Seattle roared out to an impressive early lead but were forced to sweat through a second half Washington revival before holding on to a well earned 2-1 win, buoyed by a world class display from Megan Rapinoe.
| Seattle Reign | Washington Spirit | |
|---|---|---|
| 47% | Possession | 53% |
| 19 (11) | Shots (On Goal) | 16 (9) |
| 4 | Corners | 1 |
| 340 (71%) | Passes (% Complete) | 403 (79%) |
| 54 | Challenge % Won | 46 |
| 71 | Aerial Challenge % Won | 29 |
| 62 | Successful Dribble % | 55 |
| 50 | Tackles Won % | 53 |
Woman of the Match – Megan Rapinoe (SEA)
1 goal
1 assist
5 shots on goal
2 key passes
15 challenges won
10 dribbles won (out of 12)
Rapinoe’s passing numbers weren’t exactly great, but she turned it up to God Mode just about everywhere else in a gigantic performance. She’ll be hard to top for player of the week based on Saturday’s evidence.
Megan Rapinoe shots on target
Megan Rapinoe challenges won
Megan Rapinoe dribbles won
Other Standouts:
2. Mallory Pugh (WSH)
Key Stat: 15 dribbles won, 3 key passes
Surprise, surprise, Pugh is an offensive dynamo. Some of those key passes are going to turn into goals this year.
Mallory Pugh key passes complete
3. Allie Long (SEA)
Key Stat: 96% passes complete, 6 of 6 aerial challenges won
So much for being over the hill. Long was clinical with her passing in midfield and dominated Washington in the air.
Allie Long aerial challenges won
4. Estefania Banini (WSH)
Key Stat: 3 key passes
Banini’s passing was a bit more hit or miss than Pugh, but she still managed a trio of key passes, including the assist on Lohman’s goal.
Estefania’s key passes complete.
5. Jodie Taylor (SEA)
Key Stat: 2 key passes
Taylor ticked a lot of negative boxes on the stat sheet, but she still scored and had a few key passes, underlining her value leading the line for the Reign.
Ballon D’Nope (Minimum 30 Minutes Played)
- Meg Dougherty Howard (WSH)
Key Stat: 7 challenges lost
It was not a night to remember for MDH, who connected with just 70% of her passes and didn’t have a single tackle won all night in center midfield.
2. Ashley Hatch (WSH)
Key Stat: 20 challenges lost
Hatch did have a couple of shots on goal, but her inability to win battles in the air was a big factor in the Spirit’s overall struggles in the air.
Ashley Hatch aerial challenges lost
3. Rumi Utsugi (SEA)
Key Stat: 7 tackles lost
Utsugi’s passing numbers weren’t so hot either (61% complete), but her defense was the big red flag, as she lost 7 tackles and 14 of 22 challenges overall
Rumi Utsugi tackles lost