Substitutes Maddie Dahlien and Jess Fishlock combined in a transitional moment, and Fishlock calmly slotted her shot into the right corner to give Seattle Reign a 1-0 lead in the 90th minute against Racing Louisville.
The Reign held on for the win in a match that spanned over two days, with the initial 45 minutes played on Sunday before the game was paused due to Savannah DeMelo's medical emergency. With DeMelo now recovering in the hospital, the teams resumed their match on Tuesday night in a closed-door setting, with the Reign's late goal giving them three home points.
The Reign (8-6-6, 30 points) head back on the road and will be facing the league leaders, Kansas City Current (16-2-2, 50 points), on Saturday, September 20. That match kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT and will air on ION.
Highlights
Stats
SCORING SUMMARY
90' - Jess Fishlock (Assisted by Maddie Dahlien) - SEA
LINEUPS
Tonight's Columbia Bank XI for the second half of #SEAvLOU!
— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc.com) 2025-09-16T23:12:10.154Z
72' - Maddie Dahlien for Mia Fishel
85' - Jess Fishlock for Lauren Barnes
90+5' - Emily Mason for Nerilia Mondesir; Angharad James-Turner for Sally Menti
Our squad from Seattle 💪 Taylor Flint returns to the XI as Bev Yanez’s only change. More on tonight’s lineup 👉 tinyurl.com/m2yyawpe #SEAvLOU | Fifth Third Bank
— Racing Louisville FC (@racingloufc.com) 2025-09-14T23:05:03.837Z
46' - Katie O'Kane for Savannah DeMelo
84' - Marissa DiGrande for Katie O'Kane; Makenna Morris for Arin Wright
90+5' - Bethany Balcer for Sarah Weber
ATTENDANCE
8,091 - Lumen Field, Seattle (for the first half on Sunday)
POSSESSION
Reign: 54.8%
Louisville: 45.2%
EXPECTED GOALS
Reign: 1.20
Louisville: 2.56
TOTAL SHOTS
Reign: 15
Louisville: 17
SHOTS ON TARGET
Reign: 7
Louisville: 4
SHOTS OFF TARGET
Reign: 5
Louisville: 8
SHOTS BLOCKED
Reign: 3
Louisville: 5
SHOTS FROM INSIDE THE BOX
Reign: 12
Louisville: 10
TOUCHES INSIDE THE OPP. BOX
Reign: 23
Louisville: 18
PASSES
Reign: 478
Louisville: 382
PASSING ACCURACY
Reign: 77%
Louisville: 74.9%
PASSES IN FINAL THIRD
Reign: 105
Louisville: 125
PASSING ACCURACY IN FINAL THIRD
Reign: 58.1%
Louisville: 62.4%
CROSSES (EXCLUDING CORNERS)
Reign: 10
Louisville: 18
CORNERS WON
Reign: 5
Louisville: 2
OFFSIDES
Reign: 0
Louisville: 0
FOULS
Reign: 9
Louisville: 8
YELLOW CARDS
Reign: 2
Louisville: 2
RED CARDS
Reign: 0
Louisville: 0
Quotes
Laura Harvey
On the nature of Tuesday's match and playing just a half:
It was the most unique thing I've ever had to prepare for as a coach. The rules were that if we didn't play it within 24 hours, we actually could make three subs that didn't count as subs before the 45 even started. So that was the first dilemma. Do you change who was even playing? And then we decided, no, we'd go with the same group. And then we had every eventuality prepared, if we needed to make subs quickly and get a goal, we knew what we wanted to do there. If we got to a certain point in the game and we felt we needed to go for it, one of our solutions was to go to a back four, which we did. And then if we score, we immediately go out to a back five, which we did. So yeah, sometimes substitutions and things work, sometimes they don't. Tonight they did.
On if the plan was always to bring on Maddie Dahlien and Jess Fishlock:
Honestly, I'd planned and spoken to them about coming on within 10 minutes because I thought, I said to Coco [Nerilia Mondesir], Jordyn [Huitema] and Mia [Fishel] prior to the game today – run like it's the last 10 minutes of the game, run like that, because if we can get a goal quick in the half and you guys have created it, which I thought we did well, and then this game started to level itself out a little bit. And then Louisville are very aggressive in their press, and we just felt that the space they were leaving was going to, we could expose it potentially with Maddie. And then we were debating about when to get Jess on. It was never about if; it was always about when and how. And then when it got to that 80th minute, we decided that we were going to go to a back four. And she's who she is for a reason. And I think you just saw how much this club means to her a little bit, which I was very happy about.
On Mia Fishel's first start and performance:
Yeah, I thought she did well. I thought both her and Coco were great. And I think against Louisville, one of the things that they're very good at is they're very physical, they're very fast, they're dominant in pressure. And those two are excellent at holding the ball up. And Jordyn's, that's become really a big part of Jordyn's game as well of late. So that was our big reason for starting those three was we thought that we could skip their pressure and to skip it, we knew we were going to have to have people who physically could compete with them. And I thought that that's what those three did brilliantly. And then as the game opens itself, maybe it's a little bit more about pace and less about power maybe. But no, I thought Mia was great and I keep saying it to you guys, we know what we've got with her and we know that this is not a short-term thing, it's a long-term, but I'm glad that she could get the start because deserved it with her work that she's been putting in. And now the reins are off a little bit, but obviously it's a quick turnaround. So we'll see what it looks like on Saturday.
On the goal celebration and what both teams have been through this week:
Honestly just relief, I think, yeah, I got my steps in definitely on that celebration. Just really proud of the group. I think these last three days have been really challenging. Obviously first and foremost, everything on Sunday was all about Savannah. Myself and Scott [Parkinson] took Bev [Yanez] to the hospital after the game, and I popped my head in for a minute just to make sure she [DeMelo] was okay and say that we were thinking of her. And it was great to see her up and about and seemed really okay. And speaking to Bev today, it sounds like she's making progress, which is fantastic, and Sunday was all about that. And I think one thing that I'm really proud of our club is we always have and always will do what we feel is right in any circumstance and in the forefront of our mindset is always what's right for the players and our people.
And that doesn't just mean us, it means our opponent, too. So I was really happy and proud of our whole club, our medical staff, our ops staff, our front office, Maya and Lesle, Adrian, everyone involved at higher up level, because there was never a moment that anyone thought for one minute that what we were doing was not the right thing. And then the moment we knew Savannah was okay, it was all about, okay, what next and how we go about it and what we do for our players. And our player care manager, Manny [Torres] yesterday, was in on a training day that was supposed to be an off day for everybody, making bacon sandwiches for everybody. And we've just got really good people here who care deeply about each other. And when you have that often really good things happen. And tonight we got something that I think we deserve just by being good people and doing the right thing. And obviously still our thoughts and sympathies go with Savannah and we will constantly keep in touch to make sure that she's doing okay. It was really scary and I don't think we really knew at the time how much that could take out of someone. Like me personally, I didn't sleep Sunday night. I came in on Monday and was struggling a little bit honestly. But I am who I am and I have to make sure that the players are okay. So yeah, it's been a challenging couple of days, but just really proud of our club.
....
It was tough. I think one of the things I've always cared about is how players feel and making sure that they're okay. And just on Sunday, I just didn't really know what to do to help them really. And thankfully we have a lot of support staff now that can help the players as well, which doesn't just end today. It's constant. And yeah, it's been really, really challenging. I think seeing Bev, knowing her as long as I have, seeing how emotional she was on Sunday. And honestly, once I knew that our players were okay and being taken care of, honestly my sort of focus went to her. And that probably sums up our club, too. Once you've been here and you've been part of it, you're always part of it, as far as I'm concerned. And Bev was an absolute legend for this club and seeing her so emotional on Sunday was hard. So yeah, once I knew our players were okay and our staff were okay, my sort of focus went to Bev on Sunday night and I'm just happy that we did the right thing. I truly am in everybody, the league, both teams, everybody involved. We just did what was right. And sometimes that gets missed in professional sport, but I'm just so proud and happy that we did it the right way.
Jess Fishlock and Claudia Dickey
Overall thoughts on this unique match:
Fishlock: Yeah, it was really different and difficult circumstances I'd say to play a 45 minutes, 48 hours ago and then coming in and kind of just playing another 45 minutes is a unique situation that you really kind of have to wrap your head around and you got to try and win the game in 45 minutes, right? That's what we wanted to do. And so it's definitely different. You definitely have to get the right mentality for going in for only 45 minutes, but I think we did a great job of that as a group. We knew that we had a strong group and wherever needed to happen, whether it was see a game out, try and chase the game, we had plans for that. So in truth, I think we dealt with it as best as we possibly could and I'm immensely proud of this group for that.
Dickey: I think I would add, too, all of us honestly we're more worried about Sav and all of that happening than the result, than playing the game, than everything. And to hear that she was okay, we're like, yeah, we can move on. But I think at the end of the day, there are things that are bigger than soccer and I think our priority was for the care for her and if we could make up the game, we wanted to do that. And obviously no one wants to play 45 minutes, take a break, play another 45. That gets hard to go out there. It's hard with no fans. But I think we knew what we needed to do and we stuck together and yeah, I think we grinded it out as everybody witnessed.
On the discussion about the space that Fishlock could exploit:
Fishlock: Like I said, it's a really unique situation because both teams got to see the first half of the game on Sunday. And so for us, in truth, I wouldn't say much really changed, just really kind of overemphasizing what we felt and what we knew from Sunday's 45 minutes and perhaps how to be maybe a little bit better exploiting that space. So yeah, that's kind of really all we – I mean, yesterday was difficult. Yes, you're trying to prepare for this, but also you're still talking about and thinking about and hoping that Sav is okay, and so you're not really focusing on this if you know what I mean. You're trying to, but equally you're just kind of taking in, being around everybody, supporting everybody, being with your teammates. And so for that, I think we really didn't focus too much on tactics, if that makes sense.
On being at the top of the league in goalkeeper stats and what's on her mind heading into the Kansas City match:
Dickey: I mean, I think before we even talk about that, I think we give up a lot of shots, but they're always like, I'm never having to do that much. If you really look at it a few times in a few games, I have to make a diving save. But I think our defense, our midfield, our forwards have made it so easy for me that it doesn't really feel like that. Someone's brought that up and it was like I think I face shots, but I'm never having to do that much. And I think that's a credit to all the work we put in. And obviously looking towards Kansas City, everybody knows their threats, they have threats all over the field, but I think it's, we've been preparing for this all year. We know what they like, we know what we're good at. So I think limiting that as much as we can and obviously they have, it's going to be difficult, but I think if we push ourselves and we're ready and work together, I think we'll be good.
Fishlock: I'll go on the back of that because Claudia's very humble, as you can see. Claudia's been phenomenal for us this year. Yes, some of the saves she will say are routine for her, but there are also times where she does pull a save out of her behind that I'm just in awe of. She did a couple of those on Sunday actually. And so I would just like to say that she's really grown into the position. We really are able to rely on Clauds in our goal, which is always nice as a group to know that yet you can shoot from 20, 25 yards. We are okay with that because we have Claudia in goal. And I think for me, I start my career here with Hope [Solo] in goal and that's how I felt with Hope in goal. And I feel exactly the same now with Claud goal. And I think that that is one of the biggest compliments you could ever kind of have. But that's the confidence that Claudia gives us in knowing that we have her in our net and not just say but with the ball of her feet too. She's an extra player for us and I can't speak highly [enough] of this girl. She's been absolutely fantastic for us. So I will speak when Claudia can't speak and compliment herself.
On the league's decision to suspend the game at halftime:
Dickey: I don't think anyone watching, anyone playing would've ever felt okay to go back to normal. To try and make it normal on the field to see something happen that way, that close to so many people, and watching the reactions of your teammates and everybody, you never want to see something like that happen. I think when it does, it doesn't really hit you until a little bit after, but it's like soccer is a sport at the end of the day. And I think we obviously aren't super close with her, the people on our team, but I think it's not really fair to anyone. It's not fair to Louisville, it's not fair to the fans, it's not fair to the players to expect them to be able to come out and play their best or play focused. And I think by suspending it got the best probably out of what we could have gotten from that situation. And obviously playing 45 minutes is weird, coming back two days later is weird, but I think it is the right thing to do and I don't think anybody would ever disagree with that.
Fishlock: And I think to the league's credit, they learned obviously and able to make a more informed decision after obviously what happened earlier this year [with Savy King]. And so I really think that from the medical people that we had here, the league, everybody involved, I think they really did their best and they did a great job and we are extremely thankful for that. I'm sure Louisville are extremely thankful for that. And at the end of the day – yes, we play football, yes, we're athletes, but first and foremost we are human beings. We're not robots. You see anybody kind of go through what Sav had to go through right in front of your eyes and as a human being, you're going to get a visceral response. So to go and try to play out a game of football, it's just pretty needless at that point. And yes, okay, obviously coming back and doing all this is weird and it's different, but ultimately I believe it was the right decision.
On subbing on and getting a goal – and the team only playing 45 minutes on Tuesday:
Fishlock: I think honestly it is different. The game is only 45 minutes. It probably was no different to what my role was going to be on the weekend anyway. My role was specifically if we need to win the game going on. And it was like, okay, that's fine. It is a different process because you warm up with a team and then it's only 45 minutes, so you warm up again and then you warm up again and then you warm up again and then you finally get on. And it is hard to get into a game like that. But Maddie [Dahlien] did a great job. Everyone did a great job. The goal came, we switched formation, which I think really helped us too in that moment. We had more bodies higher, and it's a great team goal, great transition goal, Jordyn did great, Maddie did great. So yeah, obviously, different kind of circumstances to come in, but ultimately we knew beforehand kind of what our jobs were and what our roles were. And then it's just down to kind of execution at that point.
