Grim Saturday: One point from Reign, Sounders, S2

Saturday was a day of grim results for the region’s three biggest soccer teams, as they combined for one of a possible nine points. The Sounders lost at Dallas, S2 lost at Sacramento, and the Seattle Reign drew 1-1 at home to rival Portland.

Here’s our game report from the Sounders.

Below a report from the Reign:

In the first of four regular-season matches this season, Seattle Reign FC (2-2-1, 7 pts) came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Portland Thorns FC (2-0-3, 9 pts) at Memorial Stadium in front of a crowd of 4,631.

Just three minutes after kickoff, forward Manon Melis was forced to leave the match after a non-contact injury. Carson Pickett replaced Melis in the fifth minute, with Seattle head coach Laura Harvey shifting forward Kiersten Dallstream to the opposite side of the field to make way for the left-footed Pickett.

Both teams saw a handful of scoring opportunities in the first half, though none hit their mark. In the 38th minute, Portland forward Lindsey Horan fouled defender Elli Reed near the left corner of the box, earning a free kick that was taken by defender Lauren Barnes. Midfielder Keelin Winters tried to put Barnes’ cross away with a diving header from the left side of the box, but she sent it over the crossbar.

Portland took the lead in the 47th minute when midfielder Meg Morris chipped a ball inside the six-yard box between goalkeeper Hope Solo and defender Lauren Barnes, neither of whom moved to clear the ball, leaving it for Portland forward Nadia Nadim, who headed the ball above Solo into the back of the net for her first goal of the season.

Reign FC immediately responded to level the score in the 49th minute off a corner from Lauren Barnes, which forward Beverly Yanez headed into the left side of the frame.

As the game progressed it became increasingly physical. The referee apparently suffered from a strange form of paralysis that prevented him from pulling a yellow card from his pocket until late in the game, despite a plethora of bodies in blue that littered the field.

In the 62nd minute, midfielder Keelin Winters collided with Morris and took several moments to regain her footing. Yanez then took an elbow to the mouth in the 66th minute while fighting for possession in the center circle. Pickett spent time on the sidelines after taking an elbow to the face in the 78th minute, after which Reed was smashed by Meg Morris and collapsed to the ground, where she lay motionless for several moments. Morris was subsequently issued a caution for the foul.

Despite the physical play, Seattle controlled possession for most of the 2nd half, but was unable to find the game-winner. The match ended at 1-1, for the first draw between the two clubs, leaving Seattle’s all-time record against Portland at 4-5-1.

Although the draw wasn’t the result she was hoping for, Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey was pleased with her team’s performance given last week’s 0-2 loss to Orlando Pride.

“We obviously reduced them to minimal chances,” said Harvey. “But I think we should be disappointed that we didn’t win, given the amount of possession we had and pressure that we put on them.”

The Pacific Northwest clubs will face off again on Sunday, May 29 at Providence Park in Portland, Ore.

Next weekend, Reign FC will host the Chicago Red Stars (3-1-1, 10 points) on Sunday, May 22 at 4:00 p.m. PT. Tickets begin at $18 and are available at reignfc.com/redstars or by calling (855)-REIGN-FC.

Below a report from S2:

Sounders FC 2 fell 2-0 to Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday evening thanks to a brace from Sacramento’s Tommy Thompson, as S2 (1-5-3, 6 points) has lost the past two matches following a four-match unbeaten streak (1-0-3).

In a rematch of the season-opener that saw Sacramento top Seattle 1-0 at Starfire Stadium, S2 faced Republic FC for its second road test of the season. Forward Victor Mansaray had a dangerous opportunity in the 13th minute, but his well-struck attempt fired into the side netting. In the 27th minute, goalkeeper Charlie Lyon stayed on his line and saved a blazing shot attempt from Thompson.

A few minutes later, Thompson exacted his revenge with a goal in the 32nd minute. Referee Luis Guardia signaled for a penalty on defender Michael Nelson’s challenge in the scoring area. Thompson’s ensuing shot attempt was saved by Lyon, but Thompson followed up with a lofted kick from close range that drifted over Lyon’s reach.

In the 47th minute, Thompson added to his tally and extended Republic FC’s lead to 2-0. The 20-year-old midfielder snaked his way through Seattle’s backline and delivered a punishing strike from the top of Seattle’s area and into the back of the net.

For the remainder of the second half, Seattle maintained a fast pace of play, but couldn’t capitalize on any chances. Sounders FC Academy player Kei Tomozawa made his season debut as a substitute in the 72nd minute.

S2 returns to Starfire Stadium to take on LA Galaxy II on Sunday, May 22 (5:00 p.m. PT / live-streamed on SoundersFC.com). For a cost of $100, choose any eight combinations for all remaining S2 home matches. Additional information on the S2 Flex Plan, season tickets, group tickets or single-match options, can be found via: www.SoundersFC.com/S2/Tickets.

MATCH SUMMARY

Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 0-2 | Sacramento Republic FC

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Venue: Bonney Field

Referee: Luis Guardia

Assistants: Eric Ehrhardt, Andrew Hanks

Fourth Official: Elijio Arreguin

Weather: Clear and 74 degrees

SCORING SUMMARY

SAC – Tommy Thompson 27’

SAC – Tommy Thompson 47’

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

SAC – Octavio Guzman (caution) 33’

SAC – Chris Christian (caution) 36’

LINEUP

Seattle Sounders FC 2 – Charlie Lyon; Jordy Delem, Michael Nelson, Tony Alfaro, Nouhou Tolo; Mark O’Ojong, Jordan Schweitzer, Zach Mathers; Victor Mansaray, Myron Samuel, Darwin Jones

Substitutes used: Carlos Patino, Devon Fisher, Lorenzo Ramos, Kei Tomozawa, Harrison Kurtz

Substitutes not used: Matt Bersano, Tobi Jnohope

This story was originally published May 15, 2016 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Grim Saturday: One point from Reign, Sounders, S2."