Angel City fell 1–4 on the road against OL Reign today, with forward Claire Emslie scoring the team’s lone goal.
'I really think we had a sound game plan,' said defender Ali Riley after the game. 'I think how we came out when we were connecting passes, we had some momentum, we had some chances, we scored, that was how we wanted to play... But I thought the effort went down, the mentality was weak.'
The visitors had the better of the game early on, dominating possession and largely keeping the Reign confined to their defensive half over the first 10 minutes, but the momentum shifted as the game wore on. In the 10th minute, the Reign had the first real chance of the game when forward Megan Rapinoe quickly restarted after a foul and sent the ball up the wing to forward Bethany Balcer. Balcer sent a cross into the six-yard box, where forward Veronica Latsko got her head to the ball and sent it wide.
OL had a few more scoring opportunities over the next 10 minutes, including one in the 13th minute where ACFC keeper DiDi Haračić came off her line and dove on top of a recycled free kick before Latsko could get on the end of it.
Angel City opened the scoring in the 27th minute in improbable style with an olimpico by Emslie, where the Scotland international curled a corner kick from the right inside the near post for a goal. Keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce got a hand to the ball, but it deflected off her and into the back of the net (it was not ruled an own goal because the ball was judged to be on a trajectory to cross the goal line before Tullis-Joyce touched it).
It wasn’t long before the Reign equalized. In the 34th minute, Rapinoe whipped a cross into the six-yard box for forward Elyse Bennett. Bennett muscled her way between the two center backs and finished from point-blank range. 'I think when they got the free kick and scored, that was when the momentum swayed,' said Riley. 'I thought we got sloppier and sloppier as the game went on.'
Haračić had another clutch save in the 39th minute when Balcer tried a ball over the top that defender Jasmyne Spencer initially blocked. Bennett pounced on the deflected ball, drove into the box, and shot from close range, but Haračić got there in time to make the save.
In the second half, the game shifted decisively in the Reign’s favor. OL doubled their lead in the 53rd minute with a hard strike by Latsko from near the penalty arc. Her shot flew just under the crossbar, giving Haračić little chance of stopping it.
The home team notched a third in the 55th minute on another Rapinoe cross, this time connecting with Latsko, who one-timed the low ball past Haračić.
Midfielder Quinn notched Seattle’s fourth and final goal with another strike from distance, this one from the left-hand corner of the 18.
Angel City play next in a Challenge Cup game this Wednesday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Portland. Riley says she's excited to get back on the field. 'I’m thrilled we have a game on Wednesday,' she said. 'I want this chance now to go out and show what we represent as Angel City, the way we take the pride in representing LA on the road.'
The game will stream live on Paramount+.
