Reign vs. Dash: Highlights, stats, quotes

Seattle Reign put a positive cap on the end of the season, winning their last home match of the year in exciting fashion. Giving a lot of newcomers and fresh faces a chance to feature, the Reign defeated the Houston Dash 2-1.

Olivia Athens scored a banger to open the scoring, but Barbara Olivieri equalized three minutes later on a penalty kick after Lu Barnes took her down. Then, in her first start for the club, Nérilia Mondésir pounced on a loose ball in the box and nutmegged goalkeeper Jane Campbell to seal the win.

The Reign have a week off for the upcoming international break and then have one final match to conclude the season. They'll travel to Florida to take on the Orlando Pride on Saturday, November 2, at 2 PM PT. The game will air on ION.

Highlights

Stats

SCORING SUMMARY

22' - Olivia Athens (SEA)

25' - Barbara Olivieri (penalty) (HOU)

65' - Nérilia Mondésir (SEA)

LINEUPS

73' - Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic for Emeri Adames

80' - Madison Mercado for Tziarra King; Phoebe McClernon for Lauren Barnes; Nikki Stanton for Ji So-Yun

89' - Shae Holmes for Hanna Glas

90+6' - Julia Lester for Jordyn Huitema (concussion sub)

66' - Isabella Briede for Ryan Gareis

77’ - Amanda West for Yuki Nagasato

85’ - Zoe Matthews for Sarah Puntigam; Natalie Jacobs for Allysha Chapman

POSSESSION

Reign: 51.8%

Dash: 48.2%

EXPECTED GOALS

Reign: 1.65

Dash: 1.54

TOTAL SHOTS

Reign: 12

Dash: 10

SHOTS ON TARGET

Reign: 5

Dash: 4

SHOTS OFF TARGET

Reign: 7

Dash: 2

SHOTS BLOCKED

Reign: 0

Dash: 4

SHOTS FROM INSIDE THE BOX

Reign: 10

Dash: 7

TOUCHES INSIDE THE OPP. BOX

Reign: 26

Dash: 21

PASSES

Reign: 475

Dash: 437

PASSING ACCURACY

Reign: 86.1%

Dash: 81.7%

PASSES IN FINAL THIRD

Reign: 107

Dash: 106

PASSING ACCURACY IN FINAL THIRD

Reign: 64.5%

Dash: 74.5%

CROSSES (EXCLUDING CORNERS)

Reign: 10

Dash: 10

CORNERS WON

Reign: 2

Dash: 5

OFFSIDES

Reign: 1

Dash: 3

FOULS

Reign: 8

Dash: 9

YELLOW CARDS

Reign: 0

Dash: 1

Quotes

Laura Harvey

Her overall thoughts on the game:
"I thought we moved the ball well at times. I thought in the first half, up until we scored, I thought we were excellent. They got back into it a little bit after they scored. We didn't control the game as well, but I thought in the second half up until maybe the last five minutes, we really controlled the game. And I think we knew that coming into the game that with the team that we had out, we might give a few things up, but if we could control the ball and we could control the game with the ball, it would give us the greatest chance of winning the game. And I thought we did a good job of that."

On the performance of Athens and Mondésir:
"I thought Liv (Olivia) was excellent. I mean I'm probably emotional about it right now, but I feel like that was her best performance for the Reign, and topped it off with a fantastic goal. And Coco did great. I think we took a risk playing the three of them in midfield. I'm not sure we could do that against all the teams in this league, but I think we really felt we could control the ball. So I think you saw some of Coco's qualities and yeah, she's worked really hard. She's been pushing and pushing to get the opportunity that she got tonight. I am really happy for, honestly, her goal. I can't really remember it apart from it hitting the back of the net, it seemed just to be like, I dunno, pinball or something. But yeah, she's got quality. She can make things happen out of nothing. And yeah, really pleased with both of them actually. I thought it was excellent."

On the defensive performance:
"I thought Veronica did well, especially the second half in front of me. I thought she did really well. I could wax lyrical about JB (Jordyn Bugg) always. It was great having Lu back. I think Lu and Jordyn are a really good pair. They're both calm, they both have really good quality on the ball. And yeah, Lu just tired at the end, obviously it's no secret she's had some injury issues, so she was just really fatigued toward the end of the game. So yeah, I thought Hanna did great, especially in the second half. I think in the first half they really tried to get at her and we had to weather that storm and Claudia made some good saves. So yeah, I think overall really happy with the battle."

Olivia Athens and Nérilia Mondésir

Overall thoughts on the match:
Athens: "Yeah, I think we knew this was our last game at home, so we really wanted to get a win for our fans and to end the season with a win. So that felt really good. So we're really happy with that."

On the Reign's press and how it helped Athens in a deeper role:
Athens: "Yeah, I think whenever you can be aggressive on the front foot, it makes it very predictable for everyone behind. So she (Coco) did a great job at that tonight and I think it showed and helped us a lot. So yeah, I would just say it really helped us get pressure on the ball and make play predictable that we can read and hopefully regain possession."

On getting to wear the captain's armband:
Athens: "Yeah, honestly, I was very shocked and I think I looked at Lu and I was like, are you sure? Obviously it's such a huge honor and it wasn't expected at all. So yeah, very thankful and fortunate that Lu slash Laura trusted me with that responsibility. And yeah, I think it's been highs and lows these last three years, so I think it's just navigating that and realizing that things are so temporary and they could change on a whim. I've gone from not dressing to scoring the next game. I think it's just managing the emotions that come with being a professional athlete and I guess that things take time and I just feel very fortunate to be at this club and to contribute even just a little."

On scoring her first goal and the adjustment to the NWSL:
Mondésir (via a translator): "It's been a new experience for me living in a new country where I don't know anyone, but the team has been really receptive. The fans have been really warm and people have been very cool and helpful and I'm really happy to be here.

"The NWSL is very different from the league that I played in, in France. And I'm lucky to be on a team where my teammates and my coaches are so understanding and supportive and now that I've gotten a goal, I'm really excited to keep working hard and get lots more."