Seattle Reign was riding a seven-match unbeaten streak when they hosted Gotham FC at Lumen Field on Monday. But that streak was broken, as the Reign gave up two goals to a disciplined Gotham team and couldn't find the back of the net themselves. Delanie Sheehan and Esther Gonzalez traded goals in the first and second half to secure the victory for the visitors.
Here are three stats from the Reign's 2-0 home loss.
7
The Reign had seven corner kicks on Monday night against Gotham, their second most all season. Gotham only had two corner kicks. The Reign were getting the ball into dangerous spots and earning set-piece opportunities.
The problem?
The Reign didn't get a single shot from these seven corners.
Gotham allows the fewest shots and lowest expected goals in the league, so the Reign knew they wouldn't get too many chances against an organized defense. At the same time, they needed to make it a lot more difficult for the visitors.
It's not necessarily a surprise that the team couldn't connect. Sofia Huerta has been their primary corner kick specialist, and she just got loaned to Olympique Lyonnais until next summer. Lauren Barnes and Shae Holmes split the job on Monday, and they were close to connecting on a few attempts while not quite hitting the mark on others.
Gotham also defended extremely well. Here's hoping the team can find better connections in future matches.
0
The Reign didn't connect a single cross. They had 12 attempts, and that doesn't count their seven corners. Their lack of connection is not necessarily a surprise. After Jordyn Huitema was a late scratch due to illness, Laura Harvey started Ji So-yun as the central forward, and she played in more of a withdrawn role. With no clear target in the box, and a goalkeeper like Ann-Katrin Berger who is strong in the air, the Reign weren't a consistent threat off crosses.
It made plays like this late cross frustrating, as Gotham had four players defending one Reign player in the box.
Still, newcomer Hanna Glas sent in a few good crosses that provide some promise for the future. Hopefully, a bit more time with her new teammates can turn these half chances into big chances.
12
While she's not going to get the credit that she deserves this season because of how many goals the Reign have conceded (a league-high 34), Phoebe McClernon continues to be a lock-down defender and leader on the backline.
McClernon ended the game with a match-high 12 defensive actions. She won two tackles, had 11 recoveries and two blocks, made five clearances, and won five of six ground duels. And she did all of that without committing a single foul.
McClernon has been the Reign's most consistent defender for the last year and will hopefully be a staple on the backline for years to come.
The Reign (5-10-5) head back on the road this weekend to face the Houston Dash (3-12-5), who have lost their last six matches. The game kicks off Saturday, September 21, at 5:30 PM PT and will air on NWSL+ and KONG TV.
