A win could have taken the Reign within touching distance of the playoff zone, but they continue to struggle to find goals.
The stakes were high for both the Reign and Bay FC going into game 21, where all of the surrounding teams played one more game. Both sides came into Sunday out of the playoff zone, but not far from it. The Reign, who has only five wins this season, and with the regular season being in the final stretch, the team knew they had to act immediately. However, Bay FC saw out the narrow 1-0 victory, winning the all-important six-pointer.
"I mean, I'm a broken record, but I think the quality on the ball, our decision-making in moments on the ball, and then our ability in and around the goal to create things just wasn't good enough today,” said Reign Head Coach Laura Harvey after the loss.
Emma Morgan / Area Sports Network
Following the Summer Cup exit, the Reign won their next three games in a row. However, the previous two games have been back-to-back losses. The match consisted primarily of momentum from the Reign but felt indifferent from other games where the Reign struggled to find goals and positive results.
The only goal came for Bay FC by an Asisat Oshoala penalty in the 25th minute. After Oshoala seemed to be in on goal by a through ball, she was tackled from behind by Phoebe McClernon, and Referee Elton Garcia did not hesitate to award the penalty. The Reign once again found themselves in an uphill battle, but this time for their playoff lives.
“We just kind of lacked a bit in the final third, and I think that's something we're going to look at moving forward and hopefully improve on,” said Reign Midfielder Olivia Athens, as she acknowledged the hardship of conceding an early penalty.
Emma Morgan / Area Sports Network
Despite maintaining a comfortable majority of possession, the Reign registered 13 shots—two more than Bay FC; however, Bay turned out to be the bigger threat. Laura Harvey commented about this trend in the Reign’s results, saying “we hadn't punished them by putting balls in the box because I think there were a lot of opportunities in both halves.”
The Reign’s 2024 season is notorious for a lack of offensive impact with respect to momentum and expected goals. Sunday afternoon was no different, and the Reign are now eight points from a playoff spot—meaning the season is likely over, though not mathematically finished.
Angel City will travel to Lumen Field on October 4th to take on the Reign, and in order for Seattle to keep any fraction of playoff hopes alive, a victory is in order alongside help from other results.
Cover Photo: Emma Morgan / Area Sports Network
