Reign at Pride: Highlights, stats, quotes

Seattle Reign made their longest road trip of the season to start 2026, returning to Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando looking to exorcise some demons from the the 2025 playoffs. The team started on the front foot, nearly scoring in the first minute and challenging Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse several times before Jess Fishlock finally broke through with a hard-struck goal in the 24th minute. The Pride thought they had equalized late in the half, only for their corner kick goal to be called back for a questionable foul in the box during the delivery.

A nearly three-hour weather delay during halftime disrupted play and forced both teams to their locker rooms, and when the weather finally cleared Orlando came out strongly and pushed hard for an equalizer, securing it six minutes into the second half when Barbra Banda powered past the Reign defense and slotted a ball to the far corner.

The match was very transitional after that, with neither team taking solid control of the game as the ball skidded on the slick surface and early-season jitters and fitness challenges became more apparent. Substitute Brittany Ratcliffe, making her Reign debut, entered late in the game and made an immediate impact, settling play for the visitors and charging toward goal to head home a second-chance cross into the box off a Reign corner kick. Seattle emerged victorious in a game against Orlando for the first time in six meetings and now looks forward to their first Cascadia game of the season.

Highlights

Stats

SCORING SUMMARY

24' - Jess Fishlock (Assisted by Nerilia Mondesir) - SEA

51’ - Barbra Banda (Assisted by Haley McCutcheon) - ORL

83' - Brittany Ratcliffe (Assisted by Nerilia Mondesir) - SEA

LINEUPS

61’ - Maddie Mercado for Jess Fishlock

78’ - Emeri Adames for Mia Fishel; Brittany Ratcliffe for Maddie Dahlien

90’ - Angharad James-Turner for Ainsley McCammon; Ryanne Brown for Emily Mason

66’ - Hannah Anderson for Rafaelle

76’ - Luana for Summer Yates; Solai Washington for Jacqueline Ovalle; Reagan Raabe for Oihane Hernández

81’ - Julie Doyle for Barbra Banda

POSSESSION

Pride: 47.3%

Reign: 52.7%

EXPECTED GOALS

Pride: 1.67

Reign: 1.02

TOTAL SHOTS

Pride: 23

Reign: 13

SHOTS ON TARGET

Pride: 8

Reign: 5

SHOTS OFF TARGET

Pride: 11

Reign: 6

SHOTS BLOCKED

Pride: 4

Reign: 2

SHOTS FROM INSIDE THE BOX

Pride: 12

Reign: 7

TOUCHES INSIDE THE OPP. BOX

Pride: 33

Reign: 25

PASSES

Pride: 346

Reign: 389

PASSING ACCURACY

Pride: 75.7%

Reign: 72.8%

PASSES IN FINAL THIRD

Pride: 101

Reign: 125

PASS ACCURACY IN FINAL THIRD

Pride: 63.4%

Reign: 56.8%

CROSSES (EXCLUDING CORNERS)

Pride: 8

Reign: 9

CORNERS TAKEN

Pride: 5

Reign: 2

OFFSIDES

Pride: 2

Reign: 4

FOULS

Pride: 12

Reign: 12

YELLOW CARDS

Pride: 0

Reign: 4

RED CARDS

Pride: 0

Reign: 0

Quotes

Laura Harvey

On overcoming a lot of challenges on this trip to earn a win

I just said to [the team] at the end, I said, we have lived pre-season saying that this season is about us. This season is about us and what we can do and what we're willing to give to ourselves. And I think what you saw tonight is what this group is willing to give to each other. That it doesn't even start today. Our travel day, we sat for 5 hours on the runway because of the snow in Seattle. We didn't get to Orlando until late. Yesterday's training was baking hot and then obviously the weather delay today. But I've said this a lot about this club – when this type of stuff happens, it tends to be when we show up in our best selves.

Total credit to the whole group. During the weather delay, they were discussing things that they could get better at and it was really hard. Like we went out for warm up. The girls were started warming up and then thunder and lightning happened again. So, we all had to come in and we were drenched and cold and wet. You know, a 39 year old Jess Fishlock's body doesn't tend to do great after a 45 minute game and then sitting down for three hours. But these are the things that we said last season we'd never experienced. We've experienced them and now we need to respond. And we didn't come out after the weather break the same as what we'd done in the first half. But credit to the players, they dug in. They showed some grit. They showed some personality. And you know, so happy for Brit getting the winner and then for us to see it out the way we did. I thought we did brilliantly. So yeah, I'm just really, really proud of everybody.

On adjusting defensively and defending against Barbra Banda

You know we are thin at the back; it's Emily Mason's first game at centerback for us. At the halftime break I was saying to her ‘I think they're going to come after you. You're on a booking. You've got to be you've got to be sensible.’ And Banda’s one of the best forwards in the world… in form, she's the best forward in the world, she’s one of the hardest to ever play against. And credit to them, they came out in the second half and realized that Sofia [Huerta] plays a little bit higher and tried to get down that side. But I thought the moment we put Sof lower and got Maddie Curry a little bit higher, the game changed. We became more in control of the game again and [Orlando] became less dangerous. And the players put their bodies on the line in the first half. Phoebe did a block, Ainsley did a block. They were they were in it for each other and that's all I can ask of them, is just do everything you can possibly do, to give everything you've got and then people will come off the bench and do the same, and on the side of the field we're going to give you everything we've got and all of those things, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and tonight thankfully we got the three points.

On momentum and how transitional the game was

Honestly, the pace of the game was great. What I can't handle is how transitional we made it. But it's a little bit as to be expected in first game of the season. I think they're the things we want to tidy up is in that when the game starts to become transitional, we need to get back in control of the game quicker. But I thought if the game had not had the delay, I feel like we would have been a bit of a different team in the second half than maybe we were at the beginning of the second half after the weather delay. We were on the front foot. We were doing well. We were digging in. But weather delays are insane. It's nuts. So I'm just really proud of the players that they dug in. And I told them before the game, I told them yesterday we were going to need everybody and we pretty much did. These games at the start of the season are definitely that. And now we need to switch our attention very quickly to Portland. A very quick turnaround for us.

On Mia Fishel’s performance at central forward

I thought in the first half she was brilliant. The only thing if I was critiquing was that first chance in the first 30 seconds. I said to her “If you had it again, what would you do?” She said she'd hit it first time. But I've said this all the way along. If Mia is willing to do that work, hold the ball up, bring other people into the game, chase things down, press the way she did in the first half, I don't care if she scores a goal ever. I'll take that because she'll create opportunities for other people, but she will get opportunities to score goals if we do all of those things on that side of the ball. So I was really happy for her.

On her new cooler

Honestly, the Yeti is new because of the league sponsorship and one of our trainers, Kyla, I'll give her a shout out, good job, Kai. She came up to me this week and said, “I want to do something that makes your cooler unique.” And she was showing me all of these different things. And she was like, “Do you want to pick any?” And I said, “No, I don't want to know. You do you.” And I didn't know she was going to do it for this week, so when I walked out there at the start of the game, I was just smiling because uh you know, whatever. It's just little things that are just hilarious to me. How obsessed people are with me sitting on a cooler is one of them. But I do want to get a padded seat. That's my next request. So I'm just putting that out in the universe to somebody. If you could get me a padded seat that Yeti [make], let's go for it. I'm in.

On having the team’s longest trip to start the season and a quick turnaround to Portland

When the schedule came out and we knew we were coming back here, having finished here last year, it was like ‘ugh’ but then you look at it and you go ‘[we’re] getting one of the East Coast trips out of the way early.’ It's nice. It would be nicer if Portland had played on the same day, I’m not going to lie. And it would also be nice if we were playing on Friday and weren't playing a midweek like a lot of people aren't, but here we are. We’ve known the schedule's going to be like this for a long time. It doesn't impact our travel. We were always flying out tomorrow. It just might impact the training that we do maybe on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday before we go down to Portland. But coming all this way [to Florida] with all the challenges we had, getting three points, the players now just need to recover quickly. And hopefully, fingers crossed, we can leave tomorrow on time and get back with no problems. That would be absolutely amazing. So, I'm just looking up to hope that that can happen.

Brittany Ratcliffe and Ryanne Brown

Their overall thoughts on the game

Ratcliffe: We had a a pretty tough trip. I think our flight out here was delayed a few hours and then we get out here have a good first half, score first and feel like we're doing good then the rain delay happens and rain delays are good and bad. You get a reset. You get to go over things. But at the same time you have to find a way to stay warm, stay focused and it's hard just sitting when your adrenaline is spiking and then you have to come back down. So, it's not easy, but I'm glad that we were able to get the win considering all of adversity, all of the things we had to go through. It just shows who we are as a team and how we can grind things out when it's not easy. So I'm really proud of the team. I'm really proud of Ryanne and it's a good result for us. It's good to start off the season with three points.

Brown: Just kind of going off what Brit said, it attests to who this team is, who we are. We could have complained about being on a plane for so many hours. We could have complained about the rain delay and having to fly all the way across the country, but we're just kind of locked in this year and we know what we have to offer. So there's going to be no excuses. We're going to come out and play our game. 

On generating more chances and defining their style of play

Brown: I think we're just really starting to click. Last year we were a very new team with a lot of new faces and this year we have a lot of similar people back plus like great additions like Brit, and I think we're just starting to mesh together, learn each other's tendencies, which I think ultimately is going to help us produce more goals and more chances.

On entering as subs and changing the game

Ratcliffe: Yeah, I think every game it's 90 minutes long, there's going to be ebbs and flows. There's going to be moments where you have the ball where you have to defend and you have to grind it out. And as a sub, you can kind of see the field from a third party objective, so we can focus on things. And honestly, at the end of the day, as subs, we need to call ourselves game changers. We need to go in and change the game, whatever that means. Whether that's bringing energy, whether that's keeping the ball, whether that's just running and defending and getting a hard tackle in. I think that's just what is asked of us, whatever our role is. And again, it's a 90-minute game and we need everyone. And I know our team has made that very clear. Like it's not just 11 [starters]. It's all 30, 40. It's all of us. It's the staff, it's the subs, it's the starters, it's everybody. 

On making her first appearance following a long ACL rehab 

Brown: It's super exciting. It's been like a really long time with a lot of ups and downs, but I think what made it a lot easier was like the people I surrounded myself. I have the best support system, the best teammates, that lifted me up through some of those like hard times. So this just kind of makes that moment like a lot more special. 

Ratcliffe: I just want to say something. I think [Ryanne’s] answer is just a testament to who she is as a person and that she loves the people around her and that she makes the people around her better even when she can't be on the field. I've only known her for two months now, and honestly I feel like I've known her for a really long time. I think what makes Ryanne so good is that she's always trying to get better. Literally from the first day of preseason practice she's coming up to me and like ‘Hey where do you want the ball there? Where should I go?’ and she's always trying to learn even if she can't actually like play in the game, and it's just a testament to who she is as a person and a player. I'm so excited for her to be back on the field because she's such a game changer. She's such an important part of the team and having her back is again having her back. I just met her and she's made such an impact on me and it's just really cool that we can help her along, and honestly at the end of the day all credit to Ryanne. She's awesome.

Brown: I'm going to cry. 

On Nerilia “Coco” Mondesir’s two assists 

Brown: I was here when [Coco] first got here, and just to see her growth over the past year or so has been phenomenal. And Coco’s someone who never complains. She just puts her head down and does the work and does whatever it takes to get better. So to see her go out and have such an impact on the game, it was really special to see and I'm super excited for her. I think this is going to be a huge year for her. 

On the game-winning goal

Ratcliffe: Going off of what Ryanne said, Coco's just so lethal in whether she's assisting, whether she's scoring goals. And so whenever you see Coco on the ball, you have to get in the box and be ready because you know something good's going to happen. And she played an amazing ball and all I had to do was deflect it. I wasn't thinking much, just blacked out and I saw it hit the back of the net and I was like, "Coco, great ball." That's all Coco. But again, it's just a testament to the team. Coco did great, Ryanne did great. All of us did great. That's not an easy win. On paper it's going to be three points, but that was a grind and I'm really proud of us. So, all credit to us and we get to go home with three points.

Hopefully no delays on the airplane.