Seattle Reign once again went up two goals, and once again let the lead slip away. This time, however, an 85th-minute goal from Jess Fishlock gave the Reign a 3-2 win on the road against Bay FC.
The Reign improved to 4-4-1 on the road and sit level with eighth-place Angel City on points.
Steve Voght
Here are three stats from the match.
3
The Reign seem to be figuring out how to get the best out of Maddie Dahlien in recent weeks, and she's rising to the occasion. Dahlien had a goal and an assist on Saturday, and she led the match with three chances created (and was close to even higher numbers). She also had a game-leading seven touches in the box.
It's no secret that the Reign were struggling to create and score their chances before the league's monthlong break in June. But they’ve now scored multiple goals in four of their five games after the break. Two things seem to be working well for the team at the moment: their press and their ability to stretch defenses. Getting Dahlien more involved has been a big part of both successes.
Dahlien is now tied with Nérilia Mondésir for a team-high 16 chances created.
Let me be clear: that's far too low. Those 16 key passes rank 52nd in the league. But 10 of Dahlien's 16 key passes have come after the summer break, a hopefully good sign of what's to come for the rest of the season.
Let Danger Maddie continue to cook.
7
Let's give Bay FC credit: their second goal came from an incredibly well-executed set piece. Annoyingly good.
KEIRA BARRY WITH THE EQUALIZER! 🟰 Keira Barry finds the net to tie Bay FC with the Seattle Reign 2-2!
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 7:31 PM · Aug 1, 2026
[image or embed]
Still, the Reign have now conceded seven set-piece goals. Only Kansas City has allowed more (9).
Put another way, one in every three goals the Reign have allowed has come from a set piece.
The bad news: Their next opponent, Angel City, has scored seven set-piece goals. Only Utah has scored more.
The good news: This is a solvable issue and something the team can fix.
3
Thank goodness for Jess Fishlock, who scored the game-winner less than a minute after subbing into the match. It was her 50th regular-season NWSL goal. What an absolute legend.
I don't want to detract from Fishlock's magic, but I do want to give Emeri Adames credit for putting in a massive 20-minute substitute appearance of her own.
I mean, that chipped pass to Fishlock with her first touch was really something special. It's hard to get the timing and pace right, and Fishlock didn't have to slow down at all or change direction to run onto the ball.
JESS FISHLOCK WITH INSTANT IMPACT 💥 Jess Fishlock subs into the match and puts the Seattle Reign up 3-2!
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 7:38 PM · Aug 1, 2026
[image or embed]
Adames not only earned the game-winning assist — her second this season — but she also finished with a shot, four recoveries, one ground duel won, and three defensive contributions (1 tackle, 1 clearance, 1 interception).
Those three defensive contributions were more than all but four Reign starters (Phoebe McClernon, Jordyn Bugg, Sofia Huerta, and Sam Meza). Sally Menti also finished with three, and substitute Madison Curry put in a great shift of her own with five defensive contributions.
Reign head coach Laura Harvey has been clear that Adames is still working on the defensive side of her game. I know that sounds counterintuitive for an attacker, but the Reign have benefitted greatly on the offensive end this month because of their defensive press and effort.
With the Reign being in the unfamiliar place of trying to hold a lead in recent matches, Adames hasn't been called upon as much. Harvey brought the 20-year-old on for the last 20 or so minutes in the Reign's last two matches, and she's been up for the task. With a congested schedule coming up for the Reign, Adames is showing she's ready to build on this growth and earn more minutes.
"When Emeri commits to her defensive role, we sort of know what she brings offensively, and I thought she did that again today," Harvey said after the match. "I thought she did that last week in San Diego and maybe didn't get the reward of the assist or a goal, but tonight she got the reward of doing her defensive role, which is really important when we're winning, and then got the reward of an assist to go with it, which is great."
Susie Rantz
After a three-game road trip, the Reign are finally back at Lumen Field this weekend. On Sunday, August 9, they'll host Angel City FC. The match kicks off at 6 p.m. PT and will air on ESPN.
