The Seattle Reign blew a two-goal lead at Icahn Stadium against Gotham FC on Saturday, conceding three unanswered goals after the 81st minute to suffer a brutal 3-2 defeat. Talk about a gut punch that nobody in the Emerald City saw coming.
A Dream Start Turns Into a Nightmare
For a while there, it looked like the Reign were absolutely cruising! Mia Fishel got us rolling in the 14th minute, burying a penalty after Maddie Mercado got taken down in the box. And just eight minutes later, Maddie Mercado absolutely rocked it for her fourth goal of the season, finishing off a slick low cross from Maddie Dahlien. We were up 2-0 and feeling good! But that feeling didn’t last. The team even had a golden chance to extend the lead to three in the 57th minute, but Dahlien’s penalty shot heartbreakingly smacked off the post. That’s the kind of moment you look back on and just cringe.
The Meltdown: Gotham Takes Over
Then, the wheels came OFF. Gotham FC started to take over as the match wore on, and you could feel the pressure building. Esther González pulled one back for them in the 81st minute, and just when you thought we might hold on, she equalized in the 94th. Our hearts were in our throats, but it got worse. Rose Lavelle sealed the comeback in the 97th minute, finishing a loose ball at the top of the box. Three goals in 16 minutes. The source said it best: the Reign truly “came apart late.” What happened to that two-goal cushion?
Stark Numbers Tell The Story
The numbers from this game are just brutal and they show exactly how Gotham took control. They absolutely dominated possession with 71.5% compared to our 28.5%. They peppered our goal with 18 total shots, nine of them on target, while we only managed eight shots and a measly two on target. Inside the box, it was 12 shots for them to our six. Gotham had 49 touches inside our box compared to our 17. Their passing accuracy was 82.3% to our 63.3%, and in the final third, it was 72.9% for them against our 52.2%. Despite all that, our expected goals were almost identical, Gotham at 2.31 xG and us at 2.30 xG. It’s almost harder to swallow knowing we were *that* close on paper, despite getting outplayed so clearly.
This gut-wrenching loss pushes the Reign to a tough 5-7-2 record on the season. They don’t have long to dwell on it, though. The road trip continues this Sunday, July 26, as the Emerald City’s own head to San Diego to face the Wave. The team needs to regroup fast, because giving up three goals in 16 minutes after being up by two just isn’t going to cut it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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