Angel City Football Club (ACFC) will take on Seattle Reign FC at Lumen Field at 6 p.m. PT on Sunday, Aug. 9. The match will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
Last Time Out: ACFC Picks Up Point in Kansas City
Angel City scored in the first 15 minutes and put forth a balanced effort against the Kansas City Current at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 1, earning a draw in one of the toughest road environments in the NWSL.
With the point, ACFC (7-2-7) remained in eighth place and playoff position, moving to 3-1-1 under Interim Head Coach Leif Smerud. Angel City finished unbeaten against Kansas City this season, winning 2-1 at BMO Stadium in May before tying the Current last weekend.
Two ACFC rookies collaborated on the goal, with midfielder Carina Lageyre setting up forward Taylor Suarez. The attacker picked up the first NWSL goal of her career, and Lageyre registered her first professional assist.
“[Lageyre] is a great passer and has great vision, so I knew that if I could find myself in the right spot, she would [get] me the ball, and that’s exactly what she did,” Suarez said. “She played me a perfect through ball, and I knew I had to finish it right then and there.”
Goalkeeper Angelina Anderson played a crucial role in the outcome, posting six saves. Her highlight-reel stop on Kansas City midfielder Croix Bethune in the 76th minute helped Angel City maintain the 1-1 scoreline after Haley Hopkins got the equalizer in the 26th minute.
“It spreads a [sense] of security and a good vibe, a feeling that we have someone behind us taking care of the shots, especially from distance,” said Smerud of Anderson’s goalkeeping performance. “So we try to force the shots to come from certain areas, and we know that [Anderson] is good at [stopping those].”
Defender Sophia Mattice made her first career start and led ACFC in touches (74). Suarez had the most shots (4), while midfielder Ally Sentnor produced three scoring chances in her first contest against her former club.
Next Up: Fishlock, Mercado and Seattle
The Reign host Angel City after picking up a 3-2 victory against Bay FC on Aug. 1. Seattle (7-2-7) is tied with ACFC on points, but Angel City has the edge in the league table due to its superior goal differential (+7 to -1).
Midfielder Jess Fishlock scored the game-winner against Bay FC and remains a perennial threat for the Pacific Northwest club. Meanwhile, midfielder Maddie Mercado has five goals in her third season for Seattle.
On the other side, ACFC continues to boast a near-impenetrable defense, conceding just 1.06 goals per game. According to FBref.com, Anderson’s 75.7 percent save percentage is fifth-best in the NWSL. The Reign will have to get creative on the attack to trouble Angel City’s back line.
In the Spotlight: Sentnor Finding Her Footing with ACFC
Sentnor has become a critical part of the Angel City offense after joining the club in late June.
Against Kansas City, the midfielder led ACFC with 10 passes completed in the final third, and she was often on the ball for set pieces. Sentnor is also often the one creating those high-leverage opportunities, averaging 3.2 fouls drawn in her five matches with Angel City (according to FBref.com).
Like fellow U.S. Women’s National Team member Gisele Thompson, Sentnor produces flashes of brilliance that draw audible gasps from the crowd. In the match versus the Current, the midfielder spun around and in between multiple defenders before laying the ball off to Suarez for a shot from the left side of the Kansas City penalty box.
“Ally’s obviously a great player, and we've been working on our connection throughout the season since she got here,” Suarez said.
With five matches remaining for Angel City on its August slate, Sentnor will have opportunities to further develop her chemistry with her teammates as ACFC continues its playoff push.