OL Reign fall 2-0 to Portland Thorns
The Reign couldn’t finish their chances in the Seattle-Portland doubleheader.
OL Reign kicked off the second match of the doubleheader against the Portland Thorns on Saturday afternoon. An early goal from Sophia Smith set the tone, despite spells of great play from OL Reign. Another late goal by Christine Sinclair sealed Portland’s 2-0 road win, their first regular-season victory against OL Reign in nine matches.
WHAT WORKED: LAURA HARVEY’S 200th REGULAR SEASON GAME
OL Reign manager Laura Harvey became the first NWSL manager to coach in 200 regular season matches. Despite the loss, it seemed fitting that her 200th match would be against Reign’s biggest rivals. Through the highs and lows of two stints in Seattle, OL Reign have won three shields and are the reigning Women’s Cup Champions. Congratulations to Coach Harvey, and here’s to 200 more.
Massive congratulations to Head Coach Laura Harvey, 2⃣0⃣0⃣ NWSL regular season matches coached! pic.twitter.com/oZa3HRmfvH
— OL Reign (@OLReign) June 4, 2023
WHAT DIDN’T WORK: SOPHIA SMITH'S GOAL
Sophia Smith receives the ball after receiving a pass just outside the top of the 18-yard box. She is able to beat Quinn, and several OL Reign defenders switch off long enough for her to shoot. Those defenders may have slightly obstructed Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s view, allowing Smith to sneak a very good shot low and into the right corner.
Who else but @sophsssmith?! @ThornsFC is on top in Seattle! pic.twitter.com/HYcjCsUpiE
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 4, 2023
Portland added a late Christine Sinclair goal to finish the match 2-0.
CHRISTINE SINCLAIR!!!!@sincy12 puts a bow on an excellent @ThornsFC performance! pic.twitter.com/xTBcKJdeuP
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 4, 2023
A major theme of the match, Portland finished their two biggest chances while OL Reign did not.
“I was disappointed with the first goal because it came off a throw-in, which is a pet peeve of mine,” Harvey said after the match. “I thought the second goal, obviously, they got in behind us, but I thought we could’ve dealt with it a little bit earlier and we didn’t.”
“Goals change games.”
“At the end of the day, goals change games. We felt like we had a lot of momentum throughout, we had some good passages of play, but we’re not putting them in the back of the net and it’s always going to be hard to win.” -Alana Cook on what didn’t work for the team today
“Creating something from nothing”
“I think creating something from nothing, really. You look out today, and I don’t know how many people stayed around, but to be able to play in this stadium in front of lots of people, we couldn’t have dreamed of that in year one.” -Laura Harvey on what she’s most proud of after 200 regular season matches coached
OL Reign are back in action next Saturday, June 10 at 7 PM PT against the Kansas City Current. The Reign’s Pride-themed match will be the team’s final home match before players depart for World Cup training camps. Tickets are available and the match will stream on Paramount+.