For the first time ever, the Seattle Reign have defeated Bay FC at Lumen Field.
It wasn't always easy. The rain set in, and on the wet turf the visiting side had a couple of moments that had Seattle faithful collectively biting their fingernails. The Reign were the better side throughout, though, and in the end, a second-half Sofia Huerta penalty kick goal and a stoppage-time finish by Brittany Ratcliffe were more than enough to secure all three points.
As has become something of a calling card this year, the Reign started the match hot, controlling possession, winning the ball back high up the pitch, and taking all the shots for the first 30 minutes. Maddie Mercado flashed a header wide on a 16th-minute set piece that almost came off, then came agonizingly close to securing the lead off her right foot 8 minutes later, only to watch the ball skip inches outside the far post. Sally Menti had a look from a set piece, Phoebe McClernon had a go with her head off a corner, and Nérilia Mondésir put her own shot just wide on a fast transitional chance.
After the 30th minute, though, Bay FC had their best stretch of play, finding soft space to play through the middle and nearly taking advantage in the 32nd. Rachael Kundananji received the ball in Cassie Miller's penalty area and got a shot off from the six-yard line, but Miller was up to the challenge and kept the game scoreless heading into the second half.
The Reign adjusted well at halftime, and while they didn't have a single run of chances quite as good as their early flurry, they played a more methodical game that found the big moments it needed to. The most important came in the 50th minute – Mondésir received the ball on the run, turned the corner on Jenna Nighswonger heading into the penalty area, and was tripped as she fought her way off the endline. Referee Lauren Aldrich wasted no time pointing to the penalty spot.
A minute later, Sofia Huerta coolly slotted the ball home past Jordan Silkowitz for a lead the Reign would not relinquish.
While Bay FC did generate some chaos as the half developed, they were never able to manufacture a clear-cut chance to tie the game. Their best opportunity came in the 62nd minute, when Claire Hutton took a rip from 25 yards out. With the wet ball and wet turf, the ball moved in some odd ways, and while Cassie Miller was able to push the ball off the post, she was out of the play for the rebound. Cristiana Girelli charged for the loose ball and open net, but with the ball bouncing oddly and the turf running fast, it was a more difficult chance than it might've looked, and she delivered it harmlessly into the stands.
A series of substitutions helped the Reign take over the game again, and they were able to nurse the minutes away until, two minutes into a brief period of stoppage time, Brittany Ratcliffe got the ball with space in front of her and set her sights on goal. Jordan Silkowitz charged out to cut off her angle, but Ratcliffe made no mistake, delivering a killer finish to give the Reign the 2-0 lead, securing a third consecutive win and perfect nine-point homestand.
WHAT WORKED: Coming up Coco
Sometimes overlooked amidst the Reign's crop of kids coming good, Nérilia Mondésir has quietly put in hard work and quality performances whenever she's been called upon this season. Given the start against Bay FC, she was one of the hardest-working players on the pitch, putting in tantalizing crosses and fighting for every inch of space and every touch she could get on the ball. Her hard work paid off in the 50th minute, when she turned the corner on Jenna Nighswonger, won position to run on goal, and ultimately drew the penalty.
Sofia Huerta stepped up to the mark and delivered yet again, giving the Reign a deserved lead early in the second half.
Captain Sofia Huerta from the spot for her 40th career NWSL goal! 🎯
— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc.com) 6:34 PM · Sep 12, 2026
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WHAT WORKED: Putting a ribbon on it
A late substitute to help close out the game, Brittany Ratcliffe came on to play the role she's played so many times this season. She did that and then some, killing the game off in emphatic fashion with her third goal of the season and first since her March 25th tally against Kansas City.
While the Reign had been the better side, the score was still just 1-0 in the 89th minute when Ratcliffe replaced Mondésir, all too vulnerable to that one bad moment that's sometimes plagued the 2026 Reign. She made sure the three points came home, capping Mia Fishel's delivery with an absolutely lethal run and finish to close things out.
Brittany Ratcliffe putting the cherry on top of another three point performance at Lumen Field 🍒
— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc.com) 7:17 PM · Sep 12, 2026
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WHAT WORKED: Miller Time
With Claudia Dickey sitting out a match after her late-game injury against San Diego, Cassie Miller stepped up one more time and put in another solid ninety minutes between the pipes, keeping the Reign's shutout streak alive and making a big stop on Rachael Kundananji and fighting off two hard, weird shots that took some unexpected movement coming off the wet turf along the way.
WHAT (ALMOST) DIDN'T WORK: Seattle Sunshine
Over the course of the match, Bay FC created very little, but the Reign let them hang around until late, and the rain nearly gave them the sort of chance they'd been unable to fashion with their passing or running. Claire Hutton let loose a cannon of a shot from well outside the penalty area, and it was all Miller could do to push the ball off the post. The rebound nearly fell kindly to Girelli, but took an odd bounce off the turf, and coming too hard at the loose ball to adjust, Girelli skied what could've been the game-tying shot.
The let off of Girelli's finish notwithstanding, it was a real uncomfortable moment brought about by the same weather that's so often been the Reign's ally.
"They skipped that press"
Reflecting on what the team could learn from the match, Sofia Huerta went right to Bay's tactical approach:
"I think Bay did a good job. We're a team who wants to be on the front foot and wants to press and keep teams in their half, and they skipped that press. I think we struggled a little bit with that. They had really good hold-up play, they were getting in behind, and it caused us some problems, especially in the first half. That was uncomfortable for us. I think you're going to be able to look at this game and take a lot out of it, in case we see a picture like this again."
Cassie Miller responded with a laugh when asked about the changes that led the Reign to scoring in fourteen consecutive matches, after going scoreless in five-plus:
"Well, they're scoring a lot on me in practice! But I think, honing in on getting better individually, and then also bringing that collectively together, pushing each other at practice. There's maybe not, like, a switch, but the focus can change. Video for us completely changed after the CBA break. [...] Laura's a genius when it comes to tactics like that, so everyone learning from the best and everyone pushing each other in the locker room and on the field is the biggest thing."
"Oh, forget about it, go to goal!"
On Britanny Ratcliffe's late insurance goal, Laura Harvey had plenty to say:
"I think Brit's a really good closer for us. She has energy, she'll work really hard, she's gritty. She's a competitor. And then on top of that, she showed some quality. We were just laughing at the end. She was laughing with me – I was like, 'go to the corner – oh forget about it GO TO GOAL!' And it's like she's in my head as I decided go to goal, like 'I need to score this or she's never going to put me in this position again!' Which – probably wouldn't be true, but I'm really happy for her."
Harvey also took some time to talk about Mondésir's role, both in the match and with the club:
"We had a conversation, how I thought Coco at the start of the season was one of our most influential attackers, and trying to get her back to that. I thought she did really well today – I thought she did brilliantly when she played against Louisville, as well, to be fair – but what she's quite appreciative of is that the people she's competing with are all doing really well, too. [...] I think that something, earlier in the year, that we were really reluctant to play is just a ball in behind the opponent to let our forward go do the work. That was an example of why you should do that, because they have the one-v-one ability to hurt the opponent. Coco's either going to get past Jenna, or Jenna's going to have to do something about it. She did, and obviously we drew a penalty from it."
The Reign won't have long to celebrate their win. They next play on the road at Angel City on Wednesday, September 16, at 7:00 Pacific. The match will stream on NWSL+.
