Match Recap: Seattle Reign FC Falls 1-0 to North Carolina Courage
Seattle Reign FC fell 1-0 to the North Carolina Courage FC at Lumen Field, with Giana Paul scoring the decisive goal for the visitors in the second half.
The match got off to a blistering pace as the Courage generated three quality chances inside the opening minutes, striking the woodwork twice. Seattle responded quickly in the fifth minute when center back Phoebe McClernon intercepted a pass and surged forward into the attack, playing a quick 1-2 with Mia Fishel before firing a shot from inside the box that drew an impressive stop from North Carolina goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.
Sheridan was called into action once again five minutes later as Seattle winger Maddie Mercado picked the ball off Feli Rauch and struck a shot from inside the box that stung the goalkeeper’s palms.
North Carolina continued to grow into the match, carving out three quality chances starting in the 20th minute that were snuffed out by last-ditch tackles from Ainsley McCammon, Jordyn Bugg and Sam Meza.
The best chance of the first half came from Ryanne Brown in the 28th minute. An early cross from Sofia Huerta was deflected by a Courage player to the feet of Brown. Seattle’s outside back took one touch to settle before smashing a venomous half-volley that forced Sheridan into a full-extension diving save.
The Courage opened the scoring in the 48th minute when Paul struck a first-time shot from inside the box that took a wicked deflection off a Reign defender, looping over Dickey for a 1-0 lead to the visitors.
Seattle nearly drew level 57th minute when Mercado found space inside the box and curled a left-footed shot that narrowly missed the target.
Mercado was in the mix once again in the 68th minute as both Dahlien and Curry played dangerous balls into the box that Seattle’s leading scorer nearly connected with.
The Reign were mere inches from an equalizer in the 81st minute when Nerilia Mondesir’s free kick from the edge of the box cleared North Carolina’s wall but crashed back off the crossbar.
Bugg nearly almost leveled the score in second half stoppage time when her shot from close range rolled across the goal line and barely missed the far post.
UP NEXT: The NWSL observes an international break before returning to play on October 18 in Chicago.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
POSTSEASON RACE: Friday night’s result saw Seattle fall out of the playoff spots into 9th in the NWSL standings. As the league enters the final month of regular season play, the competition for a postseason berth is heating up with just five points separating 3rd place and 9th place in the standings.
BUGG MAKES HISTORY: Fresh off signing a multi-year contract extension, Bugg made her 50th NWSL regular season appearance for the club. The 20-year-old rising star for both club and country is the youngest defender in league history to reach that milestone.
NEXT UP: The Reign will face the Chicago Stars on the road on October 18 when the league resumes play following the FIFA international break. With only three games remaining, Seattle will need to pick up a result on the road to stay in the hunt for a coveted playoff spot.
