The Reign battled back from an early deficit at Lumen Field on Sunday, clawing their way to a second-half lead against visiting Angel City, only for a late equalizer and a truly baffling call in stoppage time to force a 2-2 draw. This scrappy, back-and-forth match was a rollercoaster, and while our squad showed serious heart to come from behind, that final whistle left a bitter taste.
Angel City Struck First, Leaving Us Chasing
It was a classic battle right from the jump, with both teams trading stretches of possession and some quality play in the opening half hour. Angel City had a few looks early on, like Maddie Mercado’s header that went high in the 12th minute, and Taylor Suarez’s hard-angle shot that Claudia Dickey easily handled just ten minutes later. Then, Mercado was right back at it, with a nearly identical header that Angelina Anderson had to make a strong save on. But then, somewhat against the run of play, Angel City drew first blood. Gisele Thompson got hold of the ball, dribbled right to the top of the area, and laced a shot near-post past Dickey for the one-goal lead. That was the story of the first half, and the Reign went into the break down by one. You could feel the tension, knowing our squad had to dig deep.
Second Half Firepower and a Quick Lead
But man, did they dig deep! The Reign came out absolutely on fire to start the second half, taking control and pushing hard. They got their reward pretty quick too. In the 50th minute, Mia Fishel collected the ball in attacking midfield, took a touch, and spotted Sally Menti making a darting run. The delivery was perfect, finding Menti near the penalty spot, who controlled it beautifully and absolutely drove it home to level things up! Lumen Field erupted! And they weren’t done! Just two minutes later, Ainsley McCammon laced a lethal through ball into the area, Sally Menti made a slick one-touch layoff, and a crashing Fishel absolutely demolished the net for her third goal of the season. After a tough start, the Reign had the lead and all the energy. We were flying!
The Equalizer and The Call No One Understood
Unfortunately, Angel City wasn’t throwing in the towel. A series of substitutions seemed to change their momentum, and even though the Reign still found chances, Angel City capitalized on some miscommunications and missed rotations over the next 15 minutes. It culminated in a beautiful touch and finish by late substitute Prisca Chilufya in the 72nd minute, tying the game back up at 2-2. Going into stoppage time, both teams had chances for a winner: Ally Sentnor got a puncher’s chance in the 92nd, and Maddie Mercado had two quick bites at the apple in the 93rd and 94th.
Then came the moment that will have Emerald City fans fuming. With Mercado squaring up for a second-chance ball in the area, Emily Sams went through her blindside, sending both players down hard in the Reign’s attacking penalty area. Replays clearly showed Sams taking out Mercado, and a penalty should have been called, no doubt about it. But instead, Mercado was inexplicably whistled for a foul she had nothing to do with! Seconds later, Brad Jensen blew his whistle for full time. A thrilling, dizzying 2-2 draw, but honestly, it feels like a loss when it ends like that. The Reign deserved more.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Sounder at Heart.
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