OL Reign vs. Chicago Red Stars

Tacoma, Washington – OL Reign picked up three big points in their push for top spot in the table after a 3-2 win over Chicago Red Stars at Cheney Stadium on Sunday.

The visitors started on the front foot looking to break the deadlock early with some intense pressure right from the first whistle. Eventually, their push was strong enough to crack OL Reign and Chicago took the lead. Kealia Watt teed up Mallory Pugh at the top of the box and her deflected shot trickled into the net after 14 minutes. Down early, the Reign ramped up the pressure. Rose Lavelle and Angelina both drove towards goal but the Red Stars’ defense did enough to tame any threats. However within a flash, the hosts then turned things around. Two goals in four minutes from Jess Fishlock saw the Reign make things 2-1. Her first was a long-range strike placed perfectly in the top corner. Coming out after the break, the momentum continued to flow for the hosts and six minutes after the restart, a curling effort from Lavelle added a third for the Reign. Chicago’s bright start had fizzled out by the hour mark and the visitors struggled to take the ball off of their opponents. However, they showed they were not going to give up that easily. A moment of brilliance from substitute Tatumn Milazzo saw the Red Stars make things 3-2 with roughly 20 minutes to go. The 23-year-old’s strike from outside the box was no match for goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi. Consequently, the match turned into a nervy affair. Lavelle and Eugénie Le Sommer missed opportunities for the hosts while Katie Johnson’s shot was just short of tying things up. In the end, the hosts held on and the result sees OL Reign close the gap at the top of the table to just one point while Chicago sit seventh.