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Medical Emergency Suspends Reign vs. Louisville Match at Halftime

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Seattle Reign forward Mia Fishel dribbles against Angel City FC on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash. (Jane Gershovich / Reign FC Communications) [/caption]

SEATTLE, Wash. — Sunday night was one of those episodes you never want to see in sports.

The No. 7 Seattle Reign (7-6-6) and No. 8 Racing Louisville (7-7-5) played an electric first half fraught with playoff implications as Seattle forward Mia Fishel picked up her first start. But in first-half stoppage time with the score at 0-0, Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo took a seat on the field before going down completely and seeming to pass out. EMTs rushed to her side and an ambulance came onto the field as the severity of the situation was clear.

The 27-year-old appeared to sit back up after a spell and prolonged medical attention before being put on a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance. The two teams headed into their respective locker rooms as halftime was called early. The ambulance carrying DeMelo left the field and headed for a local hospital, according to Racing Louisville PR.

The NWSL confirmed that DeMelo is “stable and getting the medical attention she needs.”

After a prolonged halftime break in which leadership from each team and the NWSL sorted through the best course of action, it was decided that the game would be suspended and finished at a later date.

Tonight’s match between Seattle Reign FC and Racing Louisville FC has been abandoned following a medical emergency involving Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo.

Savannah is stable and alert and getting the medical attention she needs. pic.twitter.com/QYWmCmCQe9— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 15, 2025

Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time DeMelo had had an emergency on the field. She left a March 22 game at Bay FC on a stretcher after noting that her heart was beating uncontrollably and that she couldn't catch her breath, according to an ESPN follow-up.

DeMelo was diagnosed with Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism last year.

We'll take a quick look at how things played out on the field for now.

Fishel Pops in First Performance

The Reign clearly needed a change or a spark of some kind on the offensive end coming into this game with one goal in the last three contests. With that in mind, head coach Laura Harvey turned to 24-year-old Chelsea transfer Mia Fishel, who has shown bursts of explosiveness off the bench this year.

She continued that trend into her first starting XI nod, electrifying the home fans with a pass to herself on a chip in the 16th and two shots on target.

While there was no press after the game, considering the circumstances, Harvey seemed to give Fishel a green light as she took a solid strike on goal from about 20 yards out just three minutes in. Fishel also displayed an affinity for passing, playing a solid through ball to Madison Curry as the two seemed to have solid chemistry on the right side.

While we didn't get to see Fishel's late-game ability on Sunday, her dribbling and energy add something to a Reign offense that has felt lethargic at times recently.

Seattle managed just 0.10 expected goals, but Mia Fishel belongs in this starting group on right wing. Her abridged run on Sunday night proved as much.

Dickey Cleans it Up

Seattle's inability to clear quickly came through again tonight, as star keeper Claudia Dickey was put to work. She finished with three saves as Louisville totaled 10 shots and 1.14 expected goals in the first half alone. Dickey found herself one-on-one with DeMelo, a USWNT member, in the 34th minute and made a diving stop to her left on a sure-footed strike.

Nothing new there, but some credit goes to Seattle's backline, which blocked four shots as Curry stood out. If Seattle needs to rely on Dickey to cover as it figures out how to clear balls out of the box in a timely manner, she’s clearly up to the task.