The Seattle Reign faced their Cascadia rivals the Portland Thorns, in a highly anticipated match at Lumen field on June 16th. This was their second meeting of the season, both teams met in Portland on May 11th, the Reign fell 4-0 to the Thorns. Needless to say, the Reign wanted to reclaim their Cascadia title after the loss. The match was tense from the start until the end, with the scoreline remaining 0-0 through the duration. Although neither team came out with a win the match was far from dull.
For what seemed like the first time in a while the Reign’s home fans were treated to a full healthy squad with no injuries or illnesses, having all players available for the match was a breath of fresh air for the Reign. Portland’s story was not quite the same having lost star player Sophia Smith due to a suspension for her actions in the previous match. While this was frustrating for Portland, their fans seemed confident at the beginning of the match.
First Half
Although the first half showed both teams strengths and weaknesses neither team got on the board. The Reign out shot the Thorns in the first half with more dangerous attempts. Jordyn Huitema had a close one in the 43rd minute when she managed a shot on goal from inside the box. Unfortunately, with no teammates to help her out and three Thorns attempting to defend, the shot was no good. A few minutes later the first half concluded and both teams had the chance to regroup before coming out to play their second half.
Second Half
The second half started looking just like the first. Both teams on the ball neither getting too close to a goal. In the 64th minute Ji So-Yun dispossessed the Thorns, and the ball found the feet of Tziarra King. King sent the ball back to Ji who passed it back to Bethany Balcer who was waiting at the top of the box, Balcer’s shot went high and the score remained 0-0. The Reign pushed on through the rest of the game proving their defense was strong and keeping the Thorns off the scoreboard.
By the end of the match the 0-0 scoreline stood. Although the Reign had many close attempts, they were unable to find the back of the net. The Reign’s defense showed their strengths and keeper Claudia Dickey proved she was prepared to be back on the field with a shutout against their Cascadia Rivals.
KEY TAKEWAYS:
- NEW STARTING XI:Â Through all 13 games this season, the Reign continues to utilize the depth of the squad, having not listed a replicated starting XI in 2024. Defender Sofia Huerta is the only player to start in all 13 games and to play every minute this season for a total of 1,170 minutes.Â
- BETHANY BALCER: Forward Bethany Balcer made her 100th regular season appearance today against Portland, becoming just the fifth player in club history to reach the milestone. Â
- Since entering the league in 2019, Balcer leads the team in appearances (100), goals (32) and shots (178).Â
- RYANNE BROWN: Defender Ryanne Brown earned her first start of the season and finished the match with a team-leading five interceptions and three shots.Â
- CLAUDIA DICKEY: Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey made her first start since Week 4 after suffering an injury on April 14 at Bay FC. Dickey finished the match with one save and earned her second clean sheet of the season. Â
- Dickey now has five regular season shutouts in her career, tied for the sixth-most shutouts in club history. Â
- SERIES: The draw brings the all-time series to 15W-15L-10D between the Reign and Portland Thorns FC.Â
UP NEXT: The Reign are home at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington once again on Sunday, June 23 to take on Racing Louisville FC in the club’s annual Pride Match, presented by Starbucks at 3:00 p.m. PT. Tickets to the match are available now!
MATCH SUMMARY
2024 NWSL Regular Season
Seattle Reign FC 0 – 0 Portland Thorns FC
Date/Time: Sunday, June 16, 1:00 p.m. PT
Location: Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
Weather: 60, mostly cloudy
Scoring Summary
SEA: None
POR: None
Discipline
SEA: Brown – (Caution – 53′), Huitema – (Caution – 89’)
POR: Beckie (Caution – 3′), Dias – (Caution – 67′), Müller (Caution – 85′)
Lineups
SEA: GK Dickey D Huerta, D Barnes (c), D McClernon, D Brown (Holmes 76’), M Fishlock, M Quinn (Van der Jagt 46’), M Ji (Athens 89’), F Latsko (King 62’), F Balcer (Adames 89’), F Huitema
Unused substitutes: GK Ivory, D Cook, M Stanton, M James-Turner
Total Shots: 10 (Brown, Huitema – 3)
Shots on Goal: 2 (Brown, Huitema – 1)
Fouls: 11 (Five tied with – 2)
Offsides: 0
Corner Kicks: 3
Saves: 1 (Dickey – 1)
POR: GK Hogan, D Sauerbrunn, D Hubly, D Reyes (Payne 87’), D Müller, M Sinclair (Dias 62’), M Sugita, M Fleming (Wade-Katoa 87’), F Linnehan (Klingenberg 73’), F D’Aquila, F Beckie
Unused substitutes: Alvardo, Nally, McKenzie, Sheva, Kozal
Total Shots: 6 (Six tied with – 1)
Shots on Goal: 1 (Sinclair– 1)
Fouls: 9 (Müller, Sugita– 2)
Offsides: 2
Corner Kicks: 2
Saves: 2 (Hogan – 2)
Player of the Match: Phoebe McClernon
Referee: Alyssa Nichols
Assistant Referee 1: Jennifer Garner
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen McGonagle
4th Official: Jaclyn Metz
VAR: Adorae Monroy
AVAR: Tony Obas
Looking Forward
The Reign will face Racing Louisville on Sunday June 23rd 3pm at Lumen Field. Louisville currently sits at number 8 on the table while the Reign continue to fight their way out of position 13 where they have been sitting.
