A Balcer header, red card, and VAR result in chaotic 1-1 draw between OL Reign and North Carolina Courage
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – With a 21st minute goal from forward Bethany Balcer, off service from Megan Rapinoe, it seemed like OL Reign were off and roaring on their way towards collecting three key points. With a lengthy (15 days) period off due to the September FIFA international window, the club had been working to improve their finishing ability, considering their numerous chances on goal but lack of actual production. That time off seemed to prove important with that goal, but things got sticky when the visiting North Carolina Courage got the ball over the top of the Reign defense, and a mistake by keeper Claudia Dickey came far off her line, leaving the net exposed. Nine minutes later, in stoppage time, Reign center back Alana Cook was given a red card as she had fouled a Courage player on a wide-open breakaway but prevented the goal. The Reign came away with the draw, but not before the dramatics had taken place.
“I’m really proud of the group. I think that’s like the first time we’ve ever been down a player since I’ve been here, so really proud of our resilience. Just to be defensively tight, it was challenging that they got lots of shots off, but I thought we just did the job you’re supposed to do and we actually created some chances. We probably could have won the game. We would have loved three points, but we’ll take the one point and build off of this, because I think it showed how resilient we were.”
Pregame warmups, sights, and scenes ahead of the OL Reign draw with the North Carolina Courage on Sunday, October 1st, 2023 (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Balcer bangs one home to get things started
Reign forward Bethany Balcer has been either the sole leader or tied for the most goals scored in each season she’s played for the club, and she gained her sole possession of that mark with today’s match. Balcer remarked that coming into this matchup with the Courage, the club had put an emphasis on set pieces and improving upon those to generate attacking production, and they’d see a good sign of that in the early part of the match. After North Carolina had spent much of the beginning of the match pressuring the Reign in their own half, the home side was able to launch a counter of sorts and found themselves with a corner. All it took was some excellent Rapinoe service into the box, and Bethany Balcer’s header mastery was going to get the job done.
OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe’s excellent service on a corner kick found a wide open Bethany Balcer backpost for the first goal of the match (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Rapinoe fired in perhaps her best ball from a corner in quite some time in club play, finding Balcer lying in wait at the back post, where she had been left all alone by the Courage defenders. North Carolina outnumbered the Reign players five to two in terms of those within the keepers box, but none of them had bothered to check on Balcer, who now leads the NWSL in header goals, and the Reign were off and running just 21 minutes into the game. We’ve discussed it before in our Reign coverage, but the sort of value that Balcer has brought to the Reign in terms of being that scoring threat while also being such a valuable aspect to the locker room means that the club should do all they can to ensure that she retires one day in a Reign kit as a lifelong player.
“We’ve been really working on set pieces, I felt like this game me were much more prepared on what the game plan was. ‘Pinoe delivered a perfect ball, I just had to lose my defender, and that was with the help of some of their players helping me get loose... That’s one of the areas where I need to step up for the team, and that’s what I do. Just happy to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Forward Bethany Balcer currently leads OL Reign with six goals scored on the season to this point (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Chaotic end to the first half spelled potential doom for the Reign
Things were good for the Reign and their home crowd following that goal in the 21st minute, as even though the Courage had been applying their own pressure, the attempts on goal were being thwarted out by the home sides backline. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey was being forced to make saves, but not as many as she would’ve had it been for the great along the back four for the Reign as well as the clubs gameplan to absorb as much of the North Carolina pressure as they could, allowing them to heavily possess the ball. The match took a turn, though, in the 42nd minute when the Courage found Kerolina streaking wide open down her right-hand side of the pitch, getting behind that Reign backline. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey had run up far off her line to attempt and clean up the long ball, but it was a mistake as Kerolina chipped the ball over her head and was able to dribble around the remaining Reign defenders to equalize. With the pendulum of momentum swinging in their favor, North Carolina pressed forward, eventually getting that breakaway opportunity where Reign defender Alana Cook had to make a list ditch effort to prevent a one-on-one opportunity with the keeper.
“I think Claudia has shown well all year, I think it’s great that she’s getting an opportunity. I think one of her main qualities is she can distribute with her feet. Also great on crosses, great communication. I think it’s great to see a fairly young player get a chance on this team and do pretty well.”
“Just to be a little bit more conservative in her positioning, I didn’t think she needed to come out that far.”
The OL Reign backline held their own against the North Carolina Courage, as the Courage amassed 25 total shots in this match (Photos by Liz Wolter)
That play by Cook, while unfortunately giving her a red card and removing her from the next match that the club plays, may have played a larger role in the club drawing than people think. It prevented a very difficult situation for Dickey to have to deal with, and the Reign were already playing defensively, so the loss of one player just meant that both Emily Sonnett and Jess Fishlock dropped down respectively to ensure that nothing would go haywire due to that call. The low block enforced by the Reign was able to mitigate the Current attack, that essentially threw everything but the kitchen sink at Dickey and the Reign. Considering the red card, the club would be happy to come out of this match with that split of points. But, considering the sense of urgency with the regular season ticking down, and that isn’t so much the case.
The entire match action of OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe, playing in her second to last home regular season match of her career and third to last regular season match of her career (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Where it leaves them with two matches left
This was a match where the Reign really could have used the three points, and it will only make the sense of urgency more dire over the course of these next two matches that they have to play. Considering the factors of the red card and the injuries that kept Sofia Huerta and Rose Lavelle, a draw here normally wouldn’t be so bad. But, when you consider where the club sits in the table, how close others are to them points wise, and how little time remains for them to secure their playoff spot, it’s concerning as well as a bit frustrating. Tick tock hoes the clock on the Reign season, and their finishing ability has really bit them, as a playoff spot could be locked up by now had things played out properly. Alas, that isn’t the case, and the Reign will need some outside help to move up the table a bit more than they already are, regardless of how they do in the next two matches.
With two matches left for them to play in the 2023 regular season, the Reign sit in the sixth and final NWSL playoff spot at 28 points. Depending on how the Orlando Pride vs Angel City FC match plays out tomorrow, Orlando could tie the Reign in points and potentially move ahead of them, if they have a goal differential of plus four in that match. The Reign currently (tonight, that is) sit two points ahead of the next closet team looking into the playoff picture (Houston, by two points) and are just two points out of the third seed in the league currently held by NY/NJ Gotham FC (32 points). The road to a higher seed and a clinch of a playoff berth won’t be easy whatsoever, and that begins this upcoming week against the Spirit, a club that has given the Reign plenty of issues in recent memory when they’ve clashed.
Quick notes
With tonight’s headed goal from forward Bethany Balcer, OL Reign earned its league-leading 10th headed goal of the season.
Since naming Lumen Field home at the start of 2022, OL Reign has earned 42 points in regular season play (12-4-6), earning the most points at home in the league in that span.
After defender Alana Cook received a red card just before halftime, OL Reign was able to earn a point and keep the score even, 1-1. Since 2013, OL Reign has never lost a game after receiving a straight red card in a game. The last time OL Reign lost a match after receiving a red card (second yellow card) was in 2013 – the club’s first-ever red card.
Forward Bethany Balcer scored the opening goal of the match via header in the 21st minute, earning her sixth goal of the season (fourth scored via header). Balcer leads the NWSL in headed goals (4) through Week 20 and has a league-best 13 headed goals since entering the league in 2019.
Forward Megan Rapinoe earned the assist on the opening goal in the 21st minute from a corner kick, marking her fifth of the season, which leads the club. Rapinoe has 26 assists all-time, which is the most in club history and is tied for fifth in NWSL history.
The draw brings the all-time series to 3-10-3 between the Reign and North Carolina Courage.
What’s next?
Following today’s draw against the Courage that leaves them still sitting in the sixth spot in the NWSL table, the Reign will have a semi-quick turnaround to their next match and final regular season match at home of 2023, also the last home regular season match of the legendary career of Megan Rapinoe. The Reign will be hosting the Washington Spirit, who currently sit just a point above the Reign in the standings, on Friday, October 6th, with a kickoff time of 5PM PST. This kickoff time was moved up from its previously scheduled time due to it being the final home regular season match of Rapinoe’s career. This contest, between two clubs that are jockeying to keep themselves safe in a playoff seed in these final weeks of the NWSL regular season, will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount+. To pay tribute to Megan and her club career with the Reign, the theme of this match will be “Forever Reign: A Celebration of Megan Rapinoe.”
