Seattle Reign FC Racks Up Three Points With First Win of the Season

Seattle Reign FC (1-1-0, 3 pts) picked up its first points of the young season, defeating Boston Breakers (0-2-0, 0 pts) in a 3-0 shutout at Jordan Field in Allston, Mass. in front of a crowd of 3,578. Forward Manon Melis, defender Rachel Corsie, and midfielder Kim Little each netted a goal.

Seattle got on the board in the 9th minute when forward Manon Melis scored her first NWSL goal off an assist from Little. Melis finished with a chip over goalkeeper Libby Stout, who got a fingertip on the shot before it found the back of the net.

In the 29th minute, Reign FC rookie Carson Pickett came just shy of her first NWSL goal, taking a pass from forward Beverly Yanez and driving it over the crossbar.

Moments later, midfielder Jess Fishlock was taken down in a clumsy challenge by Boston’s McCall Zerboni and immediately began clutching her left knee. Play halted for several minutes while she was tended to by Reign FC athletic trainer Josh Williams. Fishlock managed to walk off the pitch unassisted and returned to play minutes later, but opted to exit the game in the 40th minute, with Elli Reed entering the match.

Also in the 40th minute, Reign FC notched its second goal, off a corner kick from Kim Little that Rachel Corsie headed beyond Stout’s reach. Breakers forward Stephanie McCaffrey then tried to narrow Seattle’s lead in the 43rd minute by targeting a shot from the left side of the box, but it lacked speed and was easily snatched by goalkeeper Hope Solo.

After the half, the momentum shifted with Boston taking the initiative, leading to a close call by midfielder Brittany Ratcliffe in the 57th minute that ricocheted off the crossbar. Gaps in Seattle’s defense allowed for a few more opportunities, including another shot off the crossbar from defender Julie King in the 67th minute, but none found the net.

Newly-signed midfielder Lindsay Elston had an impressive debut for Reign FC after coming on for forward Merritt Mathias in the 71st minute. Yet it was BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year nominee Kim Little who extended Seattle’s lead to 3-0 in the 79th minute by taking a pass from forward Beverly Yanez down to the left corner of the box and firing a strike straight back across goal to the right corner of the frame.

Hope Solo smothered a shot from forward Morgan Marlborough in the 90th minute to retain a clean sheet.

Tonight’s victory comes after Reign FC saw its first-ever defeat at Memorial Stadium at the hands of Sky Blue FC, falling 1-2 to the New Jersey club on April 17.

Reign FC will return to home on Monday to prepare for next weekend’s rematch of the 2014 and 2015 NWSL championship finals against FC Kansas City on Sunday, May 1 at 4 p.m. PT. Tickets to the match are available at reignfc.com/fckc or by calling (855) REIGN-FC.

Match Report

Match: Boston Breakers v. Seattle Reign FC
Date: April 24, 2016
Venue: Jordan Field – Harvard University (Allston, Mass.)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. PT
Attendance: 3,578
Weather: 52 degrees, partly cloudy

Scoring Summary

SEA – 9’ Melis (Little)
SEA – 39 Corsie (Little)
SEA – 79’ Little (Yanez)

Misconduct Summary

SEA – Caution – Hope Solo
BOS – Caution – Ratcliffe
BOS – Caution –McCall Zerboni

Lineups & Stats

SEA: GK Hope Solo, D Lauren Barnes, D Rachel Corsie, D Kendall Fletcher, D Carson Pickett, M Kim Little, M Jessica Fishlock (41’ Elli Reed), M Keelin Winters ©, F Beverly Yanez, F Manon Melis (84’ Kiersten Dallstream), F Merritt Mathias (71’ Lindsay Elston)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Haley Kopmeyer, GK Andi Tostanoski, D Michelle Cruz, M Havana Solaun
Head Coach: Laura Harvey

BOS: GK Libby Stout, D Julie King (80’ Christen Westphal), D Whitney Engen, D Mollie Pathman, M McCall Zerboni (82’ Stephanie Verdoia), M Angela Salem, M Brittany Ratcliffe (67’ Morgan Marlborough), M Kristie Mewis, M Kyah Simon, F Stephanie McCaffrey
Substitutes Not Used: GK Abby Smith, D Brooke Elby, M Katie Schoepfer
Injured During Warmups: M Louise Schillgard
Head Coach: Matt Beard

Seattle Reign FC press release.