Your Seattle Reign were up 2-0 on Gotham FC, on the road, with less than 10 minutes left in the game. But somehow, in a brutal turn, they gave up three goals after the 81st minute and lost the match 3-2. This was the first stop on a three-game road trip, and man, what a gut punch to start it off in New York City.
First Half, First Class, Full Control
Look, the night started weird. Kickoff at Icahn Stadium, a new venue because the World Cup final is hogging Gotham’s usual home, got pushed back two and a half hours because of lightning and a torrential downpour. They even bumped the game to ESPN2 from ABC! But when the whistle finally blew, your Reign looked like they owned the pitch. They were putting Gotham under serious pressure, especially in transition. In the 14th minute, Mia Fishel proved why we call her Big Fish. Maddie Dahlien, who was electric all night, got the ball wide on the left, left Jess Carter in the dust, and cut it back across the goal to Maddie Mercado. Mercado’s first touch was a little wild, but the ball bounced right back to her in front of an open net. As she wound up to shoot, Mandy Freeman lunged from behind and fouled Mercado’s legs. Penalty! Fishel stepped up cool as ice, snuck it just under Ann-Katrin Berger’s diving arms into the lower right corner. BOOM! 1-0 Reign. Remember that tweet? “BIG FISH SCORES IN THE BIG APPLE! 🦈 GFC 0 | 1 SEA” Yeah, we were pumped.
And it got even better just nine minutes later! In the 23rd, Mercado doubled the lead on a play that felt like déjà vu. Phoebe McClernon dropped a long ball right to Dahlien, who, again, absolutely smoked Carter on the left. Dahlien carried it into the box and sent a perfect ground pass across goal. It was a hair behind Fishel, but that was actually genius, because Fishel screened Tierna Davidson, and the ball fell right to a streaking Mercado. She didn’t even have to think, just a first-touch pass into the net. Her fourth goal of the season, putting us up 2-0! The energy was incredible. We were flying, totally in control heading into the second half.
Heartbreak After the 81st: What Happened?
You’d think being up 2-0 would give you a cushion, right? We even had a chance to extend that lead in the 57th minute. After a long VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot again after Emily Sonnett fouled Sally Menti in the box. This time, Dahlien stepped up to take it. The crowd held its breath, and her shot clanged off the left post. Just brutal. The score stayed 2-0. And from that moment? The momentum just evaporated. The source says it best, “It was all Gotham from that point forward.” You could feel it shift.
Then, the unthinkable happened. In the 82nd minute, Jaedyn Shaw got way too much space on the left wing and whipped a cross to the far post. Esther González, who was questionable heading into the match but came in as a second-half sub, was there. Bugg jumped to clear it, but couldn’t connect, and González buried a one-time volley past Cassie Miller at the near post. Just like that, the clean sheet was gone. And then, somehow, the dam absolutely broke. Three goals conceded after the 81st minute, turning a dominant 2-0 lead into a soul-crushing 3-2 loss.
This one stings, like really stings. We were so close to grabbing three points on the road. Now, the Reign have to pick themselves up fast. This was just the first game of a three-game road trip, and they’ve got to find that first-half fire again. Let’s hope they can turn this frustration into fuel for the next one. We gotta believe!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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