Reign FC 2-1 over Houston Dash in final home regular season match

Seattle Reign FC 2
Houston Dash 1
October 18, 2024
Lumen Field – Seattle, WA
NWSL Regular Season

Two clubs playing out the NWSL regular season met in Seattle on Friday evening. Both Seattle Reign FC and Houston Dash have been eliminated from playoff qualification with two matches remaining. With both clubs level on 20 points at the bottom of the table it was an opportunity for both to avoid finishing at the actual bottom.

The hosts find themselves in unusual territory at the end of the 2024 campaign; having played in the NWSL Championship in 2023 and in winning the NWSL Shield in 2022. Houston and Seattle are only differentiated by goal difference as the season concludes after the international break.

Paul Kahl Photos

Nate Koppelman Photos

The first half of the first half was a fairly free flowing affair. Neither side was taking huge risks with numbers forward or in pushing their defenses forward.

The result was a lot of ball movement with the intermittent look on goal. Houston had a few really good looks, but Reign keeper Claudia Dickey was solid. It was the same at the other end as the Reign managed a few good looks on goal, but nothing Dash keeper Jane Campbell could not handle.

In the middle of the half, Seattle midfielder Olivia Athens would get a look on goal from outside the box and her long range volley opened the scoring.

The lead would not hold, as moments later Reign captain Lauren Barnes would be called for a penalty at the other end. Bárbara Olivieri would convert the penalty and things were right back to level at one.

The level scoreline continued well into the second half. As neither side changed tactics or personnel the match continued in the same manner as the first half.

Then Dash seemed to have the most success on the counter from the left side through Ryan Gareis, who managed to get free a number of times through the match running onto long through balls.

Haitian Nerilia Mondesir would break the deadlock in the 65th minute. Pouncing on a loose ball a few yards in front of the Dash goal, Mondesir would manage to poke it past Campbell for a Reign lead. The goal was the first NWSL goal for Mondesir.

The second goal would hold up for Seattle. The goal and win appeared cathartic for the home side, a positive result for the final match at home at the end of a season of frustrations.

BOX

Scoring Summary

SEA: Athens – 22’, Mondésir – 65′
HOU: Olivieri (P) – 25’

Discipline

SEA: None
HOU: Chapman (Caution – 51′)

Lineups

SEA: GK Dickey, D Barnes (c) (McClernon 81’), D Bugg, D Glas (Holmes 89’), M Ji (Stanton 81’), M Athens, M Mondésir, F Latsko, F Huitema (Lester 90+6’), F Adames (Crnogorčević 73’), F King (Mercado 81’)
Unused substitutes: GK Ivory, GK Perez

Total Shots: 12 (Adames – 3)
Shots on Goal: 5 (Mondésir – 2)
Fouls: 8 (Mondésir – 3)
Offsides: 1
Corner Kicks: 2
Saves: 3 (Dickey – 3)

HOU: GK Campbell (c), D Chapman (Jacobs 85’), D Lima, D Nielsen, D Harris, M Schmidt, M Puntigam (Matthews 85’), M Gareis (Briede 66’), M Patterson, F Nagasato (West 77’), F Olivieri
Unused substitutes: F Ordóñez, GK Hinz, D Ayson, GK Mckinney

Total Shots: 10 (Gareis, Puntigam– 2)
Shots on Goal: 4 (Gareis – 2)
Fouls: 9 (Olivieri – 3)
Offsides: 3
Corner Kicks: 5
Saves: 3 (Campbell – 3)

Referee: Brad Jensen
Assistant Referee 1: Seun Yinka-Kehinde
Assistant Referee 2: Eric Krueger
4th Official: Kelsey Harms
VAR: Alexandra Billeter
AVAR: Rhett Hammil