Reign looking to build momentum as they hit the road to face Bay FC

The Reign are on the road to play Bay FC on Saturday.

Both teams are entering the match after wins. Seattle notched one against Cascadia rival Portland. Reign rookie Maddie Dahlien had the game-winning goal. She has 13 shots at goal this season, which ranks second in the NWSL.

Here’s a look at the match:

Reign (2-2-1) at Bay (2-2-1)

Time/place: 7 p.m. Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.

TV: ION

Radio: None

Series history: Bay leads the all-time series 2-0-0 since 2024.

Storylines

Rising defender?

Second-year Reign midfielder Sam Meza might be finding her groove playing deeper and helping with the defense. She’s started the past three matches in place of midfielder Jess Fishlock, who remains out with a leg injury, according to Reign coach Laura Harvey. Meza currently leads the NWSL with 25 tackles.

They’re twins

Seattle has a different playing style than Bay, but the results have been identical each week to have the same overall record. The teams have also totaled five goals to open the season and conceded five. The slight difference is Seattle has received scoring from five different players and Bay is led by midfielder Kiki Pickett. She has two goals. Pickett’s game-winner last week against the North Carolina Courage earned the league’s Goal of the Week honor.

Quotable

“We always have to focus on what we’re doing,” Reign defender Phoebe McClernon said. “Every team in this league has ample people up top that are going to throw speed, strength, tactical ability, technical ability at you. There’s not really a bad team in the league. Hammering home our principle and focusing on what has been making us really solid and really good in the past games and amplifying those things while also tweaking the areas of inconsistencies that we’ve had is where our focus has been.”