Seattle Reign finish preseason tournament with 1-1 draw

Rookie Maddie Dahlien scored on a solo effort in the first half, but Seattle Reign gave up a late goal and ended the Coachella Valley Invitational with a 1-1 draw against Angel City.

In the 25th minute, Dahlien picked the ball off of centerback Madison Hammond at the halfway mark and dribbled into the box before finishing calmly into the left corner. The forward nearly scored in the first minute after pressing goalkeeper Angelina Anderson and had been pestering Angel City's backline all game.

"I was just staying persistent," Dahlien said about how the goal game together. "I knew I was getting some chances, and I just wanted to put one away, but it was obviously a very collective effort. Everyone was in the right spaces and made it really hard for them to play through, so I wouldn't have been in that position without my teammates."

"Her ability to press is exceptional," Reign head coach Laura Harvey said about Dahlien's effort, adding that the rookie forward's pressing instincts come naturally. "One of the big reasons we wanted to sign her was her ability to be able to press, and we want to give her the freedom to make those choices. Today, you could see her instincts are really good. She knows when to jump, when not to, and even if she gets it wrong, she's so fast she can solve it."

The rookie forward is grateful for this freedom and the welcoming teammates who have embraced her.

"Everyone's been so welcoming and it's really just unbelievable how good this culture is. I really have felt able to play free, which is amazing as a rookie."

The Reign had several other strong looks and could have been up by three goals before the 80th minute. However, with just six rostered players on the field and five non-roster invitees, they gave up the equalizer in the 86th minute when Casey Phair headed in Tori Waldeck's cross from close range.

After the match, Harvey said she was glad that Angel City put the Reign under pressure late.

"What you want in preseason are things that give you a test so you can see things you do well and see things you need to improve on. I was pretty happy when we conceded the goal because it's something that we can make sure we work on and get right. I think sometimes in preseason, if you only ever win and you don't concede, you go in with a false sense of security, and we know we don't need that this year. We need to hit the ground running."

Lineups and rotation

The Reign were without six players who are with their national teams during a FIFA international window. The Reign kicked off with Cassie Miller in goal and a backline that featured Shae Holmes, Lauren Barnes, Jordyn Bugg, and Madison Curry (left to right).

At kickoff, Sam Meza and Olivia Van der Jagt lined up as the two holding midfielders with Maddie Mercado in front of them. Maddie Dahlien started at left wing, Nerilia (Coco) Mondesir at center forward, and Emeri Adames on the right wing. Mondesir will join the Haiti national team in Morocco after Saturday's match.

Phoebe McClernon replaced Lu Barnes midway through the first half in a planned change as the Reign original continues building fitness after an extended injury absence last season. Halftime saw additional changes, with Ainsley McCammon entering for Mondesir, while Claudia Dickey replaced Miller in goal. Mercado moved up a line to the center-forward position, and Meza slotted in as the attacking midfielder.

The Reign put a lot of pressure on Angel City in the first 15 minutes of the second half, but the team tired a bit by the 60th minute and let Angel City create a few dangerous chances. These moments came as the Reign brought on three new players. Non-roster invitee Sofia Cedeno came in for Emeri Adames, and Hanna Glas and Emily Mason settled into the backline at right fullback and centerback, which pushed McClernon into a surprising holding midfield role alongside McCammon.

In the 74th minute, Kailyn Dudukovich and Julia Lester came on for Meza and Holmes. Dudukovich, a new non-roster invitee, was Ohio State's all-time leading goal scorer. A First-Team All-American for the 2024 NCAA season, Dudukovich had a great look in the 78th minute. Dahlien again stripped her defender and found Dudukovich in the box. She shot with power, but Anderson came up with a big save and pushed it out for a corner.

The Reign got their other non-roster invitees on the field in the 80th minute, with Colorado defender Phoenix Miranda, UCLA midfielder Sunshine Fontes, and Virginia defender Moira Kelley stepping onto the field.

At this point, the Reign had just six rostered players on the field. In the 86th minute, these rotational players conceded the equalizer when Angel City forward Casey Phair leapt over Moira Kelley to head in Tori Waldeck's cross from the left wing from close range.

Key Moments

1' - Dahlien closes down quickly on a back pass to goalkeeper Angelina Anderson and blocks her attempted pass but can't get the ball around Anderson. Angel City is able to clear.

7' - Curry sends a cross-field switch over the top to Dahlien, who beats her defender, but she tries to cut inside and gets cut off by an Angel City defender. Adames tries a similar play a minute later, cutting inside from the right to get on her preferred left foot, but she can't find an opening.

18' - Angel City crosses to the far post and volleys in a shot that goes just wide. This was their most dangerous chance of the first half.

20' - Dahlien steals the ball in the Reign's half and dribbles to the top of the box, playing the ball out wide to Mondesir, who tries to slip a pass back to Dahlien in the box, but the ball is hit a little too hard and falls to Anderson.

24' - Phoebe McClernon subs on for Barnes.

25' - SEATTLE REIGN GOAL: Dahlien scores to put Seattle Reign up 1-0. She picks the ball off of Madison Hammond at the halfway mark, then dribbles into the box before finishing calmly into the left corner.

31' - Holmes is allowed to dribble all the way up the field and finds Mondesir at the top of the box. She spins and passes to Meza, who unleashes a shot from just outside the box that goes over the bar.

35' - Adames takes a free kick from about 25 yards out that is heading for the upper left corner but is tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Anderson for a corner. Mondesir is called for a light foul on the ensuing corner.

46' - Adames gets a pass in the box and makes good contact on her shot, but Anderson has the near post covered and makes the save. A minute later, Holmes sends in a dangerous cross from the left that Anderson manages to punch away just before Mercado gets there.

52' - Holmes gets her head on Adames' corner kick, but it bounces off the crossbar and goes out for a goal kick.

58' - Adames gets another shot off after Mercado finds her on the right wing. It's taken with a lot of power but falls right to Anderson.

65' - After combining well around the top of the box, an Angel City forward tries to chip a shot to the far post, but Dickey manages to grab it cleanly.

77' - Maddie Dahlien again strips her defender and passes it to non-roster invitee Kailyn Dudukovich. She gets a great look, but Angelina Anderson comes up with a big save.

79' - It looked like Julia Lester's touch pushed a Reign corner kick over the line before Anderson pushed it away, but the referee did not give the Reign a goal.

86' - ANGEL CITY GOAL – Forward Casey Phair leapt over Moira Kelley to head in Tori Waldeck's cross from the left wing from close range.

One key quote

"I think anytime we get to play against another NWSL team is obviously a great opportunity just to get on the field. Obviously, the internationals weren't here, so it gives other people the opportunity to get some minutes and kind of see where the team is, where you are individually. I think it was super exciting. I think the team did well considering not having the full team. I think we were all eager to obviously do well and learn and keep growing." - Sam Meza