SEATTLE, WA – OL Reign (4-2-4, 16 points) earned their fourth win of the season Friday in their annual Pride Match against the North Carolina Courage (2-5-1, 7 points). The 2-0 win had the second highest attendance in club history with 7,519 fans in attendance, only behind the doubleheader against Portland in August 2021. The team is still unbeaten at Lumen Field in all competitions.
The Reign came out reenergized in the second half and immediately began to dominate the Courage. Tziarra King and forward Bethany Balcer both had shots on target before Jess Fishlock scored the opening goal of the match in the 52nd minute. Balcer perfectly placed a ball into the box to find a running Fishlock, who took a touch around Rowland and coolly hit the ball into the back of the net.
Momentum in their favor, the Reign pushed on, hungry for another goal. In the 74th minute, the hard work from the Reign paid off, as Balcer doubled the score. Forward Ally Watt, who entered the match as a sub, found Fishlock in the middle of the field. Fishlock found Balcer in the middle of the box. Balcer got on the end of the ball, and one touched it into the back of the net.
Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce earned her sixth clean sheet of the regular season, which ranks first in the league. Tullis-Joyce finished the day with three saves, extending her season total to 38 saves, which is also ranked first in the league.
