Reign Down Bay FC in Third Straight Home Win, Revamp Team-Improvement Techniques

SEATTLE, Wash. — The Seattle Reign are taking ownership of everything they can right now.

After spiraling out of the playoff picture in the spring, the Reign (11-8-4) are firmly in control of the eighth and final postseason spot thanks to three straight close wins at home. The latest victory came on Saturday as Brittany Ratcliffe scored on a stoppage-time breakaway to secure a 2-0 win over ailing Bay FC.

The three-game stretch marked the first time since 2023 that the Reign managed three straight shutout wins, with Sofia Huerta scoring off a Nerilia "Coco" Mondesir-drawn penalty in the 51st. Reserve keeper Cassie Miller earned the clean sheet as usual starter Claudia Dickey recovers from getting stitches to her forehead after the last win over San Diego on Sept. 6.

Miller had four saves on the night, as the 31-year-old coming off a torn hamstring is now 2-2-0 in four starts this season with 22 saves to show for her efforts.

But ownership for the Reign goes beyond just winning games.

The team had to evaluate its entire approach to how it talked about self-improvement — a key for a young squad in which GM Lesle Gallimore is hoping develops greatly in the next few seasons. After all, she kept the roster largely the same after last year’s fifth-place finish.

Head coach Laura Harvey said after Saturday's win, she and her staff made wholesale changes to how they handle team film meetings after the World Cup break, a period in which Seattle was out of the playoff picture and struggling to look dangerous.

"We're looking at ways in which we can be a bit more interactive… I just didn't feel like the way that we have operated and had our process previously was really, like, sinking in," Harvey said.