Blues And Reign FC Will Meet In The Final For The Second-Consecutive Year
Soccer News: The 2015 NWSL Championship Game has been set as FC Kansas City will take on Seattle Reign FC on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. The two clubs met in last year’s final where FC Kansas City was crowned the 2014 NWSL Champions in a 2-1 victory over Seattle Reign FC.
FC Kansas City defeated the Chicago Red Stars in the semifinal, 3-0, on the road at Toyota Park in Chicago. Forward Amy Rodriguez and midfielder Erika Tymrak led the way for the Blues by scoring all three goals in the first half of the match to shut out the Red Stars. The first half performance by Kansas City kept Chicago off balance and unable to answer. Heather O’Reilly recorded two assists to help her teammates seal the deal and secure their spot in the championship game.
Led by head coach Vlatko Andonovski, FC Kansas City holds the third best record in the league, 9-6-5 (32 points). They continued to impress this season and have found themselves back in familiar territory as they enter the championship game for the second consecutive year. Rodriguez leads the way for the Blues with eight goals this season, including two goals from the semifinal match this weekend, with teammate O’Reilly leading the way for FCKC with five assists. The Blues look to repeat history and take home another championship trophy as they prepare to take on Seattle.
The 2015 NWSL Shield winners beat the Washington Spirit, 3-0, in a tough semifinal match at Moda Pitch at Memorial Stadium in Seattle. The Reign pressured the Spirit the entire match, but their first goal wouldn’t come until the 71st minute when Megan Rapinoe crossed the ball to teammate Beverly Yanez who would finally score for Seattle. Just four minutes later, Rapinoe was able to blast a shot into the back of the net to give the Reign a 2-0 lead. Substitute Mariah Bullock sealed the win for Seattle as she scored in the 90th minute to send them back to the championship game.
Seattle Reign FC, who are led by head coach Laura Harvey, finished with the best regular-season record in the league for the second-consecutive season with a 13-3-4 record (43 points). This Reign FC team was an unstoppable force this season behind impressive performances from midfielders Kim Little (10 goals, 8 assists) and Jessica Fishlock (9 goals) and forward Beverly Yanez (9 goals), who scored the first goal of the semifinal match this weekend. The Reign will look for top performances from these individuals, as well as U.S. Women’s World Cup Champions Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo to bring a championship to Seattle for the first time.
Tickets are available for purchase by calling (888) 736-6849 or online. For supporters of FC Kansas City and Seattle Reign FC, tickets can be bought in your club’s supporter sections by clicking here. Make sure to use the promotional code KANSAS or REIGNFC to unlock your club’s special seating sections.
