SAN DIEGO – A month before the end of a season is an odd time to ask players what their “why” is for competing this season.
“It can’t all be about Megan (Rapinoe),” OL Reign coach Laura Harvey said of her conversation with the team after a September loss in Portland.
Rapinoe became the reason on a chilly Saturday evening in San Diego. The fourth-seeded Reign’s players shared their individual reasons that led them to the club’s first championship final since 2015.
After Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Gotham FC, the Reign were searching for reason in more ways than one.
Three minutes into the game against NJ/NY Gotham FC, Rapinoe stumbled to the ground with an injury to his right leg at Snapdragon Stadium. Rapinoe said after the game that she knew immediately that she had torn her Achilles tendon, but that she will undergo an MRI when the team returns to Seattle.
“Everyone always asks themselves, ‘Who kicked me?’ And obviously there was no one near me at all and I was pushing,” Rapinoe said. “That’s what it felt like. Just a huge bang and I can’t even feel where the Achilles tendon is, but I’m pretty sure I tore my Achilles tendon. The worst possible result. Thank God I have a (expletive) deep sense of humor. It’s devastating to be eliminated so early in the final.”
Teammates were stunned by the injury.
“I’m just so sad for (Rapinoe), I think more than anything we wanted to send her off with a championship, you know, what she deserves,” defenseman Sam Hiatt said after the game.
The non-contact incident occurred on the left side of the field as Rapinoe attempted to deflect a pass. She lay on her back while trainers looked after her. A stretcher was called shortly after, but Rapinoe got up and hobbled off the field with medical staff at her side.
Ali Krieger, captain of Gotham’s team and a former U.S. women’s national team teammate, ran to hug Rapinoe before play began again. The two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner announced that she would play football for the last time this season. A league title was the only trophy neither had won.
“I was devastated,” Krieger said. “I thought it was her ankle, I wasn’t sure. I said just lock it up and we’ll check back out here in a few minutes. Then I saw the sub turn on and that’s another story. “
The crowd gave Rapinoe a standing ovation as she walked across the field with medical staff to sit on the bench. At halftime she used crutches to get to the locker room and was then put in the trunk.
Rapinoe returned to the bench to encourage her teammates and celebrate the only goal – a breakaway shot from Rose Lavell in the 29th minute.
“When she was on the bench, she put all her energy into the game and helped everyone who was still on the field,” Hiatt said.
The striker announced her retirement from an eventful career last summer, imagining that it would mean winning a League Cup – the only title she had not won since turning professional in 2009. Instead, she stood with her hands on her hips, celebrating Gotham against the backdrop of fireworks and golden confetti shooting into the sky.
Harvey came on for striker Bethany Balcer in the sixth minute to replace Rapinoe.
“It happened so quickly,” Harvey said. “(Balcer) adapted to the game pretty well. I didn’t miss anything. Pinoe and Boats are very different players, but she has adapted well to the game.”
Gotham had a nice build-up to the game’s opening goal in the 24th minute. Midge Purce hugged the endline as she sent a low cross into the box for Lynn Williams to punch past Reign keeper Claudia Dickey.
Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury last year and battled back to lead Gotham in goals in the regular season (seven). Saturday’s title was her fourth overall after scoring goals in three championship games.
In the 29th minute, Balcer had a smooth through ball to catch midfielder Lavelle on his way to the equalizer.
But in five minutes of stoppage time in the first half, which was due to Rapinoe’s injury, Gotham was able to take the lead. Purce prepared a corner kick and placed the ball perfectly for teammate Esther González Rodríguez to head the ball into the goal. The Spanish international helped her country win the World Cup last summer.
Reign midfielder Veronica Latsko was open for the equalizer in the 60th minute. Gotham keeper Mandy Haught impressed the 25,011 crowd – an NWSL record for a championship game – with a diving save.
The Reign had one last chance to equalize in stoppage time. Striker Elyse Bennett continued to play despite several players being on the field. She attempted a header outside the penalty area where she was met by Gotham keeper Mandy Haught, who received a red card for a handball as she was outside the penalty area.
“I went to Mandy and she kept apologizing,” said Purce, who was named the game’s MVP. “I said, ‘Honey, you just saved us.'”
Gotham midfielder Nealy Martin moved in and the Reign prepared for a free kick in the 11th minute of stoppage time, but Lavelle’s kick bounced off Gotham’s defensive line and out of bounds.
“You don’t always have the perfect ending,” Rapinoe said. “I had so many perfect endings. Go back to 2019. This was the perfect script. All in all, I don’t think anything negative about it.”
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Jayda Evans: [email protected]; on twitter: @JaydaEvans. Jayda Evans covers the Sounders and OL Reign. It offers observations, criticisms and the occasional unusual story. Evans has also written a book about the Storm and women’s basketball called “Game On!”