Seattle Reign FC 1
Chicago Red Stars 2
April 21, 2024
Lumen Field – Seattle, WA
NWSL Regular Season
Seattle Reign FC hosted Chicago Red Stars at Lumen Field on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The two clubs have already got the Chicago stop out of the way, in an unusual quick turnaround return match. With the two clubs completing their season series in April, it will be at least six months before they would possibly face each other again should a postseason match play out.
Both clubs need the points with slow starts, but the Seattle slow start made grabbing three points at home essential.
The hosts were missing their starting keeper and striker, with Claudia Dickey and Jordyn Huitema both unavailable due to injury. Laurel Ivory would get the start in the nets opposite Alyssa Naeher. Seattle would also start 18 year old rookie Emeri Adames.
Early goals can open up a match. Chicago would strike early, grabbing a fourth minute goal on the counter.
Mallory Swanson would time the pass well, keeping Ally Schlegel onside to strike a top of the box shot past Ivory and the early lead. Swanson’s return to form from injury has been a positive story in the early stages of the 2024 season, and she would nearly break the game open in the 29th minute when her near post shot was pushed out by Ivory. Minutes later, she would break into the Reign penalty area and her left footed shot would make the match two nil in the 31st minute.
Chicago continued to have the more dangerous possessions as the half progressed. Seattle was pushing, working both sides of the field attacking, but with little actual pressure on Naeher.
Seattle was fortunate to be heading into the interval only down two. With Swanson leading the way, Chicago could have been up more if not for offsides and a crossbar.
The Red Stars came out of the break with their foot on the gas, immediately pressing for the third goal and putting the Reign on their heels. Seattle needed an early break to cut the lead and get back into the match. After the initial Chicago pressure to begin the half, Seattle did begin to maintain stretches of possession in the offensive third. Adames nearly broke through in the 59th minute off a corner, but the Red Stars held the line.
Playing with the two goal cushion allowed the Red Stars to hold the line defensively and pick their spots going forward. Swanson continued to be a threat, being dangerous numerous times in the Seattle defensive third.
Reign coach Laura Harvey would bring on fresh attackers for the final fifteen minutes. Moments after entering the match, the changes would pay off as Tziarra King’s long range shot would find the upper far post, making it a single goal match. With that one strike, the final stretch of the match was immediately going to be different.
A mad scramble in front of the Chicago goal in the 82nd minute following a corner nearly saw the match become level. The hosts would continue to push for the equalizer, but each time the Red Stars would manage to clear or dodge, holding the lead into and seeing out stoppage time.
Harvey after the match, “I thought first half we were indecisive and timid and when you’re playing against a player like Mal Swanson, you can’t be that way. Our quality wasn’t good enough and we gave it away and they transitioned on us and I thought both goals were poor from our perspective. I thought in the second half, we showed who we want to be, who we want to try and be – obviously some quality from Zee (Tziarra King), I thought the subs did well when they came off the bench. Five more minutes of the game and maybe we get an equalizer. I think obviously we had the momentum, but overall, it doesn’t matter at this stage, we’ve got to get results.”
Chicago would grab all three points, helping them jump a bit up the table. Seattle finds itself in unusual territory, with few points and looking all the way up.
Lee Pate Gallery
BOX
Scoring Summary
SEA: King – 79’
CHI: Schlegel – 4′, Swanson – 31′
Discipline
SEA: Ji (Caution – 51′), Huerta (Caution – 66′)
CHI: Malham (Caution –7′), Hocking (Caution – 54′), Bianchi (Caution – 90+5’)
Lineups
SEA: GK Ivory, D Huerta, D Barnes (c), D Cook, D Woodham (McClernon 46’), M Van der Jagt (Quinn 46’), M Ji (Athens 72’), M Fishlock, F Latsko (Weinert 77’), F Adames (King 77’), F Balcer
Unused substitutes: GK Perez, D Holmes, D Brown, M James-Turner
Total Shots: 14 (Four tied with – 2)
Shots on Goal: 3 (Three tied with – 1)
Fouls: 10 (Ji– 3)
Offsides: 3
Corner Kicks: 7
Saves: 6 (Ivory – 6)
CHI: GK Naeher, D Malham, D Staab, D Kuikka, D Milazzo, M Roccaro, M Bianchi, F Hocking (Joseph 70’ (Gomes 90+3’))), F Swanson, F Schlegel (Cook 70’), F Bike
Unused substitutes: M Groom, M Nesbeth, GK Wood, M Franklin, D Biegalski, D Anderson
Total Shots: 12 (Swanson – 6)
Shots on Goal: 8 (Swanson – 4)
Fouls: 9 (Bianchi – 4)
Offsides: 3
Corner Kicks: 5
Saves: 1 (Naeher – 1)
Referee: Elton Garcia
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Clerc
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Gonzalez
4th Official: Justin St. Pierre
Var: Adorae Monroy
Avar: Kaili Terry
