Seattle Reign FC brought a definitive end to their frustrating five-and-a-half-game goalscoring drought, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over expansion side Boston Legacy FC.
On a beautiful evening at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Mia Fishel and her teammates weathered a physical, end-to-end battle to capture a vital three points in the first-ever meeting between the two franchises.
The fixture marked a historic milestone for the region, representing the first time Rhode Island has ever hosted a professional women's soccer match, with Boston utilizing the venue due to upcoming World Cup preparations at Gillette Stadium.
Seattle intent was clear from the opening whistle, blazing forward on the front foot to earn a corner kick inside the second minute. Boston proved they would be no pushovers, however, immediately launching a dangerous fourth-minute counterattack that rattled the top netting of the Seattle goal.
The definitive breakthrough arrived just four minutes later. Angharad James-Turner lofted a deep, calculated cross toward the back post for Maddie Dahlien. The attacker’s goal-bound header was blocked by the raised arm of Boston defender Jorelyn Carabalí, prompting an immediate penalty appeal.
Following a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) review to confirm the handball, captain Sofia Huerta stepped up to the spot for her landmark 200th NWSL regular-season start. The veteran defender made absolutely no mistake, burying a low, hard strike past Casey Murphy into the lower right corner to break Seattle's bruising 511-minute scoreless streak.
Boston continued to knock on the door as the first half drew to a close, forcing Seattle goalkeeper Claudia Dickey into a brilliant, close-range save near the half-hour mark to preserve the narrow lead before the interval.
The physical intensity refused to drop after the restart, but it was once again the Reign who displayed the clinical edge, doubling their advantage in the 51st minute.
Madison Curry orchestrated the move, lofting a perfectly placed cross into the right corner of the six-yard box. Dahlien utilized her explosive pace to leave the Boston backline completely helpless, meeting the delivery with a sublime first-touch volley that flew into the back of the net.
The visitors nearly added a quick-fire third moments later when Holly Ward unleashed a ferocious effort toward the upper right corner, but a flying save from Murphy tipped the ball wide for a corner.
As the clock wound down, the home side threw numbers forward, forcing the Reign into a deep, defensive shape. Boston thought they had set up a grandstand finish in the 87th minute when Josefine Hasbo’s initial effort was cleaned up and bundled home by Aïssata Traoré. However, a secondary video review verified that Traoré had strayed into an offside position, subsequently chalking the goal off.
Traoré did eventually get her reward deep into stoppage time, converting an accurate feed from Emerson Elgin right before the final whistle. But it proved to be too little, too late for the hosts, as Laura Harvey’s Reign squad managed the remaining seconds cleanly to fly back to the West Coast with a much-needed victory in the bag.
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