Match Forecast: OL Reign Travel to Louisville for Third Game in Seven Days

OL Reign are set to play their third match in seven days and second of three road games this Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky. They will be taking on Racing Louisville for the second time this season. As fatigue from a challenging schedule sets in, OL Reign will be looking to extend their win streak to four games and take their seventh victory in the last eight games. 

WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, September 4 at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky 

WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available on Paramount+ 

2021 RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign: 9-7-1 (28 points, third place), Racing Louisville: 4-8-4 (16 points, ninth place) 

Key Points Ahead of the Match: 

1. LAST MEETING – The last time that OL Reign and Racing Louisville met was July 31, 2021, in Tacoma, Washington at Cheney Stadium. The match was the first ever meeting between the two teams. OL Reign scored two first half goals to race past Louisville. 

The star of the match was Eugénie Le Sommer, as she netted a brace to secure the win for OL Reign. Her first goal came in the 27th minute when fellow OL loanee, Dzsenifer Marozsán played the ball out wide. Le Sommer dribbled the ball into the box and used her world-class footwork to chop the ball past the Louisville defense and find the back of the net in an incident that infamously left the Louisville defender on the ground. Just before halftime, Jess Fishlock played a beautiful through-ball to Le Sommer who dribbled past the Louisville defense and beat goalkeeper Michelle Betos one on one in goal to put OL Reign up 2-0. 

2. SCOUTING LOUISVILLE – Racing Louisville are currently in ninth place in the NWSL standings with 16 points and a 4-8-4 record. Most recently, Louisville played the Houston Dash at BBVA Stadium in Houston. Despite their efforts at 52% of possession, Louisville suffered a 1-0 loss. The deciding goal of the match was scored when Louisville turned over the ball near the midfield line. Shea Groom picked up possession for Houston and played a ball behind the Louisville defense to Nichelle Prince. Prince found Rachel Daly, who scored the game-winning goal. 

This will be Louisville’s first match with Mario Sanchez, Head of Soccer Holdings’ Youth Academy system, as Interim Head Coach. Sanchez will remain Interim Head Coach until a permanent hire is made.  

3. WINNING WAYS – OL Reign are currently on a three-game win streak and have won six of their last seven matches. The Reign are the first NWSL team this regular season to do so. Of course, the team will be looking to find a fourth consecutive win against Louisville, but their depth will be tested, as the team is on a difficult stretch of the season that includes three games in one week and three consecutive games on the road. Despite some potential shifts in the lineup, the Reign will be focusing on key elements that have allowed them to reach new levels of success.  

Just like last match, OL Reign will focus on taking control of the match in two ways. First, the team will be looking to direct traffic all over the field. The traditionally possession-based side will look to keep possession where it matters to control the tempo and direction of the game off the field, but will also focus on controlling the game off the ball. Second, OL Reign will look to control the 18-yard boxes on both ends of the field. Offensively, capitalizing on opportunities in that space, while defensively shutting down Louisville’s chances. 

4. ALL EYES ON THE GAME – This OL Reign team has turned the season around and made it clear that they are hungry for more and will do whatever it takes it to move up the table. For example, Sofia Huerta, who became accustomed to playing up top for the Reign, has shifted to play right back in recent games. The team isn’t looking too far into the future because each and every game matters, especially at this point in the season. The table is very tight, with only seven points separating second and seventh place. 

“A quick turnaround is never easy but getting a result on the road was the priority and we got that, so it puts us in a good position leading into Saturday’s game,” said head coach Laura Harvey. 

Harvey continued, “This match will have a similar outlook than when we played Louisville before. Obviously, the field size is a little bit different, and they are at home, so we’ve looked at little bits like that.” 

MultiCare Injury Report: 

 OUT

Rosie White (illness) 

Megan Rapinoe (right thigh) 

QUESTIONABLE 

None