The Seattle Reign stumbled hard on the road Wednesday night, falling 3-1 to Angel City. This wasn’t just another loss, either. Our Emerald City squad now sits precariously in the final playoff spot, just one single point ahead of Angel City, who are breathing down our necks after this result.
A Tough Night to Create
Honestly, it felt like we never found our footing, even with 51.2% possession. Angel City opened the scoring in the 20th minute, with Ally Sentnor burying a penalty kick after a handball call in the box. Oof, what a gut punch to give up an early one like that. Then, 20 minutes later, Ary Borges flicked in a corner, assisted by Evelyn Shores, and suddenly we were down 2-0. To twist the knife, substitute Taylor Suarez came on in the 80th minute and scored immediately after, in the 81st, also assisted by Evelyn Shores. It was a tough watch, man, seeing them capitalize like that.
The stats really tell the story of our struggle to create. We might have had more overall possession and even more touches in the opponent’s box, 25 to ACFC’s 16. Our passing accuracy was decent at 78.9% and 63.9% in the final third, and we even put in 17 crosses, way more than Angel City’s 6. But when it came to generating real, dangerous chances? Angel City had 14 total shots to our 8. And get this: our Expected Goals for the night was a paltry 0.43, compared to Angel City’s 1.68. That number tells you everything you need to know about our attacking threat. We just couldn’t break through.
Clinging to the Playoff Dream
Sofia Huerta did manage a cracking consolation goal in the 92nd minute from outside the box, which, hey, keeps our record scoring streak alive! That strike was pure class and a moment of individual brilliance. But let’s be real, the 3-1 final makes this result *massive* for the playoff race. We’re still clinging onto that 8th place, the last playoff spot, with an 11-9-4 record and 37 points. But Angel City just got way too close for comfort, now only one point behind us. The frustration was clear, with the squad picking up three yellow cards to Angel City’s one. We need to find that offensive magic fast, because that 0.43 xG ain’t gonna cut it for a playoff push. Substitutes like Sally Menti, Nérilia Mondésir, Holly Ward, Emily Mason, and Brittany Ratcliffe all came on trying to spark something, but it wasn’t enough.
So, what’s next for our Reign? We’ve got another crucial road match coming up quick against the Denver Summit (8-8-8, 32 points) this Saturday evening. Kickoff is at 5:45 PM PT, and you can catch it on ION TV. This is it, folks. We absolutely *have* to grab points in Denver to widen that gap again. Let’s get loud for our girls, even from afar. The playoff dream is still alive, but it’s going to take everything we’ve got!
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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