Match Recap: Seattle Reign FC Falls by a Goal in Denver
Following a 65-minute weather delay, Seattle Reign FC fell 2-1 to Denver Summit FC. After conceding a goal on either side of the halftime break, Brittany Ratcliffe managed to pull one back for the Reign just a minute after she subbed onto the pitch.
Soon after the match began, Sam Meza set the tone for a strong defensive performance as she perfectly timed a strong tackle in the 18-yard box to take the ball from the feet of a dangerous Yazmeen Ryan.
A minute later, Nerilia Mondesir proved that she would be a challenge for Dever’s defense to handle as she received the ball and managed to thread the needle with a precise pass to Sally Menti behind the home side’s backline, but the play was halted by an offside call.
In the 15th minute of the match, Claudia Dickey was called on to make a save after Denver strung together a clean attacking play that ended with Lindsey Heaps finding Tash Flint at the penalty spot, but Dickey made easy work of it despite the close range of the shot.
The Reign were asked to continue defending as the Summit gained momentum in the match. In the 16th minute, Jordyn Bugg did well to clear a cross from Flint that sliced through the middle of Seattle’s 18-yard box.
The Reign’s only shot of the first half came in the 25th minute, when Mondesir found Menti again and the midfielder wasted no time looping a ball out left to Maddie Dahlien. The 22-year-old attacker sped forward, dribbling into the box before releasing a shot, but Denver goalkeeper Abby Smith had it covered.
Denver's sustained attack finally paid off in the 44th minute as they opened the scoring of the match. Heaps played a short pass to Delanie Sheehan on the right side of the box. Sheehan took a few touches before curling a ball off the back post and into the back of the net.
After the halftime break, Denver once again scored first, just five minutes into the action. Janine Sonis dribbled into the space in front of her and then fed a pass into the box, where Flint was waiting to get on the end of it. She took a touch inside and unleashed a shot into the back of the net to double Denver’s lead.
However, four minutes later, Head Coach Laura Harvey brought on Maddie Mercado and Brittany Ratciffe as substitutes and the duo proved to have an immediate impact.
One minute after coming onto the pitch, Ratcliffe grabbed a goal back for the Reign. Dahlien beat her defender on the left side of the field and took a shot, forcing Smith to intervene. The rebound off her hands fell in front of goal and Ratcliffe rushed onto it and tapped the ball into the back of the net.
The Reign started to build some momentum of their own, as Mercado beat Emma Ragen to a bouncing ball behind the backline, but Smith was there to boot it out of danger. Just a minute later, Dahlien flamed forward into the box with the ball at her feet, but her ensuing shot went straight to the hands of Smith.
It looked as though Denver were poised to add a third goal on the night in the 83rd minute, but Dickey came up big for the Reign, coming off her line to stop another close range shot from Flint.
Despite the Reign’s efforts until the final whistle, Denver took all three points in the match.
UP NEXT: Reign FC returns home to Lumen Field on Friday, September 25 to take on Boston Legacy FC for the second time in club history. The match kicks off at 5:30 p.m. PT.
SINGLE MATCH TICKETS | FOURTH WING OFFER
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES: Brittany Ratcliffe’s 55th minute tally extended the Reign’s streak of regular-season games with a goal to a club-record 16 straight, ranking third overall in NWSL history.
INSTANT IMPACT RATCLIFFE: Ratcliffe scored Reign FC’s lone goal of the night marked her fourth of the season and the seventh substitute goal of her career.
HEADING HOME: After playing three total games from Saturday, September 12 to Saturday, September 19 (one home, two away) Reign FC returns back to Lumen Field to take on Boston Legacy FC on Friday, September 25.