Bethany Balcer scored two goals, both on headers, to lead OL Reign to a 2-1 victory over the host San Diego Wave on Saturday night.
Balcer’s second goal came in the 77th minute to snap a tie as OL Reign (7-4-2, 23 points) improved to 4-1-1 over their past six games.
Jaedyn Shaw scored a goal for San Diego (6-5-2, 20 points), which has lost two straight matches and is 1-3-2 over its last six.
Balcer’s decisive goal was set up by United States World Cup player Sofia Huerta, who delivered the pass at a near-perfect height for Balcer to head the ball into the net. Balcer has five goals this season.
San Diego was not able to get the equalizer over the final 13 minutes of regulation plus 14 minutes of second-half stoppage time.
OL Reign took a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute as Quinn sent an upfield pass toward the net. The ball bounced and then Balcer headed it past San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.
The Wave tied it at the start of the second half. Alex Morgan, the U.S. World Cup star, made a run down the right sideline in the 47th minute to catch up to a pass and delivered a bullet-like left-footed cross toward the front of the net. Shaw was standing there wide open and easily headed it into the left corner for her fourth goal of the season.
Morgan had an opportunity to put San Diego ahead in the 62th minute. She caught up to the ball at the top of the box, but OL Reign goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce came out and stymied Morgan. After retrieving the ball, Morgan’s ensuing shot was blocked by a defender.
The Wave later had a chance to knot the score in the 84th minute when Morgan slid a pass through traffic to Amirah Ali. But Ali’s left-footed shot was wide to the left.
Sheridan knocked down OL Reign’s Elyse Bennett in the 88th minute to draw a yellow card, but an official’s review upgraded it to red and Shae Yanez replaced her.
Huerta took the ensuing free kick in the second minute of second-half stoppage time and Yanez stopped her right-footed blast to keep San Diego alive.
–Field Level Media