**SAN DIEGO, Calif.** – OL Reign produced a lopsided 3-0 win over San Diego on the road on Wednesday night, a result that kept them at the top of the West Division standings in the 2023 Challenge Cup through three games played. A first half goal from Ryanne Brown was then added to by two goals in six minutes from Olivia Athens (54’) and Jordyn Huitema (60’) as conversion was the name of the game in what was statistically a relatively even contest.
Looking for goal early, the Reign hit the crossbar in the 9 ^th minute through midfielder Nikki Stanton, who had carved out a chance for herself upon entering the box with the ball already at her feet. Stanton didn’t have many options to aim for as she approached the edge of the 18-yard box, so taking a touch to enter inside, Stanton then ripped a right-footed shot that soared toward goal only to ripple the crossbar and head out of play as the Reign threatened early on.
Just before the half-hour mark, though, the Reign got their first goal of the night as defender Ryanne Brown found herself unmarked at the back post and was able to tap in from close range to beat San Diego goalkeeper Shae Yáñez. The Reign were moving the ball down the left side of the field effectively through attacker Tziarra King when King picked up her head and saw multiple teammates in the penalty area awaiting a pass. Curling a low cross that beat everyone at the near side and rolled all the way through, Brown was eager to meet it and needed just one touch to settle before scoring her first goal of the night to build the Reign’s lead.
San Diego had created a blip of a chance back in the 17 ^th minute via a deflected cross, but outside of that, a relatively muted first half in terms of chance creation saw the Reign go in up a goal at the halftime break.
Into the second half, the Wave had a corner in the 52 ^nd minute that was one of their better looks on goal, but a tame header from Giovanna DeMarco following Shaw’s cross was easily collected by Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey to clear any potential danger.
Then, the turning point of the match came when Olivia Athens bundled a loose ball over the line to increase the Reign’s lead to two and create more of an uphill climb for the hosts San Diego. Attacker Jordyn Huitema created the bulk of the work as she danced down the right side of the field and into the box, eventually opting to play a low driven cross into a sea of defenders and teammates alike. That cross eventually looked more like a shot as it pinballed through the area and landed nearly right on the goal line where Athens was easily able to beat it across for the goal.
Six minutes later, Huitema got the goal she was looking for and all but ended San Diego’s hopes of a comeback as her 60 ^th minute goal from inside the penalty area pushed the Reign’s lead to three. The Reign were moving forward down the left side again when a deflected cross right near the penalty spot landed near Huitema. The attacker then swung her left foot toward the pass and rolled a soft but well placed shot past Yáñez for the game’s final goal.
With an established lead at the top of the division, the Reign now have almost a month off of Challenge Cup action as they return to face the Thorns in Portland on June 28. A similar tale for San Diego, Wednesday’s hosts have won one and lost one in their two Challenge Cup matches and come back to face Angel City FC, also on June 28, as they push for more in this year’s competition.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights