OL Reign x San Diego Wave

With their 2-1 victory against San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium, OL Reign extended their unbeaten streak in San Diego to two games this year. Both of OL Reign's goals were scored by forward Bethany Balcer, who had a stellar match for the Reign.

From the first whistle, OL Reign was the superior team, setting the tone for the whole game. The Reign's outstanding performance from start to finish paid dividends early, as they scored the game's first goal after just eight minutes.

It was Quinn who got the ball in the center of the field and lofted a wonderfully weighted pass to the top of the six-yard box, where Balcer was waiting to pounce. Balcer, who is adept in front of the net, headed the ball without a thought, and it went straight into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

The Reign kept up their strong defensive performance against the Wave, stopping their every offensive attempt. San Diego scored first after intermission. Forward Alex Morgan set up Jaedyn Shaw for an equalizer only two minutes into the second half. With the score tied, both sides went all out in a desperate attempt to secure all three points.

OL Reign scored again in the 77th minute, this time on a header by Balcer. Huerta utilized her left foot to send a looping cross to the far post, where Balcer was all alone and able to score again with a header to make it 2-1.

As time wound down, the excitement of the contest only increased. Elyse Bennett, a striker for the Wave, utilized her speed to put pressure on the ball when it was in the keeper's hands in the 88th minute. Bennett got the ball back after Sheridan pushed her down and then ran with it. Sheridan was given a yellow card for the foul, but after reviewing the play on camera, the referee decided to give her a red card instead.

With their victory against the ten-man San Diego Wave, the OL Reign have now won seven consecutive matches versus the Wave without losing a single one.

[Photography by Jackie Shinstrom]