> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Reign Close Spokane Fixture Trio with Draw to Expansion Denver - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-reign-draw-denver-end-spokane/ - Published: 2026-04-05T05:09:41.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:12:15.000Z - Author: Qasim Ali - Tags: News, Analysis, Reign, Laura Harvey, Claudia Dickey, Sam Meza, Madison Curry \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1826"\] ![ Seattle Reign midfielder Sam Meza dribbles the ball against the Denver Summit on Saturday, April 4, 2026 at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Wash. (Maddy Grassy / Reign FC Communications) ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/credit-2bseattle-2breign-2bfc-maddy-2bgrassy_2-format-original.png) Seattle Reign midfielder Sam Meza dribbles the ball against the Denver Summit on Saturday, April 4, 2026 at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Wash. (Maddy Grassy / Reign FC Communications) \[/caption\] The Seattle Reign stayed perfect in their Spokane closer on Saturday, tying expansion side Denver Summit FC 0-0 on Saturday night to move to 3-1-1. The Summit, fresh off their home opener, which drew over 60,000 fans in Colorado, have built a reputation of being tough to break down. Paired with a true scorer on the left wing in Melissa Kössler and a chance generator in striker Yazmeen Ryan, Denver was always on Seattle coach Laura Harvey's mind as a threat. Indeed, the Summit burdened Seattle with 18 shots, but the Reign's active backline pressured many of those attempts. In the end, Denver produced just three shots on target and 1.2 expected goals on a day where the teams shared possession almost evenly. Considering where Seattle was before their three-game Spokane residency, fresh off a 2-0 loss to a rival Portland team playing with nine players, Harvey's squad is in a decent spot heading into a three-week international break. "We're hard to beat, we're creating chances. When things aren't going our way, we don’t buckle," Harvey said. "We know we're on a journey, and we're not exactly where we want to be, but you can see where we're trying to go." ### Defenses Reign Supreme in Spokane The Reign took 12 shots themselves in this contest, managing to threaten keeper Abby Smith just three times for three saves. Both backlines had standout games, and set the tone from the get-go as Denver's Janine Sonis struck a ball well in the sixth minute only for it to be parried on a jumping stop by Reign keeper Claudia Dickey. With 190 career saves by the end of the game, Dickey passed Hope Solo’s club record of 187. A minute later, Seattle star Emeri Adames had her close shot blocked by Denver's other solid center back, Kaleigh Kurtz. In the 10th, striker Maddie Mercado, making her fourth start for Seattle, forced an outstanding kick save from Smith after a great pass from veteran Jess Fishlock. > Abby Smith doing Abby Smith things 🙂‍↕️ [pic.twitter.com/82v1PQUN8i](https://t.co/82v1PQUN8i?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com)— Denver Summit FC (@denversummitfc) [April 5, 2026](https://twitter.com/denversummitfc/status/2040601993002266849?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) After a quiet spell from either side, Adames put a shot on target in the 25th. It was a non-threatening look right at Smith. Kössler forced a diving Dickey save in the 43rd, but neither side could truly get anything going as the rare chances were canceled out by elite keepers in either net. By the end of the game, the teams combined for 15 blocks by outfield players. Seattle center back Emily Mason, making her fifth start in place of injured USWNT defender Jordyn Bugg, had three of those, trailing only Denver's Megan Reid (4) in that regard. Midfielder Sam Meza continued her strong start to the season for Seattle, winning 10 of her 12 duels (per FotMob) as she started alongside veteran Angharad James-Turner. Meza would go on to have some signature defensive moments late, but wasn’t able to work into Denver’s third as Harvey continues to encourage her to do so. In the 56th, Mercado and Adames ran a transition chance by sharing the ball down the right side as Mercado's shot to end it was deflected. A moment later, the duo ran the fastbreak again, only for Mercado's shot to miss high. For a young team building chemistry, those missed chances could prove dividends down the road. But learning experiences seldom score goals. A dynamic run from Nerilia "Coco" Mondesir, who is already enjoying her best NWSL season, almost caught Denver off-guard in the 78th, but Smith dove on her late cross. Meza then shut down the Summit, cutting a shooter off in the box before blowing up a corner-kick chance by taking away the short option in the 85th. Looking to steal the game late, Mercado stole the ball in the second and final minute of stoppage time as midfielder Sally Menti put a ball ahead for Mondesir with a chance to do damage in the box. It was slightly too long as Smith dove on it, effectively ending the game. Though defender Sofia Huerta, who was selected to the league's All-March team, got the ball in the box once before getting blocked, the all-time assist leader wasn't able to serve in many threatening balls on Saturday. ### A Solid First Block Harvey broke the season down into blocks in the build-up to the 2026 campaign. With this upcoming three-week international break and another month-long break set for June, these first five games were viewed as the first block of the season before the team sees another six games before the summer break. It's certainly been an eventful spell, from the team's wild journey to Orlando, to heartbreak in Portland and now quick turnarounds in Spokane against Kansas City, Louisville and Denver. "We've learned a lot about ourselves in all five games that we've played. It's been a really challenging four weeks," Harvey said. "Tonight, maybe it wasn't our best performance, but we still created chances in periods." Spokane has been great to the Reign on the offensive end, as Seattle put Portland in the rearview with five first-half goals against KC and Louisville. While Seattle didn't have the final touch on Saturday night, Harvey's preseason messaging of creating more chances has shown up over these first five games. The Reign are up to around 12 shots per game so far this season, up from 8.5 last year - a season where Seattle generated the fewest chances in the NWSL. "I think it's an evolution from last year where focused mostly on our defensive identity," defender Madison Curry said of 2026\. "Now we're evolving into a more offensive prowess and matching that with our defensive grit … We're going to continue to evolve to try to press our offensive identity even more." With Bugg and striker Mia Fishel still out, Harvey's thankful for some time off. "Some people might think the FIFA break comes at a bad time for them. It comes at a great time for us," Harvey said, with her team yet to play in Seattle three weeks into the season. "Spokane's treated us brilliantly, we've enjoyed being here. But now we can sort of get back to our regular scheduled routine a little bit." ### Up Next The Reign will have time to get healthy as Bugg was already ready for selection Saturday and striker Mia Fishel recovers from injury. Seattle will be back to action at Lumen Field, perhaps in time for Bugg's season debut, on April 26 when it takes on the Utah Royals.