Quinn's OL Reign punches semifinals ticket after draw with Sheridan's San Diego Wave
North Carolina Courage play to draw with Washington Spirit to clinch 1st place in East
Quinn's OL Reign secured a National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Challenge semifinal berth after playing to a 1-1 draw with hosts San Diego Wave on Saturday.
Ally Wyatt put OL Reign in the lead in the 13th minute. American star Alex Morgan replied with a penalty kick goal just before halftime.
.<a href="https://twitter.com/alexmorgan13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@alexmorgan13</a> is 💰 from the penalty spot.<a href="https://twitter.com/sandiegowavefc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sandiegowavefc</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WaveFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WaveFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/fBhCGlEszV">pic.twitter.com/fBhCGlEszV</a>
—@NWSLQuinn, of Toronto, played for 75 minutes for the Seattle, Wash., based club. San Diego's goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, of Whitby, Ont., made two saves and received a yellow card.
OL Reign boasts a 4-2-0 unbeaten record and 14 points in the West division. Their semifinal opponent is yet to be determined.
San Diego (1-2-3) finished third in the same division with five points, failing to reach the Challenge Cup playoffs. They'll face the Houston Dash next on May 1st to kick off their NWSL 2022 season.
Courage also through to semis
Also on Saturday, Ashley Hatch of the Washington Spirit opened and closed the scoring in a 2-2 draw with the North Carolina Courage in a clash between the top two teams in the East division.
The San Dimas, Calif. native put the Spirit in the lead 15 minutes into the match. Courage's Debinha replied with a penalty kick goal late in the first half to make it 1-1.
After Malia Berkely put the Courage ahead in the 52nd minute, Hatch equalled the score with a penalty kick of her own in the 75th minute.
A brace for Hatch!! <br><br> <a href="https://t.co/YSQI3kaKHx">pic.twitter.com/YSQI3kaKHx</a>
—@WashSpiritThe Courage finished atop the East division standings with a 3-3-0 unbeaten record to punch their ticket to the semifinals.
In other Saturday action, NJ/NY Gotham FC finished third in the East division after a 1-1 draw against the Orlando Pride.
Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir of the Pride opened the scoring 10 minutes in, helping bring her team to a 0-2-4 record and two points for fourth in the East.
Rising 🆙 on the corner for the early lead! <a href="https://twitter.com/ORLPride?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@orlpride</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrideOfOrlando?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrideOfOrlando</a> <a href="https://t.co/CYFhJFBF48">pic.twitter.com/CYFhJFBF48</a>
—@NWSLKristie Mewis replied for Gotham FC late in the first half to bring her team's record to a 1-3-2 record and six points.
The NWSL Challenge Cup final is scheduled for May 7, while the 2022 NWSL regular season is set to start on April 29.
