SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (July 7, 2018) — There is no stopping Megan Rapinoe.
The veteran forward is seemingly everywhere on the pitch for the Seattle Reign. Despite being 33 years old, there is no sign of slowing down for Rapinoe.
Megan Rapinoe Plays a Part in All Three Goals as Seattle Reign Defeat Houston Dash
Rapinoe’s abilities were put on full display on Saturday. The Seattle Reign picked up three points in a 3-1 victory over the Houston Dash. Rapinoe notched a penalty kick goal in the 56th minute.
Elizabeth Addo earned the penalty after being taken down by Allysha Chapman. Chapman recently joined the Dash from the North Carolina Courage, where she made only one appearance.
Rapinoe also tallied assists on goals by Jodie Taylor and Allie Long.
Meanwhile, Houston’s lone goal came from Amber Brooks. Sofia Huerta, a new Houston Dash player, notched the assist.
In goal, Lydia Williams made three saves against Kealia Ohai, Rachel Daly, and Huerta. However, Jane Campbell made four saves for the Dash, stopping opportunities from Rapinoe and Taylor.
With her goal, Rapinoe became the all-time leading scorer in Seattle Reign history with 33 goals. She surpassed Kim Little, who previously held the record.
Rapinoe also said that Seattle is finally “settling into the season.”
“I think we’re finding a little bit of rhythm,” Rapinoe said. “Definitely these last couple of games have been good for us. I think we’re more disciplined, dangerous and organized on both sides of the ball. Having the improvement we did on our roster was huge, and in this league can sometimes be difficult.”
Another look at @mPinoe's record-breaking goal from Saturday night #LetItReign pic.twitter.com/Ex2xJNFy3F
— OL Reign (@OLReign) July 9, 2018
Three Takeaways
- Seattle needs more points: The Reign are currently in a playoff position, but there is an extremely tight race in the NWSL. Right now, the Reign have 26 points. Right behind the club, in third and fourth place, sit the Orlando Pride and Chicago Red Stars with 25 points. The Portland Thorns and Utah Royals aren’t out of the hunt yet, either. Seattle won’t catch up to North Carolina (first place with 39 points), but the farther they can extend the lead, the better.
- Allie Long’s importance: After recovering from Brazil losing in the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup, Allie Long was able to continue her impressive play. The change of scenery has helped Long, who previously featured for the Thorns. Pairing her up with Rapinoe, Nahomi Kawasumi and Jodie Taylor has done wonders for her midfield execution.
- Houston’s rough patch: For a while, it seemed like the Houston Dash were keeping up with all of the six teams in front of them. However, Houston is in seventh place and it doesn’t look like a playoff spot is in their future. But, there is plenty of season left and the addition of Huerta has been effective so far.
The third @ALLIE_LONG goal of the season came on this left-footed beauty pic.twitter.com/dyLVJsyKRu
— OL Reign (@OLReign) July 9, 2018