Seattle Reign head into the monthlong break in NWSL play on a down note, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Washington Spirit on Saturday afternoon at Audi Field.
Leicy Santos put Washington ahead in the 18th minute on a direct free kick, and Seattle leveled things up just before halftime when Maddie Mercado challenged for a Madison Curry long ball and forced an own goal. Unfortunately, Hal Hershfelt's 81st-minute strike, assisted by Trinity Rodman, gave the Spirit the win.
Seattle finishes the first part of the season at 4-5-2 with 14 points, while Washington improves to 6-2-3 with 21 points. There are still 19 games remaining in the season, and plenty to improve upon for the Reign.
June Ash Eden
Highlights
Stats
Scoring Summary
18' — Leicy Santos — WAS
44' — Own Goal — SEA
81' — Hal Hershfelt (assisted by Trinity Rodman) — WAS
Lineups
Our squad kicking things off today in D.C. 🔥 Lineup Notes ➡️ rgnfc.com/4dR7Vuu
— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc.com) 2:38 PM · May 30, 2026
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45' — Sam Meza for Ainsley McCammon; Nerilia Mondesir for Holly Ward
65' — Mia Fishel for Sally Menti
87' — Emeri Adames for Maddie Mercado; Brittany Ratcliffe for Angharad James-Turner
Your starting lineup taking on Seattle Reign 🌸
— Washington Spirit (@washingtonspirit.com) 2:47 PM · May 30, 2026
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66' — Claudia Martínez for Sofia Cantore; Andi Sullivan for Rebeca Bernal; Esme Morgan for Élisabeth Tsé
82' — Paige Metayer for Gabrielle Carle; Gift Monday for Leicy Santos
POSSESSION
Spirit: 49.7%
Reign: 50.3%
EXPECTED GOALS
Spirit: 1.83
Reign: 0.53
TOTAL SHOTS
Spirit: 12
Reign: 5
SHOTS ON TARGET
Spirit: 3
Reign: 2
SHOTS OFF TARGET
Spirit: 8
Reign: 2
SHOTS BLOCKED
Spirit: 1
Reign: 1
SHOTS FROM INSIDE THE BOX
Spirit: 8
Reign: 3
TOUCHES INSIDE THE OPP. BOX
Spirit: 21
Reign: 19
PASSES
Spirit: 397
Reign: 402
PASSING ACCURACY
Spirit: 80.9%
Reign: 80.3%
PASSES IN FINAL THIRD
Spirit: 114
Reign: 80
PASS ACCURACY IN FINAL THIRD
Spirit: 63.2%
Reign: 46.3%
CROSSES (EXCLUDING CORNERS)
Spirit: 13
Reign: 12
CORNERS TAKEN
Spirit: 5
Reign: 5
OFFSIDES
Spirit: 0
Reign: 0
FOULS
Spirit: 13
Reign: 11
YELLOW CARDS
Spirit: 2
Reign: 3
RED CARDS
Spirit: 0
Reign: 0
g+ GameFlow: NWSL Regular Season Washington Spirit v Seattle Reign on May 30, 2026. #WASvRGN ⚽️🤖
— g+ GameFlow (@gameflow.bsky.social) 6:23 AM · May 31, 2026
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Quotes
Laura Harvey
On the breakdown that led to the second goal and the loss:
I think we were on the front foot and had a lot of momentum at the moment where we conceded the second goal. In those moments we've got to try and suffocate the opponent and make it really challenging. We gave them too much time to be able to do something going the other way, and we obviously had a lot of players committed to the attack. Disappointed not to come away with something.
But I think what we've shown in the two games we've played against these guys — who have a lot of experience, a lot of quality, a lot of winners — is we can hold our own. We've held our own twice now and come out of it disappointed with the result, but maybe not necessarily fully disappointed with our performance. It wasn't the prettiest of performances, but it was a gritty performance that showed good quality at times, defensively and offensively. The deflection off the goal and little bits... just a bit gut wrenching, honestly, because I think we deserved a point out of the game.
On keeping the same starting lineup from the Boston win and the halftime substitutions:
I thought last week we played well, created opportunities, and won the game having been on a really tough run. So I thought it was an opportunity to go with the same lineup, which I don't often do. Sam Meza was still feeling it a little bit so we weren't sure how much she had in her, but I just thought the game needed Sam's energy and a different type of profile on the right — someone who could come inside, which isn't really Holly [Ward]'s game. We got her into the areas we wanted.
On the defending against Washington's wingers:
They did well, but unfortunately we gave Trinity one glimpse and she squares it and they score — and that's what top players do. Those are the moments that are crushing when you've done 95% of the work and that one time you don't get it right, you get punished for it. From a game plan perspective, it was always trying to not allow it to be one-v-one as much as possible and limit service. On the second goal it's a clearance from them and then an attack from us that becomes an attack from them — that's something we pride ourselves on, so we're disappointed with that.
On using the June break wisely:
The internationals are going away. The rest of the group is back in for a few days of training next week before the CBA break. I think we found our good base level of where we're at, but we need to fine tune things to move forward. We've just got to learn from everything we've been through in the first 11 games to kick on in the second half of the season. I've said it to the group all year — the second half's going to be tough. We've got 19 games in 18 weeks. We're not going to have time to do a lot of reflecting because the next game's going to come thick and fast. So we've got to use June properly to prepare ourselves to hit the ground running on July 4th.
Maddie Mercado and Madison Curry
On the game overall:
Curry: It's just disappointing. We came in off a long travel week hoping to get points on the road and put in a good shift at Audi, which I think we did. It's just frustrating to not get the end product, but there's so much to learn and we're going into the June break, reevaluating and rebuilding, and just moving on for the next step.
On the momentum shift after a strong start:
Mercado: I think naturally in games momentum can shift, and it can shift quickly. We started off on the front foot, something that's important to us as a group. But like Maddie said, going into this June break we have to reevaluate how we stay on the front foot for the majority of the game, especially against good teams — because these are the points we need going into the second half of the season.
On whether this is a step back from the Boston win:
Curry: I think we obviously want to win every single game. It's tough when you're on the road and it's tough after a long week, and it's disappointing — but I don't think it sets us back at all. I think it's just a learning tool and we're going to keep getting better from it. I truly think after the June break we're going to be more nuanced in our press and our offensive prowess. It's just going to work out really well for us.
On forcing the own goal and the play from Curry:
Mercado: I'm pretty sure it was MC who played that great ball again — she had one in Boston that we all saw – so we kind of thought we'd be able to expose them. For me, obviously being in that forward role, I just wanted to be able to make those runs and put pressure on that back line. I was a little upset it wasn't me who touched that ball, but at the end of the day it was in the back of the net, so it didn't matter.
On defending Rosemonde Kouassi:
Curry: Spirit has so many great wingers, so it's going to be a tall order regardless of who I got. But I think we worked really hard this week to be ready for those situations. Just being as physical as I can early on — try and set her off her game as much as possible, then just hanging in there, tackle by tackle, moment by moment, with help from my teammates.
