Reign vs. Gotham: Highlights, stats, quotes

Gotham FC put in a professional performance on the road against Seattle Reign, coming away with a 2-0 win at Lumen Field. Delanie Sheehan and Esther González scored for the visitors, while the Reign struggled to create on the offensive end.

The loss snapped the Reign's seven-game unbeaten streak and three-game winning streak. The Reign (5-10-5) are now five points out of the final playoff spot with six games remaining.

The Reign head back on the road this weekend, traveling to Texas to face the Houston Dash. That match kicks off Saturday, September 21, at 5:30 p.m. PT and will air on NWSL+ and KONG TV.

Highlights

Stats

SCORING SUMMARY

41' - Delanie Sheehan - GFC

85' - Esther González (Assisted by Yazmeen Ryan) - GFC

LINEUPS

62' - Nerilia Mondésir for Angharad James-Turner

73' - Veronica Latsko for Tziarra King; Julia Lester for Lauren Barnes

86' - Maddie Mercado for Jaelin Howell; Olivia Athens for Hanna Glas

45' - Lynn Williams for Ella Stevens

77' - Crystal Dunn for Jenna Nighswonger

88' - McCall Zerboni for Rose Lavelle; Cece Kizer for Esther González; Mandy Freeman for Jess Carter

POSSESSION

Reign: 43.3%

Gotham: 56.7%

EXPECTED GOALS

Reign: 0.27

Gotham: 0.93

TOTAL SHOTS

Reign: 7

Gotham: 12

SHOTS ON TARGET

Reign: 3

Gotham: 6

SHOTS OFF TARGET

Reign: 3

Gotham: 3

SHOTS BLOCKED

Reign: 1

Gotham: 3

SHOTS FROM INSIDE THE BOX

Reign: 1

Gotham: 7

TOUCHES INSIDE THE OPP. BOX

Reign: 16

Gotham: 21

PASSES

Reign: 433

Gotham: 576

PASSING ACCURACY

Reign: 79.7%

Gotham: 83.2%

PASSES IN FINAL THIRD

Reign: 119

Gotham: 134

PASSING ACCURACY IN FINAL THIRD

Reign: 70.6%

Gotham: 70.1%

CROSSES (EXCLUDING CORNERS)

Reign: 12

Gotham: 15

CORNERS WON

Reign: 7

Gotham: 2

OFFSIDES

Reign: 2

Gotham: 1

FOULS

Reign: 6

Gotham: 7

YELLOW CARDS

Reign: 1

Gotham: 1

Quotes

Laura Harvey

Overall thoughts on the match:
"I think we looked lethargic, reactive a little bit. Yeah, I didn't think our quality was good enough. When we won the ball back, we had moments where we could play our way out of a bit of trouble and we'd give the ball away and then they'd be back on us a little bit. I think it was a tough night for us. Our motto is 'always stay in the game', and I felt at 1-nil we were staying in the game, but the second goal was a killer – from pretty much nothing, too. I think it'll be good for us to look at. But I said to the players after the game, tonight would have been a real bonus to get three points in, but the harsh reality is, the next three games are the most important with who we're playing. So, we've got to dust ourselves off real quick and get ready to get on a plane again to go to Houston."

On Hanna Glas getting her Reign debut:
"I thought she did well. She's up against a tough opponent. Ella [Stevens] has had a fantastic season, and then you take Ella off and you bring on Lynn Williams, who speaks for herself. I felt we honestly kept them quiet on the left-hand side of the field for the majority of the game. I think Rose [Lavelle] was the only one, really, who ever caused us a problem on the left when she was there. So yeah, I thought Hanna did great."

Jaelin Howell and Quinn

Their overall thoughts on the match:
Quinn: "I think it was a tough match overall, to be honest. I think there were moments when we showed our quality, but just overall our decision-making on the ball and maintaining possession, I think we could have done a lot better. I think just finding moments when they have the ball to get pressure and set a trap, we found that at the beginning of the second half, but as we fatigued it was just becoming more and more difficult. So, I think for us, we're going to look back on that and see how we can create more pressure pockets and kind of solidify or press in that way."

Jaelin Howell: "Yeah, I'd agree. I think that there's moments of really good football and there's moments, obviously we're going to look back on and know we have to work on this late in the season. I thought we had a couple quality opportunities, limited theirs until the goals and obviously, that's the NWSL – you can't let up for one second. So yeah, overall, just looking at it, you've got to learn from it against a very good team and heading into quick turnaround Saturday."

On if it felt like they had a good chance to equalize in the second half when the subs came on:
Howell: "Yeah, I think that we had a couple of good opportunities, like I said. I think just learning how to finish those and you know, we always, I think, take pride in our subs coming on and upping the level, and I think they always do that. I think it was no different in this game, and obviously going down early, we're pushing for that goal. So, I think it's huge when our subs come on and give us that boost. We're going to obviously continue to need that."