hocking, who was the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, is one of two rookies selected in this year’s first round to have scored in league play, along with No. 1 pick Alyssa Thompson. In league play, after just one open play goal by a member of the Red Stars in the club’s first two games, Hocking’s brace was accompanied by a goal from forward Ella Stevens in a commanding 4-2 win.
Match facts: OL Reign host the Chicago Red Stars to kick off the weekend’s action in a Saturday matinee at Lumen Field. The Reign are entering in off the back of two straight league wins, while Chicago enters after their own first win of the regular season last weekend.
The Reign dropped a narrow 1-0 defeat in Washington against the Spirit to start the year, but since then head coach Laura Harvey’s have won three straight in all competitions. First, there was a 2-0 away win at Gotham before winning the club’s home opener with one of the last kicks of the game against San Diego last weekend. Then, in the middle of the week, OL Reign won their first Challenge Cup match with a 2-0 shutout road win over Angel City FC, meaning the Reign have begun to find their groove quickly. In addition, dating back to last season, OL Reign has allowed just one goal over its last six regular season games, while scoring nine goals of their own in that time. The one goal conceded is the fewest in a six-game span of regular season matches in team history.
On the other side, Chicago did not have a midweek Challenge Cup game to recover from and will still feel like progress has been made after a big 4-2 win over Kansas City at home last weekend. With forward Mallory Swanson out for a significant amount of time due to injury, Hocking was the one to have her name called and her brace to help secure the result meant she did not disappoint in her forward role. In Chicago’s only other road match this season, the Red Stars fell, 3-2, to San Diego and a last minute winner by the Wave. Chicago’s four goals against Kansas City were also the fastest four goals from the opening whistle the Red Stars have scored in a regular season match in club history.
OL Reign has lost just two of its 14 home games in all competitions against Chicago (W7 D5). Additionally, the Reign have scored multiple goals in four straight home games in the fixture (in all competitions), tied for the team’s second-longest such home streak against a single opponent in team history (7 straight vs. Spirit from 2014-2018).
