By Marilia Macedo
In Seattle, WA, at Lumen Field, OL Reign hosted San Diego Wave in a Challenge Cup match, conquering the three points by scoring the fastest goals from kickoff in NWSL history.
The OL Reign made a great beginning in the first half, needing only 11 minutes to build the victory. The first goal came quickly with only 2 minutes. After a good corner by Lauren Barnes, the Wave couldn’t take the ball out of the area, and after a few attempts, Nikki Stanton could count on a deflection to take the lead, 1-0.
Only 6 minutes later, the San Diego keeper Carly Telford tried to make a clearance, but Bethany Balcer was there to get it back. Then, Balcer attempted from the outside of the box, scoring a beautiful goal, 2-0.
Laura Harvey’s squad was on fire, finding spaces and keeping the away team under pressure – and that was how they scored the third, with Sam Hiatt sending it to the back of the net among the messy defensive system, 3-0.
Later on, in the 24th minute, the Wave tried to get back on track. Kornieck bent a long pass, finding Alex Morgan, who beat the keeper Tullis-Joyce and reduced the score to 3-1.
The second half was slower and a little different than the first one. The away team came back more organized, keeping the possession and finding the best opportunities that could have changed the way of the game with Jodie Taylor and Ali. However, the ball landed in Tullis’ hands at times. On the other hand, the Seattle squad struggled to find good paths to find the 4th. The best thing seemed to keep the game even to guarantee the three points.
At the top of the table of Group B, reaching 10 points, the next game for OL Reign will be against Angel City on Sunday, April 17, at 6 PM ET. Meanwhile, the San Diego Wave will play against Portland Thorns on the same day, at 7 PM ET.