Seattle Reign FC coach Lauren Harvey with defender Elli Reed after the club’s 3-2 win over the Washington Spirit (photo credit: Sean Maslin)
Seattle Reign 3- Washington Spirit 2
Normally when someone retires from their job they are given a gold watch or a certificate. On Saturday night at the Maryland SoccerPlex the Seattle Reign and midfielder Jess Fishlock gave defender Elli Reed a wild come from behind victory. Thanks to Fishlock’s two goals the Reign were able to erase a two goal deficit and send Reed into retirement with a 3-2 win over the Washington Spirit in their 2017 NWSL finale.
The Spirit themselves would have their own attacking chance in the 23rd minute when Pugh would get past the Reign defense and have a one-on-one with goalkeeper Maddie Schiffel. Schiffel would get the best of the rookie closing off Pugh’s vantage point and hitting the kick save.
Schiffel would not be so lucky in the 27th minute. In an almost like for like replay of their encounter from the 23rd minute Pugh would once again find herself along with Schiffel. This time though she would not miss knocking home her fifth goal of the season to give Washington the 1-0 advantage.
Despite being up a goal Washington would continue to press the beleagured Seattle defense. In the 32nd minute Havana Solaun’s pass across the penalty box would find a surging Pugh all alone with an empty net. Pugh would not waste her chance, coolly knocking in her second goal of the match.
In the second half the Reign attack would come alive thanks to the efforts of midfielder Jess Fishlock. In the 71st minute Fishlock would bury her chance past Haracic to cut the Spirit’s lead to 2-1. In the 84th minute it was her pass into open space that would find substitute Larissa Crummer with a an excellent opportunity down the left flank. Crummer would hit a chip shot over Haracic for the equalizer.
In injury it would be Fishlock once again hammering home her chance from inside the Spirit eighteen to give Seattle their first lead of the match. Despite a couple of nervy moments late the Reign defense held firm giving Seattle the 3-2 win.
“I think both goals came from us giving the ball away in silly areas,” said Reign FC coach Lauren Harvey. “I said to the girls at halftime it is almost like deja vu from our last game last season where we didn’t turn up in the first half and turned up in the second half. It’s hard we are a team that was really trying to get into the playoffs and when you know you haven’t quite got there it is h. But coming here we said all along we wanted to finish on a high for multiple reasons. First, because that is what you should do. Two for Ellie Reed and for everything that she has given to the club. And thirdly because we have to do our job.”
“I said to the girls at halftime ‘You are playing for your job. I am playing for my job,'” Harvey added. “I don’t feel like we had that desire in the first half. But I thought in the second half we showed that.”
As for Reed the frenetic end to the match capped what has been an emotional time for her. Reed, who has made appearances for the Reign and is one of the club’s original members, announced her retirement last week. “It has been an emotional couple of weeks and I am happy we ended it on a high note.”
Washington Spirit– Didi Haracic, Caprice Dydasco, Shelina Zadorsky, Whitney Church, Kassey Kallman, Morgan Profitt, Tori Huster, Maeggie Dougherty Howard, Havan Solaun (Lindsay Agnew 81′), Mallory Pugh, and Cali Farquharson (Cheyna Williams 63′).
Goals– Pugh (27′ and 32′)
Seattle Reign-Maddie Shiffel, Christine Nairn, Lauren Barnes, Elli Reed (Merritt Mathias 62′), Jess Fishlock, Bev Yanez (Larissa Crummer 78′), Rumi Bugi, Maddie Bauer, Katie Johnson, and Naho Kawasumi (Kirsten Dahlstrom 56′).
Goals-Fishlock (71′ and 90′) and Crummer (83′)
Seattle Reign FC
Washington Spirit
