Reign at Thorns: Highlights, stats, quotes

Seattle Reign traveled to Portland on Friday night to take on their league rivals, the Portland Thorns. They knew it would be a tough match after their travel woes and weather-delayed match in Orlando, but it wasn't their legs that betrayed them in their 2-0 loss to the Thorns. It was their minds.

The Reign had a player advantage just 9 minutes into the match when Cassandra Bogere was sent off after earning two yellow cards in a one-minute span. But it was Portland who got on the scoresheet twice, as the Reign panicked and were unable to break down the Thorns' low block.

Pietra Tordin headed in Olivia Moultrie's cross in the 28th minute, and Reilyn Turner doubled the lead in the 36th minute on a transitional opportunity.

The Reign created no notable chances for the rest of the match, even after Reyna Reyes earned a straight red card after video review showed she pulled Madison Curry's hair.

The Reign have to move on quickly, as they head to Spokane for three "home" matches on the east side of the state. The first will take place on Wednesday, March 24, against the Kansas City Current. That game kicks off at 7 p.m. PT and will air on NWSL+.

Reign fall to Portland despite two-player advantage

Despite two red cards, Portland was the more threatening side and won 2-0.

Sounder at HeartSusie Rantz

Highlights

Stats

SCORING SUMMARY

28' - Pietra Tordin (Assisted by Olivia Moultrie) - POR

37' - Reilyn Turner (Assisted by Pietra Tordin) - POR

LINEUPS

69' - Brittany Ratcliffe for Ainsley McCammon; Emeri Adames for Emily Mason; Holly Ward for Jess Fishlock

78' - Angharad James for Phoebe McClernon; Sofía Cedeño for Nérilia Mondésir

59’ - Marie Müller for Reilyn Turner; Sophia Wilson for Pietra Tordin

65’ - Jayden Perry for Mimi Alidou

81’ - Julie Doyle for Barbra Banda

POSSESSION

Thorns: 38.2%

Reign: 61.8%

EXPECTED GOALS

Thorns: 1.04

Reign: 0.95

TOTAL SHOTS

Thorns: 8

Reign: 17

SHOTS ON TARGET

Thorns: 4

Reign: 4

SHOTS OFF TARGET

Thorns: 2

Reign: 6

SHOTS BLOCKED

Thorns: 2

Reign: 7

SHOTS FROM INSIDE THE BOX

Thorns: 7

Reign: 9

TOUCHES INSIDE THE OPP. BOX

Thorns: 13

Reign: 40

PASSES

Thorns: 297

Reign: 446

PASSING ACCURACY

Thorns: 71%

Reign: 83.9%

PASSES IN FINAL THIRD

Thorns: 52

Reign: 155

PASS ACCURACY IN FINAL THIRD

Thorns: 50%

Reign: 72.3%

CROSSES (EXCLUDING CORNERS)

Thorns: 2

Reign: 41

CORNERS TAKEN

Thorns: 4

Reign: 8

OFFSIDES

Thorns: 1

Reign: 1

FOULS

Thorns: 7

Reign: 13

YELLOW CARDS

Pride: 1

Reign: 1

RED CARDS

Pride: 2

Reign: 0

Quotes

Laura Harvey

Thoughts on the match:

I think in games like this, I said to the players before the game, I think the team that can handle the emotion of it and let their brains be the thing that dictates what they do [and] tend to be the team that comes out on top. And when they went down to 10, I felt that we just wanted to force it and score. We felt like we needed to score immediately and I didn't think we needed to do that. We needed to move the ball and shift them and make them run and we didn't do that enough. And I think that was our downfall; we just kept trying to force things instead of moving the ball and being a little bit patient. It's like we needed to score immediately. And then in those moments, if you don't play simple and you don't play what the game's giving you, you can give them opportunities to get in the game and that's what we did.

On the two goals the Reign gave up:

I didn't think we should have let the corner be given. And we gave the ball away. We gave the ball away on the second goal. I didn't think we needed to. So I think we could have stopped the corner and I think we just needed to keep the ball and make it more difficult for them to get any transition opportunities because when you're playing against 10 players and nine players, that tends to be the only way they're going to get any opportunities is in transition. And we didn't do a good enough job of that.

On the team still not being patient after the subs:

Yep. And we didn't use the overload enough. We kept playing it wide to people and leaving the 1v1. We have two more players than they do so we could create overloads and we didn't do that enough. But look, the thing when you're fatigued, the first thing that goes is your brain. And with the week that we've had, there was no ... I knew that we would be fatigued because I don't think anyone came into this game feeling the way they should go in into a game because of the week we've had. So look, I said to the players at the end, I'm really proud of them for what they tried to do, but I think we have to learn very quickly how in these moments we can be better.

On the status of injured players:

Mia [Fishel] was hurt in the Orlando game and honestly, we've got three games in a week. I'm not sure Shae [Holmes] and Jordyn [Bugg] will be available for any of them. And with the quick turnaround of all of these games that we've got coming up, we need cover.

Jess Fishlock and Sam Meza

Thoughts on the game:

Fishlock: Well, not great. I think honestly we were fine until the sending off and then when the sending off happened, we just kind of changed what we were doing and stopped what we were doing and didn't play the game for what it was right in front of us. And we were forcing things and then obviously they score and then that just changes the whole game again. And then they score another one and then it's a real uphill battle when you're trying to break a team down like that in general, but then also we made it very hard for ourselves with our decision making on the ball. It just was not good enough from us tonight and that's something that we need to collectively accept and do the work to be better.

On the attacking issues:

Fishlock: Yeah. I think a bit of everything, to be honest. We're either on different pages or credit to Portland, they were working really, really hard to kill the spaces that we were in. Plenty of crosses, but for all of them the keeper collected a lot of them. So that means that they weren't really super effective crosses if the keeper can come and get them. And then obviously like the last, what, 30-40 minutes, they just have eight people in the box. So then you have to think different and you have to play different. And we just didn't do that. We didn't adapt to what they were doing at all. And so we have to really work on it.

On why the team panicked:

Fishlock: I don't know. That's the question that we need to ask ourselves is why did we kind of panic when they had a red card? Why did we rush things? Why did we force things? And obviously, like I know this is going to sound a little crazy, but they kind of seemed a lot calmer. They were just like, right, we're in this 4-3-2 when they know what they're doing and because they were calmer and we were panicked and then all of a sudden they get a second goal because we're super chaotic in that moment. And so this game is going to be a really hard, difficult, painful lesson for all of us.

On the halftime message:

Meza: Yeah. I mean, I think we ... Laura came in half and honestly, she was not happy, rightfully so. And I think for us, it was just about kind of pushing forward. We knew that that half wasn't good enough, and we knew that we needed to kind of try to go back into second half and try and play a little bit more and make better decisions and be a little quicker and move the ball. But ultimately, it just wasn't good enough.

On the difficulties of playing 11v10:

Fishlock: Notoriously everybody knows that playing a man down, let alone two, sorry, a woman down, let alone two is difficult. You saw the last 35 minutes, when they clear it, they just ... And that's what they need to do because that's how they get a reprieve and then it's just kind of like attack the defense for like however long. But in saying that, Portland did a fantastic job in what they did, and we did not do a good enough job in what we were doing. And ultimately, that is why they beat us. So yes, everybody knows it's difficult, everybody knows kind of what it entails and we need to learn and we will. We're a good group and we'll get back to the drawing board and we will do film and we will ask questions of ourselves and we will challenge each other because that's the type of group that we are.

And then we will play it on Wednesday because we have another game on Wednesday and so we have to really get over it pretty fast and move on. And we can be upset right now, I'm frustrated and angry and we can be all those things and we should be, but we need to channel it in a way that means that we will learn from it individually and collectively.