Reign-Racing match suspended after medical emergency

Seattle Reign met Racing Louisville on Sunday night in a match that was scoreless in first-half stoppage time when it was suspended due to Racing midfielder Savannah DeMelo experiencing a medical emergency on the field and collapsing. DeMelo was eventually stabilized and taken off the field in an ambulance. Racing later provided an update that DeMelo is now stable and alert and has been taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

The day started with the Reign honoring forward Veronica Latsko, who will be retiring at the end of the season and is out for the year with an Achilles injury. Racing had the better of play for much of the opening half, peppering the Reign goal with shots and forcing goalkeeper Claudia Dickey into a number of quality saves. Mia Fishel got her first league start for Seattle and had a couple of shots from distance of her own, but nothing that seriously challenged Racing goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer.

Late in the half, DeMelo sat down away from the ball before appearing to lose consciousness, and the referee immediately stopped play as medical staff from both teams rushed onto the field. This was the second time this season that DeMelo has suffered an on-field medical event, the first coming in a game in March when she was stretchered off the field after experiencing lightheadedness. She later revealed that she had been diagnosed with Graves’ disease last fall, a treatable autoimmune condition that affects thyroid function and can cause symptoms such as irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath and muscle weakness.

With only a minute or two remaining before halftime when DeMelo collapsed, the officials and teams opted to head to the locker rooms early, with Racing players and staff visibly shaken as they walked to the tunnel while their teammate was being tended to by nearly a dozen medical personnel. Following discussions between the clubs and the league office, it was eventually decided to suspend the match until a future date.

When the match resumes, it will commence at the minute it was suspended and with as close to the same lineups as feasible, pending availability reports. Further details will be shared by the clubs in the coming days.