All even in Jersey, Reign draw Gotham 0-0

The Reign went to New Jersey and came away with an elusive result, holding the prolific, high-scoring Gotham side scoreless and eking out a draw on a warm Sunday afternoon.

Hardly a vintage performance, the Reign nonetheless put in a gritty and effective shift, limiting Gotham's chances and frustrating their marquee attackers despite the home side holding a 64-36 possession advantage and a 10-1 shot advantage. While Gotham had a couple of moments of real danger, neither found the back of the net. Claudia Dickey came up huge yet again in the 30th minute, stealing a goal from Rose Lavelle with a fingertip save off the crossbar. Later, in the 88th minute, Midge Purce put on a dribbling clinic, only for Esther Gonzalez' acrobatic attempt at her delivery to skitter just wide of the far post.

Beyond those two opportunities, the best looks for Gotham came out of occasional moments of chaos, and the Reign were ever quick to regain their shape, block shooting lanes, hit it clear, and deny clear-cut chances. As the match wore on, they also found some opportunities to nick a goal of their own and flip the script.

Mia Fishel, freshly subbed on in the 72nd minute, had an immediate moment of quality. She played Dahlien in behind, and Dahlien's quick cross to Huitema at the far post forced a desperate, fingertip interception out of Berger to prevent an easy layup goal. While not recorded as a shot, it was likely the Reign's best look of the afternoon.

In stoppage time, Ainsley McCammon finally came away with the Reign's only shot of the game, as a late corner led to a sustained run of pressure – her touch on the vertical delivery was just mistimed, and Gotham blocked and ultimately cleared the ball to safety.

In the end, neither team could break the deadlock, and though Gotham had the better of the play, neither team could really be surprised at coming away scoreless. Elvis Osmanovic blew the whistle for full time, and the curtains closed on a gritty draw and another scrappy point for the Reign.

WHAT WORKED: Talking to the Claw

While she was credited with five saves over the course of the match, the Reign defense successfully kept most of the game in front of them, and four of those saves were routine, everyday collections that you'd favor Claudia to make twelve out of ten times.

One of them, though, was yet another big moment in a season of big moments for Dickey: in the 30th minute, Rose Lavelle first-timed a curler that seemed destined to skim under the crossbar and give Gotham the lead. Instead, at full stretch, Claudia said not today, getting a fingertip to the ball, pushing it off the woodwork and safely out.

There's some competition for the spot, but Claudia Dickey has a strong argument for the best keeper in the league this year, and she burnished it further with yet another clutch save to help the Reign pick up points.

WHAT WORKED: Ainsley making an impact

With Sally Menti subbing out at halftime after picking up a knock in a first-half tangle, McCammon was asked to check in perhaps earlier than planned, and she turned in a strong half in defensive midfield. In her 45+ minutes of play, she had six defensive contributions, including two blocks around the six-yard box and the Reign's most dangerous (and only) shot of the match.

Every time she's been called upon, Ainsley has shown she can hack it at this level, and every time she's been called upon, she's showing growth in her game. The future looks bright, and McCammon's strong play helped the Reign secure a point in the present, too.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK: Playing on the front foot

Laura Harvey has talked a fair bit about playing on the front foot in recent weeks, and while the Reign had their moments – including a solid spell of pressure in the opening fifteen minutes and a solid spell of pressure in the closing five – Gotham eventually took over the game for the overwhelming majority of the time between. The Reign played strong, disciplined defense, but couldn't find a way to break out with the ball and assert their will against a Gotham team that's had their number.

A point is a point, and there are no bad road points against top teams in any league, let alone a league with this much quality up and down the table, but the Reign's offensive struggles are well-documented, and it's hard to win games when you don't even take a shot until the 92nd minute.

"We knew going into the game how good their players are"

Claudia Dickey was deferential to the quality Gotham FC brings to the field, but struck a positive tone again about the Reign's defensive pressure and organization.

"I think obviously we knew going into the game how good their players are. Like I think they're one of the teams with, overall, every position has such good players. I think coming on, we knew Esther was going to come on and make a difference, and obviously she's had such a great year. I think being aware of that – the way we defended that, knowing their qualities and how good they were. I think we gave them a lot of respect and ultimately we did play well, to get a clean sheet against one of the best attacking teams in the league is obviously a huge step in the right direction for us."

"But I mean, honestly, I didn't have to do [much]. Again, like I've said it before, I don't have to do crazy amounts of things because our back line does so well and because our midfield gets some pressure on the ball, so people don't have time against us. When they do, it's not a great quality chance. I think it's a credit to the people in front of me."

"We knew they were going to try to find that space"

A halftime substitute, Ainsley McCammon, spoke of the tactical role she played in frustrating Gotham's chance creation and keeping the game under control for the Reign.

"I think a big role of mine was, defensively, being able to hold the pocket in front of their nine. We knew they were going to try to find that space. So just being in a position where I could try and deter that was a big thing. And just – when we do win that ball, trying to find the space behind the back line to really put them off. Because I think, like Claudia said, they were attacking a lot but we did get chances that we could transition on them. It's just the final product."

Next up, the Reign return home to host Bay FC. Already eliminated from playoff contention, Bay will have a chance to play spoiler against a Reign side they have never lost to. The match will kick off on Friday, October 10, at 7:30 PM Pacific, and will air on FOX 13+, Paramount+ and NWSL+.