NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Falls to OL Reign 2-3

Published on July 30, 2022 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


LOS ANGELES, CA - Angel City fell 2-3 at home tonight against OL Reign, following first-half goals by midfielders Cari Roccaro and Savannah McCaskill, and three second-half goals for the Reign by midfielder Jess Fishlock, defender Sofia Huerta, and forward Tobin Heath.

Angel City opened the scoring in the ninth minute on a well-worked transition play. Midfielder Savannah McCaskill dribbled up the center of the pitch into a space left open by the Reign midfield and sent a ball through to forward Claire Emslie as she made a run up the right. Keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce saved but didn't catch Emslie's initial shot. Roccaro was crashing the box and coolly tapped home the rebounded ball, marking her first-ever NWSL goal.

The home team notched a second in the 28th minute. Forward Sydney Leroux dribbled into the penalty area and was fouled by Reign defender Alana Cook. The center ref blew the whistle and pointed at the spot to indicate a penalty, which McCaskill stepped up to take. She placed her shot to the right, Tullis-Joyce dived left, and the ball landed in the back of the net to bring the score to 2-0.

The Reign nearly got one back in the 32nd minute when midfielder Jess Fishlock cracked a shot into the crossbar from the top of the 18. The ball fell to forward Jordyn Huitema, who headed the ball on frame- but keeper DiDi Haračić dove left to save.

In the 41st minute, Angel City defender Paige Nielsen narrowly kept the Reign off the board when Huitema took a shot from the top of the six-yard box. Haračić dove too late, but Nielsen was on the goal line and blocked the shot.

Haračić came up big again in stoppage time when OL were awarded a penalty kick following a foul in the box by forward Jun Endo against Fishlock. Midfielder Kim Little stepped up to the spot and sent her kick to the left; Haračić also dove left and stopped the shot, which Endo then cleared out of the box.

Seattle got one back early in the second half, when in the 54th minute, Fishlock played a quick one-two with forward Tziarra King to get in on goal and send a shot to the far post. The ball hit the inside of the post and bounced back into the net.

Defender Sofia Huerta equalized for the Reign in the 64th minute. A corner kick by Little fell to Haračić but bounced out of her grip; it was cleared out of the box, where Huerta was lurking 20 yards out and sent a hard strike straight to the back of the net.

Fishlock nearly got one back in the 81st minute when Lavelle played a diagonal ball into the box, bypassing the ACFC defense. Fishlock was one-on-one with Haračić and put her shot on frame, but the keeper came up big again to keep the score level.

In the 89th minute, the visitors put away the game-winner. Huerta took the ball to the endline and crossed it to the left side of the six-yard-box, where forward Tobin Heath was lurking and tapped the ball past Haračić.

Angel City are on the road against Orlando next Sunday, August 7, at 4:00 p.m. PST on Paramount+.

POST MATCH QUOTES

Angel City FC Head Coach Freya Coombe:

On overall performance today:

"A positive to take from the game is that we've scored two goals again, which is really important. We went through a patch where there were single goals scored in a game, and for us to get ahead with that good start is something positive to take away."

"However, it's simply not good enough to let two goals go and we'll certainly ask a lot of questions about ourselves and make sure that doesn't happen again to us this season."

On Player 22 and it being a part of Angel City FC's legacy:

"Sometimes it's easy for me to come into a press conference and focus a lot on the game and the result, but we need to remind ourselves of what great work the club's doing and all the new initiatives. Not to mention another sell out crowd again tonight, which is something special."

"We can get bogged down in the points and that's certainly my job. But time and time again, the club is showing itself to be a leader. Not just in women's football in this country, but also globally."

"So I think on nights like this, it's really important to remember how much we've accomplished in such a short space of time and to just continue to grow. I'm really looking forward to the future of this club."

On what changed in the second half:

"In the first half, we were able to move the ball and break the pressure. We were also able to take a little bit of risk. Our first and second goal gave us the ability to relieve pressure through their press along with some great balls from Savannah McCaskill."

"Our movement stopped in the second half. We lost that ability to possess and move the ball. Our spaces that we were looking to defend in the midfield got really large and they were able to find their players in those spaces. That was a big contributing factor as we weren't able to get compact enough and defend the space."

On Jasmyne Spencer's performance:

"It's always great to see her come back on the field and the crowd gave us such a warm reception. One thing with Jasmyne, she's able to help us keep possession. She's really good at being able to play under pressure and being able to connect with other players. We look forward to giving her more minutes and more game time, as we see her return to full fitness."

ACFC Midfielder Cari Roccaro

On scoring her first NWSL goal:

"It was a long time coming. I am so glad I did it in the Banc in front of our amazing fans. That felt really special. I hope I score another one soon."

On improving performances as a team:

"We could have conducted more passes. I think we weren't really building out of the back. It felt frantic. I felt like we weren't keeping the ball, and because of that, I felt like I was defending a lot and getting tired. I think the whole team kind of felt like that."

"So we did a better job in the first half if we could have just been a little more composed and kept the ball a bit more. If we had switched the point of attack in the second half as we did in the first, the outcome would have been better. The second half would have been slightly different if we made them chase, but they made us chase, and it was clear that we were exhausted."

On the Player 22 Future Program ceremony:

"It was awesome. It is such an honor to be part of this club. You don't realize until you think about how many people came before you or how many people it took to make Angel City happen and get all these fans here."

"I'm just really thankful to be part of this. It's like nothing I've ever seen or been a part of, and each game gets better and better. People continue to show up, and I'm speechless. It's incredible."

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