Match Recap: Reign FC Battles to Scoreless Draw Against Gotham FC

Seattle Reign FC battled to a scoreless draw with NJ/NY Gotham FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Sunday afternoon, earning a point to end the week in fifth place in the NWSL standings. 

The high stakes match started with Reign FC getting into the attack, defender Phoebe McClernon immediately displaying her quality as she perfectly threaded a through ball to Jordyn Huitema up top, but Gotham was able to shut down the play. 

As the teams settled into the match, it was clear that a physical and scrappy 90 minutes was on the way. The Reign weathered a few chances from Gotham, which required action from Claudia Dickey in the net. In the 25th minute, a Gotham corner kick left the ball floating around the 18-yard box, giving Josefine Hasbo an opportunity to strike the ball from a central position within the box, but Dickey guided the ball to safety. 

Later in the half, Rose Lavelle had two back-to-back chances on goal. First, Jaedyn Shaw flicked a ball behind her in the box, finding the feet of Lavelle, who struck the ball from close range, but straight into the hands of Dickey. A minute later, Lavelle once again found herself in the box with enough space to shoot the ball, but Dickey was able to get a hand to her high shot and push it off the woodwork. 

Before halftime, Maddie Dahlien picked up possession of the ball and turned on the jets, dribbling beyond several Gotham defenders and into the box, but a loose touch allowed the home side to recover and nullify the threat. 

After halftime, Laura Harvey made one sub, bringing Ainsley McCammon on in the place of Sally Menti. To open the half, Seattle did well to work the ball around the field quicker than they did in the first half. 

However, as the clock ticked away, momentum shifted firmly in favor of Gotham, aided by reinforcements like Esther in the attack. Shaw found another chance on goal in the 68th minute, when a quick combination play gave her the time and space to fire off a shot from just outside the box, but Dickey got low to make the save at the far post. 

Gotham continued to pile on the pressure, forcing the Reign to hunker down and defend for the remaining 20 minutes of the match. In the 88th minute, it looked as though Gotham found the opening goal of the match, as Midge Purce used a combination of speed and footwork to serve a cross into the middle of the box, where Esther was waiting to half bicycle kick the ball toward goal, but the attempt narrowly trickled wide. 

Through four minutes of stoppage time, the Reign did well to see the game through, holding the ball in their own attacking half for the majority of the four minutes. At the final whistle, the teams were tied 0-0 and split the points.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

PLAYOFF POSITION: The Reign maintain a place in the top eight teams in the NWSL standings after earning a point from the match. 

DICKEY: With this shutout, Claudia Dickey now has 13 clean sheets for the Reign, typing Phallon Tullis-Joyce for the most in club history. 

HUERTA: Defender Sofia Huerta had a standout performance, leading the team in tackles won (3) and interceptions (4), fouls won (2) and also added three clearances in the match. 

UP NEXT: Reign FC is back home at Lumen Field on Friday, October 10, taking on Bay FC at 7:30 p.m. PT. Get tickets to the match HERE.