Match Recap: Reign FC Earns a Point in Comeback Draw Against Bay FC
Under the Friday night lights at Lumen Field, the Reign conceded a first half goal but salvaged a point, as Jess Fishlock equalized in the 84th minute.
Bay FC was on the front foot at the first whistle, pushing the Reign back into their defensive half of the field. It was not one way traffic however, as the teams settled into the match. The Reign’s first real attacking opportunity presented itself in the 11th minute of the match, as the team surged forward.
Maddie Dahlien carried the ball toward the endline and attempted to cut inside but was denied by Bay FC’s defense, earning a corner kick. Sofia Huerta served a ball into the box, but it was stopped by the first defender and cleared back out to Huerta’s feet, allowing a second service. She found the head of Canadian international Jordyn Huitema, but Bay’s goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz made the save, pushing the ball up, off the crossbar and out of danger.
On the other side of the pitch, Reign FC’s backline was called upon to display their quality. Captain Phoebe McClernon made back-to-back blocks inside the box in the 14th minute to keep Bay FC away from goal.
In the 29th minute, Ainsley McCammon and Dahlien combined, opening Dahlien up to test Silkowitz once again, but she was able to dive and make the mid-height save. McCammon sprinted onto the rebound and fired off a shot of her own, but the ball went just wide of the left post.
Just two minutes later, Bay FC opened the scoring of the match against the momentum, which had shifted to favor the Reign. Racheal Kundananji crossed the ball to back post, where Taylor Huff’s run allowed her to one-touch the ball into the back of the net.
Six minutes later, McClernon split the entirety of Bay’s backline, finding Nérilia Mondésir on the run. Mondésir squared up to take a shot and rang it off the left post, narrowly missing the Reign’s best chance of the match.
At the start of the second half, the Reign brought a renewed sense of energy, but were unable to find the final touch that would allow them to find their way beyond Bay FC’s defense and onto the scoreboard.
Head Coach Laura Harvey deployed her first substitutes in the 63rd minute and the Reign continued to press on. In the 84th minute substitute Jess Fishlock made all the difference as she scored the equalizer for the Reign. The crafty midfielder played the ball out wide to Dahlien, who drove down the flank to cross the ball across the box toward Mia Fishel. The ball was half cleared before Fishel could get a shot off, but Fishlock was there to clean it up. She settled the ball off her body before firing it into the back of the net.
Just after the goal celebrations, Reign FC OG Lauren Barnes subbed onto the field, making her milestone 250th regular-season appearance for the club. She is the first-ever NWSL player to achieve this accomplishment and used her leadership to help the Reign see the match out and earn a point.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
RECORD-BREAKING BARNES: Reign FC defender and captain Lauren Barnes subbed onto the field in the 85th minute of the match, becoming the first0ever player to make 250 NWSL regular-season appearances.
THE FISHLOCK EFFECT: Midfielder Jess Fishlock scored the game-tying goal in the 84th minute of the match, after subbing onto the field in the 63rd minute of the match. The goal marked her sixth of the season, tying Emeri Adames as the team’s leading goalscorer in 2025.
DICKEY SHINES: Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey made two saves in the match, breaking the all-time Reign FC single-season save record.
PLAYOFF WATCH CONTINUES: While a point alone was not enough to secure the Reign’s playoff berth, there is still a chance the Reign can end the weekend with playoff qualification. In order to do so, Washington Spirit must win and Angel City FC must win or draw.
UP NEXT: The Reign play their final regular season match on Friday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. PT. Get tickets to the Fan Appreciation Match HERE.