Reign Downs Rival Thorns in Friendly Penalty Shootout
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Jordyn Huitema dribbles the ball during a game against the Portland Thorns on April 18, 2025 at Lumen Field. (Jane Gershovich / Seattle Reign FC) [/caption]
The Seattle Reign survived a hotly contested friendly with its Pacific Northwest rival in the Portland Thorns on Saturday night in Portland. After the two squads dueled to a scoreless draw through 90 minutes, Seattle went on to win the ensuing penalty shootout 5-4.
Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey branded herself the hero after saving two shots in the shootout to seal the victory, which won’t count toward NWSL standings. Midfielder Maddie Mercado converted what turned out to be the winning penalty shot for Seattle.
Although it was a friendly match, there's always something to play for when these squads from the I-5 corridor clash. The all-time series was tied 16-16-10 going into the matchup and Seattle (6-4-3 W-L-D) is only one spot behind Portland (6-3-4) in the NWSL standings ahead of Friday's return to action after the month-long CBA break.
The two squads will meet again in Portland, this time for real, on August 10.
"We obviously come back down here in two weeks, so not give too much away on what we want to do then, but I thought overall the players tried to put in the performance we wanted," Reign head coach Laura Harvey said after the game.
Dickey has been reliable in particular for the Reign this season, starting all of Seattle's 13 games thus far with 35 saves to show. Dickey has also demonstrated her class on an international level, having firmly put her hat in the ring for the U.S. Women's National Team's open goalkeeper spot with solid performances for the elite team.
Seattle is better off for it.
"Claudia has all the ability that anyone would want in a goalkeeper," Harvey said. "I said to her in March, April … the national team is there for her to go get it if he wants it. And since that, I feel like her training habits have gotten better."
Seattle was coming off a solid win over the Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan in another friendly last week, but getting work in against a familiar foe was useful for Harvey's squad. The Reign have held opponents scoreless just three times during the NWSL season, a figure Harvey wants to improve for the back end of the season.
"We want to be a threat going forward, I thought we were at times (this season). But in this league, you've got to keep clean sheets, and the more we can do that, the more points we're going to get," Harvey said.
Even with the close game and dramatic finish, friendlies are an important time just to get everyone on the same page. Harvey was glad to get Sofia Huerta, who was on loan for 10 months before her brace against Urawa last week, some minutes in a close game.
The same goes for new Chelsea signing Mia Fishel, who played the first half. Midfielder Sally Menti also had a strong showing defensively, as Harvey has been pleased with her development since June. Forward Jordyn Huitema subbed on for the last 25 minutes of action while leading goal scorer Emeri Adames played the full 90 and converted a penalty.
With two friendly wins in as many weeks, the Reign look ready to get back into the fray of the regular season. Seattle will restart its season against Angel City on Friday night at Lumen Field.
