Stats and Storylines: OL Reign vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC

WHEN IT REIGNS, IT POURS: In six of OL Reign’s 12 wins against NJ/NY Gotham FC, the team has scored three or more goals. In those six games, the Reign have scored three goals three times, four goals two times and five goals once. Across 12 victories, the Reign have earned six shutout wins and three comeback wins.

There are only three instances in which OL Reign scored one single goal in a win against Gotham. One of those matches was last season at Red Bull Arena and the other two were 1-0 victories that came during the 2018 season.

YOU CAN COUNT ON ME LIKE 1,2,3: Of the five NWSL players that have been with the same club since the inaugural NWSL season, three play for OL Reign. The Originals, as they are commonly referred to, are an integral part of OL Reign’s roster, both on the field and off the field.

All three Reign originals have scored a goal against NJ/NY Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC). Defender and captain Lu Barnes scored her first ever NWSL goal against the team in 2015, while forward Megan Rapinoe has notched 13 goals in the series – the most of any player from either team. Midfielder Jess Fishlock is tied for the third most goals scored in the series, with four.

Two of the Reign originals, Fishlock and Rapinoe, are tied for the second most assists in all head-to-head meetings between the teams, with two. Barnes and Fishlock rank at first and second respectively in both appearances and minutes played. Barnes boasts 23 matches played and 1,967 minutes and Fishlock is just behind her with 21 matches played and 1,758 minutes under her belt.

SECOND HALF SCORING: Of the Reign’s 40 total goals scored against Gotham FC, 25 have been scored in the second half. Of those 25 goals, the highest number have been scored in the first 15 minutes of the second half (11), followed by the final 15 minutes of the second half (9). Rapinoe leads the Reign’s second half scoring against Gotham FC, with nine goals. Additionally, all three OL Reign originals have scored against Gotham FC in the second half.

4 STRAIGHT: OL Reign have won four straight matches against NJ/NY Gotham FC, dating back to August 2021. The team has scored 10 goals across the four wins, with five goals coming from forward Megan Rapinoe, and one goal from forward Bethany Balcer and midfielders Jess Fishlock and Rose Lavelle, in addition to one own goal from Gotham FC.

Three of the goals scored by Megan Rapinoe were scored from the spot. In the all-time head-to-head series between the two sides, the Reign has converted six total penalty kicks – five from Rapinoe and one from Kim Little.

RELIABLE RAPINOE: Megan Rapinoe has scored 13 career goals against Gotham FC, equaling the second most by any player against a single opponent in NWSL history behind only Christine Sinclair vs. Chicago (16). Rapinoe has five goals in her last three matches against Gotham, including braces in each of the last two at home.