Takeaways: Reign Steal a Scoreless Draw Against Gotham, Remain in Fourth Place
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Seattle Reign defender Sofia Huerta dribbles the ball during an NWSL match against Gotham FC on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. (Ashley Intile / Reign FC Communications) [/caption]
Some draws feel like losses, but the Seattle Reign may be celebrating the tie they played with Gotham FC on Sunday.
It was a game that featured a 10-1 shot disparity and 1.2 expected goals from Gotham FC, but finished in a 0-0 draw to keep Seattle (9-7-7) in the NWSL's fourth seed while Gotham (9-6-8) retained third place. Considering the Reign overcame plenty of chances against an offense that's been playing its best ball as of late — and that they did it on the road — there's plenty to be happy about for head coach Laura Harvey and company.
Stats via FotMob.com
Seattle’s Backline Stuns Gotham
Gotham came into this game in excellent offensive shape, having scored 11 goals in a six-game unbeaten streak. While the New Jersey-based squad waited until late to impose itself on that end, they had a few early chances to go ahead.
Former Reign star midfielder Rose Lavelle came into the game with a goal in three of her last four games for Gotham and tested Dickey with multiple shots on target early. One was a routine save in the 25th, but the second was a well-hit strike right over Dickey, who reacted just in time to keep the net clean.
From there, the Reign started to frustrate Gotham's attack with sound defense in their own third. Sofia Huerta, a clear candidate for player of the match, locked down right winger Midge Purce with swift dispossessions to practically eliminate that side of the field for Gotham. By the end of the game, the NWSL’s all-time assist leader had three tackles and four interceptions for Seattle.
Phoebe McClernon was also a pest on the other side, disrupting passes and shots once Gotham superstar Esther González came on in the second half to provide another spark. The MVP candidate contributed a whopping 0.55 xG in just under 30 minutes played, including a half-bicycle kick in the 88th that just barely missed.
That shot was the only one of her three looks that wasn't blocked, however, as the Reign honed in on the star.
"We knew Esther was going to come on and make a difference and obviously she's had such a great year," Dickey said after the game. "To get a clean sheet against one of the best attacking teams in the league is obviously a huge step in the right direction."
It certainly was, as the result marked Seattle’s seventh clean sheet of the year and yet another game where their opponent far underperformed their expected goals. The one-goal xG - actual goal differential against Gotham means the Reign are now holding their opponents to 10 goals under their expected total in 2025 — a league-leading figure.
Seattle was productive in getting the ball out of its own space in a game that Gotham ended up with 64% possession in, as the Reign managed 23 clearances.
But the most impressive stand came in the 79th minute when the Reign couldn't clear the ball. Huerta intercepted a pass, which found its way back to Purce. Purce put a pass in that was deflected by Jordyn Bugg, and the ensuing shot from Lavelle was snuffed out by Sam Meza.
While Seattle's ability to keep the ball out of the net when chances came was mesmerizing, the Reign's press played a massive role in the result. Ainsley McCammon and others like Nérilia Mondésir and Maddie Dahlien were tasked with forcing Gotham to be smart with their passes, in they were productive in bringing the press.
Dahlien tied for a game-high five tackles while Jordyn Huitema made her usual rounds of pressing the opposing attack before it could get started.
All in all, most teams would have conceded at least a goal in this game. Lavelle was rock solid in her chances while González nearly put the game away late, but Seattle just made life hard enough through pure hustle and contesting every look, which was the key coming into this game. For Seattle to steal a road point in these circumstances is more than a positive event for the playoff-hopeful Reign.
Offensive Woes Wear On
That's now three goals in the last six games for a Seattle team that seemed to have found something with transition ball and quick strikes in last week's 2-1 win over North Carolina.
Dahlien didn't play to her standard in terms of creating opportunities through dribbling, as she was dispossessed three times and didn't manage a single accurate cross in the game. Emeri Adames, Seattle's leading scorer, played the first 72 minutes, but didn't even manage a touch in Gotham's box for the entire game
McCammon, fresh off a game in which she changed the outcome with her dribbling prowess, was decent both ways. She revealed after the game that her job was to "hold the pocket in front of (Gotham's) nine," and also to look out for transition chances.
But as was the case before she came on, the finishing just wasn't there.
"They were attacking a lot, but we did get chances that we could transition on them; it's just the final product (that wasn’t there)," McCammon said.
It's fair to allow the Reign a grace period as they clearly are undergoing a paradigm shift toward a more sustainable model of scoring in transition, but it doesn't change how rough the offense remains at this advanced stage of the season.
With just 0.2 xG and no shots on target to show for the game, the biggest question around Seattle come playoff time will be the offense.
Up Next
The Reign will continue their push toward the postseason against an ailing Bay FC squad at home next. It'll be a short turnaround, as kickoff will be at 7:30 PM PT on Friday night.
