Thirteen minutes into Sunday night’s showdown against the San Diego Wave, a DOGSO challenge on Maddie Dahlien earned Wave’s Mimi Van Zanten a red card. That early numerical advantage was exactly what the Seattle Reign needed, and they rode it to a crucial 1-0 victory that felt more like a full-on cardio workout for us fans. Maddie Mercado slammed home a header off Dahlien’s cross in the 29th minute, and honestly, we needed that relief!
Making the Most (Barely) of the Advantage
With San Diego down a player almost immediately, you’d think the Reign would’ve piled on, right? We had that sweet 1-0 lead by the 29th minute, thanks to Dahlien’s service and Mercado’s finish. That’s making the most of it in the first half! But man, the second half had us all biting our nails. San Diego, sitting fourth in the table, clearly didn’t get the memo about giving up. They controlled possession for most of the game, holding 58.9% of the ball to our 41.1%, even with ten players. Are you kidding me? They even out-shot us, 13 to 9, and had more shots on target, 6 to 4! It felt like we were playing with 10 players ourselves sometimes.
Sweating it Out for the Emerald City
Seriously, San Diego gave our Reign all they could handle, especially after the break. You look at the expected goals , San Diego was at 0.93, while the Reign only hit 0.73. That means they had better scoring chances, despite being a player down! Our defense had to be absolutely locked in, and thankfully, they were. This 1-0 grind-it-out win wasn’t pretty, but it was absolutely vital. It kept the Reign above Angel City and, more importantly, keeps us in eighth place, which is that final playoff spot. Our record now sits at 10-8-4. Every point is a battle, and we just won a massive one at home in front of 9,104 loud fans!
The homestand isn’t over yet, though. The Reign wrap up their three-game stretch this coming Saturday, September 11, when they host Bay FC. Those guys are currently 6-12-4, so this is another crucial game we absolutely need to win if we want to solidify our hold on that playoff spot. Kick-off is at 5 p.m. PT, and you can stream it on NWSL+. Let’s keep this momentum rolling and show Bay FC what Emerald City soccer is all about!
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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