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NWSL Seattle Reign FC

Seattle Looks to Gain First Victory of the Season

April 22, 2016 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Seattle Reign FC News Release


SEATTLE - Seattle Reign FC (0-1-0, 0 points) is on the road for its first away match of the season against the Boston Breakers (0-1-0, 0 points) this Sunday, April 24 at Jordan Field in Allston, Mass. at 3:30 p.m. PT.

In its first-ever loss to start an NWSL campaign, Seattle fell 1-2 at the hands of Sky Blue FC last Sunday at Memorial Stadium. Reign FC battered SBFC's backline in the opening minutes of the game, but it was SBFC that gained the upper-hand with a goal in the 15th minute from forward Natasha Kai off a cross from defender Kelley O'Hara. Reign FC struggled to respond throughout the remainder of the first half, but finally knotted the match at 1-1 in the 52nd minute with a goal from forward Merritt Mathias, with midfielder Jess Fishlock providing the assist.

Just twelve minutes later a defensive miscue by Reign FC allowed Sky Blue FC to tally the game-winning goal in the 64th minute. Midfielder Taylor Lytle delivered a cross to the mouth of the goal where midfielder Kelly Conheeney headed it into the net. Despite creating several chances in the second half, Seattle was unable to solve the Sky Blue defense, resulting in Reign FC's first-ever loss at Memorial Stadium.

"A positive to take away is that it was game one and there's a ton of room for improvement," said Reign FC captain Keelin Winters. "We've watched film of the game and now everybody's taking personal responsibility for their role. Over the last three years, what have we done that made us successful? Let's get back to that, because we got away from it on Sunday."

The players returned to training on Monday, put the loss behind them, and focused in on the upcoming match against the Breakers. The past week was crucial for the club, as it allowed the team time to start working on the critical errors that led to Sunday's loss.

"They came out every day this week wanting to be better, which is all I can ask for," said Head Coach Laura Harvey. "That's the thing about this group - win, lose, or draw - they always come back wanting to be better players."

Seattle holds a 7-0-1 all-time record over the Boston Breakers. Boston finished the 2015 season at the bottom of the NWSL table, with a 4-13-3 record.

Last week, Boston fell 0-1 to the Washington Spirit on Saturday, April 16, in Washington D.C. During the off-season, former Liverpool Ladies FC manager Matt Beard signed on to lead the Breakers. Beard steered Liverpool to two Women's Super League titles in 2012 and 2014.

"I think Matt has made them well organized, hard to break down, and they've got a pattern to play," said Harvey. "That is something that's different, because they man-marked us a lot last year and I don't think that's going to happen this year."

Though changes in Boston's plan of attack are important, Harvey is focusing on how Reign FC performs and reacts following Sunday's loss. She believes the team has the capability to put it right on the field come tomorrow's match.

Sunday's match will be streamed online at youtube.com/nwsl at 3:30 p.m. PT. Reign FC returns home to Memorial Stadium for a rematch of the 2014 and 2015 NWSL championship games against FC Kansas City on Sunday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m. PT. Tickets to the match are available at reignfc.com/fckc or by calling (855) REIGN-FC.

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