Seattle, WA
10-player Seattle Reign snaps losing streak with 2-1 victory over San Diego
Seattle Reign FC need points. The journey to get out of the bottom of the standings began tonight at Lumen Field as Laura Harvey’s side started a grueling three-match week. Friday night they hosted San Diego Wave FC, and it was a signature NWSL After Dark affair.
Nine minutes into the match Reign forward Tziarra King was shown a straight red card after VAR summoned referee Danielle Cheskey to the monitor and it was determined that King committed a violent action, striking San Diego’s Hanna Lundkvist in the face. Kyra Carusa opened the scoring for the Wave two minutes after the reset. Seattle would get their equalizer in the 34th minute as Bethany Balcer capitalized on a blunder by San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan while trying to play the ball out of the back.
The second half saw no chaos, no controversy and despite Seattle playing basically the entire evening with 10 players, they were the more aggressive side, making runs into San Diego’s defensive third and threatening them. And for a team trying to snap a five-match losing streak, thinking it was going to be another hard evening with the early red card, luck finally came to Seattle as an 89th minute goal by Veronica Latsko gave Seattle a 2-1 victory over San Diego Wave FC.
WHAT WORKED: FORTUNE FAVORS BOATS
There’s an X/Twitter account called @wpiootbgw, which stands for When Playing It Out of the Back Goes Wrong, and this time Reign FC were the beneficiaries of it as Bethany Balcer claimed the equalizer for Seattle in the 34th minute when San Diego tried to play the ball out of the back.
A #NWSLAfterDark edition of #WPIOOTBGW. Bethany Balcer gets an equalizing goal for Seattle Reign FC in the 34th minute. pic.twitter.com/qdafiHNCUL
— Ride of the Valkyries (@rovalks) May 4, 2024
WHAT WORKED: 89th MINUTE MAGIC
Despite playing nearly the entire match down a player after the red card, Seattle were the aggressors for most of the second half. Ji didn’t start the match, but came on in the 67th minute and set up the winning moment with a sublime free kick into the box that Veronica Latsko got her head onto, and with her entire body away from goal redirected it at the exact angle that San Diego’s Kailen Sheridan could do nothing with, encapsulating Seattle’s resilient, never-say-die energy to win the match.
The best kind of #NWSLAfterDark energy as Veronica Latsko gives Seattle the go-ahead goal in the 89th minute! #NWSL #hereforthecrown pic.twitter.com/anQqQrd5Ri
— Ride of the Valkyries (@rovalks) May 4, 2024
WHAT WORKED: LAUREL IVORY
Ivory has been in goal for Seattle ever since Claudia Dickey had to leave the match at Bay FC on April 14 due to a knee injury. Over the course of the losing streak, teammates have been steadfast in praising Ivory for putting in the work at training. The circumstances may have been on the extreme end of the chaos scale even for the NWSL, but tonight Ivory claimed her first NWSL regular-season win, which coincidentally was captain Lauren Barnes’ 100th win, the first player in NWSL history to hit that achievement. Ivory earned her win tonight, especially with this save.
Another moment for this @laurelivory save 🤯 pic.twitter.com/1DuJzrzHXy
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 4, 2024
WHAT DIDN’T WORK: SO… THAT RED CARD…
NWSL After Dark kicked in nine minutes into the match when Tziarra King was shown a straight red after a referee Danielle Cheskey was summoned to the VAR monitor. While running alongside one another, King’s right hand struck Hanna Lundkvist in the face. The VAR check came during a stoppage so Lundkvist could be tended to due to a facial laceration, and Cheskey determined it was enough of a violent action to merit a straight red for King. This play and a similar red to Wave midfielder Kristen McNabb late in second-half stoppage time will definitely be discussed over the weekend around the league.
After the match, Seattle Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey was asked if the club was going to or had already initiated an appeal process for King’s red, but she didn’t tip her hand as to the club’s plan. The club can appeal it, but as to whether they choose to do so and if will be successful, we’ll just have to wait and see.
hard to see but king flung her arm back and connected with the face, which is a foul and even a yellow, but not a red imo pic.twitter.com/PIXJ9Q6sOb
— ugh (@838_carlisle) May 4, 2024
“I say 9.5”
Aficionados of NWSL After Dark got their money’s worth with tonight’s game. When asked to put the game they had just played on the NWSL After Dark scale of 1 to 10, Veronica Latsko said, “You always have to leave room for growth, I say 9.5.” Laurel Ivory added, “All I kept saying after the game was, ‘What just happened?!’”
Taking in the results around the league so far this week, Seattle are no longer at the bottom of the table and now in 10th place with the win. It’s a short turnaround for Seattle as they’re back at Lumen Field on Wednesday, May 8 for a weeknight meeting with Kansas City Current. Kansas City will be coming in on an even shorter turnaround as they have a match this Sunday at Houston Dash. Seattle Reign FC vs. Kansas City Current is scheduled for a 7 PM kickoff and will be broadcast on the NWSL+ streaming platform as well as locally on KONG TV.
The Seattle Mariners have two notable players on the injured list that are nearing their returns.
Mariners’ Matt Brash details side issue, doesn’t think it’s serious
Here’s a quick look at what we know about the statuses of third baseman Brendan Donovan and Bryce Miller.
Brendan Donovan
Donovan has been out of action with a left groin strain since April 18, but could be just days away from getting back in the Mariners’ lineup. The 29-year-old All-Star has reached the minimum amount for a stay on the 10-day injured list.
“The progression has gone as hoped, and he’s taken swings. I think he looks like he’s on pace to be back during the homestand at some point,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Tuesday.
Donovan was the Mariners’ key offseason acquisition, landing in Seattle from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team trade that also involved the Tampa Bay Rays.
Donovan underwent sports hernia surgery in October and had a few periods where he missed games in April due to injury or illness.
When Donovan has been on the field, he’s been Seattle’s primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching and among the team’s best offensive producers. He has a .304/.437/.518 slash line for a .954 OPS with three home runs in 18 games this year.
Bryce Miller
Still working his way back after oblique inflammation derailed his spring training, Miller is expected to make the third start of his minor league rehab assignment Friday in the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers’ home game against the Las Vegas Aviators at Cheney Stadium.
The Mariners will have a tough decision to make with their starting rotation when Miller returns, as Emerson Hancock (2.86 ERA, 0.981 WHIP) has been great thus far filling in for Miller. Seattle has some time before a decision needs to be made, though.
For one, Miller isn’t fully stretched out, throwing only 47 pitches and three innings in his second rehab start last Friday with the High-A Everett AquaSox. And second, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said that the M’s were likely to use the full 30 days allowed on Miller’s rehab stint, which would put him on pace to join the team in mid-May.
Seattle Mariners news and analysis
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SEATTLE — As Seattle heads into the warmer months, growing safety concerns are surfacing along one of the city’s most popular destinations.
Neighbors around Alki Beach said they’re already seeing an increase in loud, late-night parties that in the past have been followed by crime, reckless driving, and even gun violence. They also question why enhanced safety measures seen in other parts of the city have yet to make their way to West Seattle.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Alki residents push for beach patrols to curb violent crime as summer season approaches
Members of Harbor-Alki-Neighbors said many people who live along Alki Avenue SW and Harbor Avenue SW simply don’t feel safe. They point to incidents involving bullets hitting homes and cars, businesses being broken into multiple times, and hit-and-run crashes that can involve impaired drivers.
Street racing is also a major concern, as some drivers use the waterfront roads as a high-speed circuit.
With the Southwest Precinct already facing staffing shortages, residents said police response times aren’t where they need to be, especially with summer crowds on the way.
Residents are also at a loss over city priorities. They point to new efforts at Golden Gardens, where private security will patrol overnight this summer, as well as Magnuson Park, where three officers will be permanently assigned.
Neighbors along Alki said similar or worse problems exist in their neighborhood, but there is no comparable security presence.
City leaders have taken some steps, such as installing additional lighting along Alki Avenue after a series of business break-ins. In the past, both the beach and Don Armeni boat ramp have been closed and cleared an hour early to help deter trouble. Still, after two shootings in the area this year, many said it’s not enough.
Neighbors are now calling for a stronger, long-term safety plan before the busiest months of summer arrive.
We haven’t been through The Junction in a few days so we don’t know how long this has been up, but this mural on the east side of the California/Erskine 7-Eleven caught our eye this evening, so we pulled over for a quick through-the-windshield pic. It bears both the Coca-Cola and 7-Eleven logos, so we’re pretty sure it’s official, though probably not part of the major Seattle World Cup mural project. (Seen other signs of World Cup mania-to-come in West Seattle? Let us know – thank you!)
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