Match Recap: Reign FC Secures Playoff Spot with 2-1 Win Over Utah
The Seattle Reign defeated the Utah Royals 2-1 on Friday night at Lumen Field. Ainsley McCammon and Sofia Huerta scored for the Reign, while Paige Monaghan tallied for the visitors.
Bianca St-Georges was played in behind in the second minute, but her shot was stabbed out of the air by goalkeeper Claudia Dickey.
Dickey made another massive stop at the near post in the 29th minute when she denied the effort of Cloé Lacasse.
The Reign’s first good look came in the 35th minute when Maddie Mercado ripped a shot from the top of the box, but it was blocked by Kate Del Fava.
Seattle opened the scoring on the brink of halftime when McCammon crossed the ball to Maddie Dahlien on the left side of the box. Dahlien spun before delivering a beautiful cross of her own to the six-yard box where an onrushing McCammon headed home in the second minute of stoppage time.
Mercado looked to double the Reign’s lead in the 49th minute when she was played in behind on a long ball over the top, but goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn did well to keep out Mercado’s shot.
The Reign were inches away from adding a second goal in the 59th minute when Jordyn Bugg crossed a ball at the near post for Lauren Barnes, whose redirection rattled off the crossbar.
Utah found its equalizer two minutes later when Monaghan picked Dahlien’s pocket at midfield and made a half-field sprint to the top of the box. She cut sharply inside before unleashing a perfectly placed left-footed strike to the far top corner past a diving Dickey.
The Reign earned a penalty in the 67th minute after Mercado was taken down in the box by St-Georges. Play was initially allowed to continue before the referee went to Video Review and awarded the penalty. Huerta calmly stepped up and buried the spot kick to the left side of the net.
The Reign did well defensively the rest of the match to stave off any real Utah threat to secure three points at home.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
THAT’S JUST SHOWBIZ: With tonight’s win, Reign FC has clinched a spot in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, marking the club’s eighth appearance since 2013, tied for the second-most appearances in NWSL history.
CELEBRATING A LEGEND: Reign legend Barnes, who recently announced she would retire at the end of the 2025 campaign, made her final home regular-season appearance on Friday. The 13-year veteran is the league’s all-time leader in games and minutes played.
McCAMMON OPENS HER ACCOUNT: McCammon’s goal was the first of her budding NWSL career. The 18-year-old United States youth international midfielder made her 15th appearance of the season, earning just over 500 total minutes.
UP NEXT: The Reign will travel to Florida to take on Orlando Pride on NWSL Decision Day on Sunday, Nov. 2 (Time TBD).