Match Recap: OL Reign Win Heated Battle in Houston
OL Reign (9-7-1) held down the Houston Dash (6-7-3) for a second time this season to take home three points in their first of three games on the road. OL Reign remains in third place with this win but is now tied with the North Carolina Courage on points with 28.
OL Reign took the early lead in the match, with Bethany Balcer’s seventh goal of the season in the seventh minute of the match. The play started with excellent pressure from Jess Fishlock to dispossess Houston. Fishlock combined with Le Sommer to get a shot off, but the shot was saved by Houston goalkeeper, Jane Campbell. Balcer was already waiting for the rebound and tapped the ball into the net to give the Reign an early advantage.
Houston came away with the majority of possession in the first half, with 55.7%, but never held on to the ball in dangerous positions. OL Reign had three more chances on goal before the end of the half from Rose Lavelle, Balcer and Angelina, but did not manage to find the back of the net again. The Reign maintained their threatening presence throughout the half and improved their high-pressure approach as the half went on, but ultimately went to halftime one goal up on the Dash.
After halftime, OL Reign’s momentum came from dispossessing Houston players and taking full advantage of any sloppy play on the field. Quinn was solid in the midfield the entire game, directing any traffic through the middle of the pitch. OL Reign’s backline continued their hard work into the second half and handled the pressure that Houston threw at them, even as fresh-legged attacking players were subbed on the field.
Near the end of the match, things got heated between the two teams as Houston searched for an equalizer and the Reign denied their chances. Flaring tempers and tired legs resulted in four second half yellow cards – three for Houston and one for OL Reign. The Reign managed to hold it down through six minutes of stoppage time to come away with a hard-earned three points.
The team will look to continue their winning ways as they travel to Louisville on Saturday, September 4 to take on Racing Louisville in their second of three games on the road and third game in a week.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
With this win, OL Reign maintain their third-place position in the NWSL standings
OL Reign extended their win streak to three games. They have also won six of their last seven games
Bethany Balcer scored her seventh goal of the season in the seventh minute and is now tied for first place in the NWSL Golden Boot race
This is OL Reign’s sixth shutout of the season and Sarah Bouhaddi’s fourth
OL Reign is now 2-1-0 against the Houston Dash this season and leads the head-to-head tiebreaker if the teams are tied on points in the future
Sofia Huerta played her second match in a row at the right back position after playing most of the season as a forward