OL Reign Wins 2022 NWSL Shield
October 2, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – OL Reign News Release
SEATTLE, WA – OL Reign (11-4-7, 40 points, 1st place) dominated the Orlando Pride (5-10-7) in a 3-0 win to win the NWSL Shield for the first time since 2015, in front of a record-breaking crowd of 10,746 at Lumen Field.
OL Reign came out dominate in the match, maintaining around 75% of possession in the first ten minutes of the match. The team didn’t wait long before finding the back of the net. Forward Jordyn Huitema took advantage of a through ball deflected by an Orlando defender, taking one touch into the box before finding forward Megan Rapinoe, who was celebrating her 100th NWSL appearance. Rapinoe, one touched the ball into the back of the net to give OL Reign the early lead in the 8th minute of the match.
The momentum piled on for OL Reign as the home side blazed up the field with the NWSL Shield on the line. In the 24th minute, OL Reign doubled their lead. Midfielder Quinn received a ball from Lavelle in the middle of the field before taking their space and playing a ball through to Huitema up top. Huitema displayed her stellar skill, beating two Orlando defenders and the goalkeeper to find the back of the net.
Not done scoring yet, OL Reign added another, just seven minutes later when Rapinoe played a ball out wide to midfielder Jess Fishlock, who was making an overlapping run. Fishlock took one touch to beat her defender before lofting a ball into the box. Balcer flamed through the box to volley to the back post, bringing the score to 3-0.
After the halftime break, OL Reign continued to control the match, ensuring that Orlando did not find the back of the net at all, allowing just one shot on target in the match. The energy in the stadium was palpable on and off the field as OL Reign fought to control their destiny and finish in first place. The second half, though exciting, went scoreless and against all odds, OL Reign claimed the 3-0 victory and their third ever NWSL Shield.
Key Facts:
– OL Reign has won the NWSL Shield for the third time in club history (2014, 2015, 2022), finishing the regular season with the best overall record (11-4-7) and points earned (40). No other team tallied at least 11 wins in the 2022 regular season. The Reign will host a semifinal match at Lumen Field on Sunday, October 23.
– For the third time this season, OL Reign set a new club attendance record in a stand-alone game with 10,746 fans in attendance. Prior to this, the club record was 9,032. The Reign finished the 2022 regular season unbeaten in 10 of their 11 home games.
– Tonight’s match featured another new starting XI for OL Reign, which means they had 21 different starting XIs in all 22 games played this season.
– OL Reign has won four consecutive games in a single season for the first time since 2015 – the same season they won the NWSL Shield.
– Forward Bethany Balcer scored the third goal of the match in the 31st minute, giving the Reign a 3-0 lead into halftime. Balcer has seven goals this season, which is tied for first on the team with forward Megan Rapinoe. Since entering the league in 2019, the 25-year-old has 22 goals all-time in the regular season.
– Forward Jordyn Huitema tallied a goal and an assist in the same game, becoming the fifth player on the Reign to do so this season. Huitema has two goals and one assist in 10 games played this season – her first season in the NWSL.
– Forward Megan Rapinoe scored the opening goal of the match in the 8th minute, becoming just the 10th player in NWSL history to score in her 100th regular season appearance. Rapinoe has seven goals this season, which is tied for first on the team with forward Bethany Balcer. In 100 games, Rapinoe has tallied 47 goals all-time in the regular season, which is tied with Christen Press for sixth in league history.
– Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce recorded her third consecutive clean sheet. Tullis-Joyce had nine clean sheets this season, finishing the regular season tied for first in the NWSL among all goalkeepers. Only once has the club recorded more clean sheets in one season – 12 clean sheets in 2018.
UP NEXT: OL Reign is back home at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, October 23 for the NWSL semifinal.
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