Reign vs. Royals: Highlights, stats, quotes

Friday night was all for Lauren Barnes, the Seattle Reign original who announced she would retire from soccer at the end of the season. The Reign were playing in their final regular-season home match of the year — and they had a mission to win it for Lu and clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Both goals were accomplished, as the Reign defeated the Utah Royals 2-1. Ainsley McCammon headed in Maddie Dahlien's cross in first-half stoppage time to open the scoring and notch her first professional goal.

Paige Monaghan stole the ball from Dahlien in the 61st minute and dribbled from half before cutting inside and curling a shot into the upper left corner. The Reign didn't wait long to get on top again, as Sofia Huerta buried her penalty into the lower left corner after Maddie Mercado was brought down in the box.

After a FIFA international break, the Reign (10-7-8) conclude the regular season on the road against the Orlando Pride (11-8-6). If the Reign can win that one, which takes place on November 2, they will host the first round of the playoffs.

Highlights

Stats

SCORING SUMMARY

45+2' - Ainsley McCammon (assist by Maddie Dahlien) - SEA

61' - Paige Monaghan - UTAH

67’ - Sofia Huerta (Penalty) - SEA

LINEUPS

67’ - Jess Fishlock for Mia Fishel; Phoebe McClernon for Madison Curry

90’ - Shae Holmes for Maddie Dahlien; Angharad James-Turner for Sam Meza

62’ - Lara Prasnikar for Janni Thomsen

73’ - Brecken Mozingo for Cloe Lacasse

85’ - Dana Foederer for Aria Nagai; Aisha Solorzano for Bianca St-Georges

POSSESSION

Reign: 47.5%

Royals: 52.5%

EXPECTED GOALS

Reign: 1.51

Royals: 0.84

TOTAL SHOTS

Reign: 11

Royals: 13

SHOTS ON TARGET

Reign: 4

Royals: 4

SHOTS OFF TARGET

Reign: 3

Royals: 6

SHOTS BLOCKED

Reign: 4

Royals: 3

SHOTS FROM INSIDE THE BOX

Reign: 8

Royals: 7

TOUCHES INSIDE THE OPP. BOX

Reign: 22

Royals: 19

PASSES

Reign: 337

Royals: 377

PASSING ACCURACY

Reign: 71.5%

Royals: 75.1%

PASSES IN FINAL THIRD

Reign: 98

Royals: 103

PASS ACCURACY IN FINAL THIRD

Reign: 57.1%

Royals: 57.3%

CROSSES (EXCLUDING CORNERS)

Reign: 12

Royals: 16

CORNERS WON

Reign: 9

Royals: 2

OFFSIDES

Reign: 1

Royals: 0

FOULS

Reign: 8

Royals: 15

YELLOW CARDS

Reign: 0

Royals: 2

RED CARDS

Reign: 0

Royals: 0

Quotes

Laura Harvey

Thoughts on the match:

I thought we did some great stuff. I thought we did some really good stuff at times. The girls worked really hard defensively, they have some threats, but I thought we nullified them a lot in regards to what they tried to do. Disappointed with the goal, Maddie's kicking herself, but just because of how it came about and I thought it was completely against the run of play at the time, but goals change games and I just heard Ainsley talk about it. Then they came in right before halftime and we were talking about a few things we needed to just solidify before halftime and Ainsley actually was the one going, 'We need a goal guys, we need a goal, let's go for it.' And just says a lot about her. Right. So yeah, I thought there's still things that we want to get better at and we are pushing ourselves to get better at, which it is such a late stage of the season is a great mindset to have and just really, really proud of the group.

I think to get into the playoffs to be third as we are sitting here right now after the year we had last year is a phenomenal achievement by the group, the collective, everybody, staff, players, everyone bought in. I think we were the team that started preseason the earliest out of all the teams in the league. We definitely did buy in from a staff perspective and that hard work has paid off to get where you want to be. Obviously we know we've got one game left and now it's sort of in our hands to bring a home playoff back to Seattle. So yeah, we're excited to be able to have a breather, the 12 games in 12 weeks. We've never had to deal with that before. It's been an absolute grind, but we've got there in the end. And yeah, really just proud of the group overall and tonight's performance and just the whole last 12 weeks, honestly.

On Ainsley McCammon's performances in recent weeks:

The thing that Ainsley has, which is so unique for someone of her experience, is she's already a leader already. It is already in her and she's not afraid to use it. And that's what makes me really smile because one, we preach about our environment and now enabling people to do that and she's a really good example of someone who's doing it and then her play, her passing range has always been exceptional from the day she walked into our club, the part of the game that she had to just keep improving on and getting better at was all the other parts of the game. How quickly people come and put pressure on you, how quickly the ball moves on when you're defending, all those things. But the last two games, I think she's been fantastic and I was so happy for her tonight. One to get the goal, but two, to get the accolade of player of the match. She absolutely deserved it.

On Phoebe McClernon not starting and if it was injury related:

Yeah, she picked up a knock in the Bay game. That's why she came out of that game. And then, yeah, she didn't train until yesterday properly and so I chatted to her and it's Lu's game. I didn't start Lu because it was Lu's game. I started Lu because Phoebe wasn't available and I spoke to Phoebe and said, look, if we need you, we will use you. If we don't, we won't. And Maddie Curry's got a little niggle, nothing bad, but that was the reason for putting Phoebs in, and I thought Lu was exceptional. I thought she was flawless, honestly, which with the week she has and how emotional, she mentioned it before the game when she came in from warmup and she had the little moment I was hugging her thinking, oh no, because that's a lot for someone. But she was exceptional, absolutely exceptional, which is good.

It's good for us because Phoebs has been is a huge key to the way that we play and the way that we defend. And the one game she didn't play this year was Portland away. So to sort of let the group feel what it's like to potentially not have Phoebe, not because we don't want to have Phoebe, but – touch wood – if something ever happened and we didn't have her, now they know they can do it. I think that's a huge mental thing for us as well. But none of it's major. Sally [Menti] will be back by Orlando. If this was a playoff game, Sally could have been available today. And the same, Phoebs could have. Yeah, Phoebs would've been if this was a playoff game; she'd have played. So we're in a good spot. Obviously we send them all off now onto international duty and I pray they play zero minutes selfishly.

On Mia Fishel's performance:

Honestly, I thought tonight she was really good. She had that chance off the corner. It was inches. Last week on Jess's goal, she does a great near post run, which creates the opportunity and she's just grinding away and she's had a niggle too, but I think getting her back out again, getting a good 65 plus minutes into her, I thought she held the ball up really well. I thought her and Maddie Mercado worked well off each other and yeah, now it's just a matter of getting her in those moments more and more and more. And we're at the stage of the season where obviously Jordyn Huitema was sick, so she wasn't available today where Mia's responsibility is to do the defensive side of it, hold the ball up and if she can get in goal scoring positions, great. Come next year, that's where we'll sort of really kick in a good preseason and really start to push. These are the most minutes Mia has played in two years, so I'm just very mindful of that.

On starting Sofia Huerta and Madison Curry next to each other:

Yeah, I think the thing with Sofia, she can play lower and she can play higher. We know how good her crossing ability is. You saw it multiple times tonight in different phases and then, I think Curry's been great for us, so consistent, but they're both very similar. So the way Utah sort of structure themselves is that sort of left sided forward stays wide and high, but their right forward comes into the pocket so that suits Lu down to the ground. I was convinced they were going to flip it when they saw Lu on the left, but they didn't. So Curry and Sof can deal with that really well. Sof's 1v1, to be able to get a body across people, is exceptional. So I like the defensive side of it and so can trigger Curry to get higher in the build. And you saw a little bit tonight that I think MC was a little bit more cautious at times after last week in the Bay game, which we spoke about. And it's not about her really, but I think the cool thing tonight was we went to a back five, which we haven't played for a while, but we were aggressive in it and we reap the rewards of it when we got broken that we have bodies around the middle of the goal that we reduce their opportunities to get good opportunities and chances in those moments.

Lauren Barnes and Ainsley McCammon

On her first professional goal:

Ainsley: Yeah, honestly, I'm just so grateful and excited. I think my adrenaline was pumping so hard, I didn't even know what to think, but I was just so happy to get it with this team, we've been working hard for it, so I was just beyond happy.

Lu: Right before her goal, too, she was the one that was yelling, we need to get a goal before half. We need to get a goal before half. And she took it to her own hands.

On getting to play with Lu Barnes:

Ainsley: Yeah, Lu is amazing. Not even just on the field, but off the field. She's the most incredible person. She's so easy to come to with anything we need, and she was so welcoming from the beginning. So to have that coming in as a younger player is a game changer and you don't get that everywhere. So it is so amazing to have someone like her leading and being there every step of the way. So I can't thank her enough.

On the symbolism of a young player scoring in her last regular-season home match:

Lu: Yeah, honestly, it's incredible. I think people have asked just how I'm feeling and seeing this young group starting to take form and lead is exactly what senior players want to see, and this is why it's so easy to kind of walk away from a club that's done so well to invest in the youth. And today's a great example of that. This whole season's a great example of that. We've had never the same starting 11, we've been in and out with either injuries or just performance, whatever it may be. But these young ones have stayed in it and that's hard to do. Ains is probably the best one I've seen do it. She's becoming a true professional. It's been so fun to watch. She's going to be a great player and even this year probably should have seen the field some more and didn't. She's really stuck it out and more so than anything listens and wants to be on the field and wants to be the best professional. And that's all you can ask for. And it's incredible. And that's why you see the results you do. She's been switched on since day one and we've needed her for the last few games and we're going to need her for the future and it's too easy of a decision. So I'm so excited for her and her future.

On making the playoffs:

Lu: Yeah, I mean it's the beauty of this league. We finished 13th last year and we're in third now. It's super competitive and I think this club went in a direction and it's the right direction. I think the average age is probably 23. Me and Jess put that way over the top, so you take us out, but that's scary, right? We are so young and so good and we haven't even touched our ceiling yet, so I can't wait to see what this team looks like in two to five years when your rookies and your young players become that middle group and senior players and they get to fill the shoes of Jess and I. I am so excited to watch and I know that I'm walking away and this club is going in the right direction. That's exactly what I wanted.

On what the vets have brought to the team down this stretch:

Lu: Yeah, I mean I think the balance of what we have on this team is perfect, right? We have leaders that are going to lead by example for these young ones. And yeah, I think Sof and Jess are both such incredible competitors for one, and they kind of instill that hungriness in everyone. And I think, yeah, it's just so fun to play with them. And I'm not surprised with their accolades that they're accomplishing right now. They're both high level players, elite players, but I think even better is what they provide on and off the field and someone. Sof, I've seen her grow into that role over the last few years and she's taking it on and it's really exciting to see and I'm super proud of her. And then Jess has always kind of been our steady leader out there. She's cool and calm in all environments, and I think that's something that helps the team perform like we do. And you see she can start off the bench, she can do whatever, and she's still so impactful. And I think that just goes to show and help these young ones that they can do the same thing. So I think, yeah, seeing that and that balance is incredible.

Ainsley: I think having people come to training every day and instilling that competitiveness and all of the things off the field, the willingness to learn how to ask questions, how to lead, all of those set examples of how to do it and how to become that role. So obviously all of them are, they're going to have it's big shoes to fill, but we're learning from the best. So it's really nice to have so many people that can help us in every way that we need and can come to when we need something or if we don't understand something or if we're trying to just learn how to do it better. But they're all great. They're all such amazing players, such amazing people, can't ask for better role models on the team.