The Reign are back in action on Friday, hosting Bay FC at Lumen Field. The match will kick off on Friday, October 10th at 7:30 PM Pacific, and will be available locally on Fox 13+ and streaming via NWSL+ and Paramount+.
After a rocky run of form, the Reign are starting to find results again, with two wins and a draw in their last four matches, including a come-from-behind 2-1 win over the San Diego Wave to end September and a nervy, scoreless affair against Gotham FC on October 5th. While they haven't necessarily been lighting up the scoreboard with chances or redefining the beautiful game, they've found ways to be effective again, and their ability to just pick up points, no matter how, has them sitting in 5th place, just one point out of 3rd.
On Friday, they host Bay FC, a club with some real talent to build for the future, but none of the results to show for it this year. Sitting in 13th place, Bay hasn't won an NWSL match since June 25th, when they defeated the Portland Thorns 1-0. Since that victory, they've gone on a twelve-match winless streak, taking just 4 of 36 possible points. Though they are already eliminated from playoff contention, Laura Harvey was resolute about not looking past them.
"You know, I always think the teams that don't have anything to play for can be the teams that are the hardest to play against. Because they're playing for one thing, and one thing only, and that's pride. And that can overpower anything. So, you know, I'm very aware of that. I've made the players very aware of that – that we're fighting for something bigger than that, and the weight can be huge. Strip that weight off and just go back to process, and what we try and do every week. That's what'll enable us to be able to go and execute."
The Reign may have some reinforcements for the match, as they recalled Maddie Mercado and Olivia Van der Jagt from their loans to the USL Super League's Carolina Ascent and Spokane Zephyr FC, respectively.
Head-to-Head
- The Reign are 0-2-1 all-time against Bay FC, who joined the league in 2024.
- That includes a 0-1-0 record at home.
- The Reign have scored 3 goals while conceding 5 in this matchup.
Recent results
- Bay FC are on a twelve-match winless run, and have lost their last two matches, 2-0 against Utah Royals and 2-1 against Portland Thorns. They have just 4 points in that stretch.
- The Reign are rounding into form despite ongoing scoring struggles, going 2-1-1 in their last four, including a 2-1 come-from-behind win over San Diego Wave and a 0-0 road draw at third-place Gotham FC.
- Both sides have struggled to find the back of the net in recent games, each scoring just three goals in their last five matches.
2024 results
- Bay FC advanced to the playoffs in their first NWSL season, finishing in 7th place. They lost to eventual runners-up Washington Spirit in the first round.
- They scored 31 goals and conceded 41, finishing with an 11-14-1 record.
- The Reign ended in 13th place with a 6-15-5 record.
Recent moves
- Bay FC had a quiet offseason. They parted ways with defender Savy King and midfielder Deyna Castellanos. They added rookie forward Karlie Lema, rookie midfielder Taylor Huff, and veteran defender Kelli Hubly.
- Since the start of the season, Onyeka Gamero transferred to Bay FC from Barcelona, Brooklyn Courtnall joined Bay FC on loan from North Carolina Courage, and Asisat Oshoala transferred from Bay FC to Al Hilal.
- The Reign added Mia Fishel from Chelsea in the secondary transfer window. They also recalled Maddie Mercado from her loan to USL Super League side Carolina Ascent, and Olivia Van der Jagt from her loan to Spokane Zephyr FC.
Bay FC players to watch
Kiki Pickett: Arguably the most important player for Bay this season, Kiki Pickett has had the largely thankless job of trying to keep their midfield shape intact while the attack fails to score goals. She covers a ton of ground, wins a ton of tackles, and is fairly good at progressing the ball. She also loves to shoot from distance, and has scored a couple memorable ones this year by doing so – including the Goal of the Week from week 5.
KIKI PICKETT WITH THE ROCKET FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX 🚀😱 Congratulations to the Week 5 Goal of the Week Winner 🥳
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-04-22T18:50:13.723Z
Racheal Kundananji: Arguably the other most important player for Bay this season, their offense can frequently be summed up as get the ball to Racheal and hope she does the spectacular. While injuries, rotations, and bad results have forced them to try other looks from time to time, Kundananji remains about their only consistent source of offense. A natural winger who can play centrally when the game calls for it, Kundananji is quick and technically gifted, clever on the dribble, and dynamic in pressuring and harassing back lines. While she's only scored four times this season, she's one of the league leaders in expected assists and one of the best defensive wingers in the game today.
Taylor Huff: What to do when "get the ball to Racheal" doesn't yield a goal has been a bit of an enigma for Bay FC, but against Utah and Portland, they've found at least a bit of offense out of using Karlie Lema's straight line speed and holdup play to pull defenders, and Taylor Huff's aggressive crashing out of midfield to generate second-chance opportunities. Huff scored Bay's lone goal, her third of the season, in last week's 2-1 loss to Portland, taking the layoff from Lema at the top of the area and striking it clean.
Karlie Lema sets it up, Taylor Huff finishes it 👏 The rookie's third goal of the season!
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-10-05T02:48:08.718Z
What to watch
A Team In Search of Identity: Albertin Montoya (who has already announced he will step down at the end of the season) has tinkered frequently with the lineup, trying to find a formation, an XI, a spark plug, anything that'll turn things around on a lost season for Bay. For the most part, those efforts have been fruitless, and it's also led to a team that, in the final month of play, largely doesn't know where their teammates will be, and loses track of opponents in possession and transition.
Despite the struggles, they often look like a team that should be better. There's quality on the team, and there are moments – patterns – that show what they could be. They play well on the balance of the match and then lose in big moments: a new formation, a new lineup trying to find a foothold, and then all at once, a striker not converting, a runner lost on the ensuring counter, a goal against they can't ever seem to find a way to claw back.
A radar chart of a second-to-last-place team, average to above-average in almost every measured stat.
Can Anyone Buy A Goal: Both the Reign and Bay have struggled to score, both on the season as a whole and in their recent form specifically. The lack of scoring also reflects limited good opportunities – Bay has generated just 4.5 xG (per Opta) across five matches, scoring three times in that period. The Reign are even more dire, generating just 3.1 xG in their last five. While both the Reign and Bay have players who can score goals and create magic, neither have found ways to consistently generate repeatable, high-quality chances this season.
Familiar Struggles, Different Outcomes: Many of Bay FC's struggles – lack of scoring, lack of chances, lack of cohesion, star players not converting the chances they get, constant lineup tinkering – will sound familiar to Reign fans. In many ways, the Reign's underlying numbers and roster core underperformance look worse. Despite that, the Reign are on the cusp of the playoffs with 9 wins and 34 points, and Bay already eliminated, winless in more than three months. The margins in this game are narrow, and the margins in NWSL narrower than most.
And the Reign absolutely cannot afford to look past Bay, a better team than their results and a team they've never beaten, just because of the gap in the standings.
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
OUT: Lynn Biyendolo (knee), Ryanne Brown (knee), Veronica Latsko (SEI – lower leg), Sally Menti (lower leg), Cassie Miller (D45 – leg), Olivia Van der Jagt (excused absence)
Bay FC
OUT: Abby Dahlkemper (maternity leave), Onyeka Gamero (SEI – knee), Melissa Lowder (SEI – knee), Emily Menges (maternity leave)
How to Watch
The Reign will host Bay FC on Friday, October 10th at Lumen Field in Seattle. The match will kick off at 7:30 PM Pacific, available on Fox 13+ in the Seattle area and streaming on Paramount+ and NWSL+.
