In case it was forgotten, Bethany Balcer provided a reminder Friday.
The Reign are forged steel — a franchise that’s been dragged through everything and still finds a way to sit pretty at the top of the NWSL. This year has been the hardest test and nine minutes into the match against San Diego, it got even harder.
Reign forward Tziarra King was ejected, and the Wave capitalized by pocketing a goal in the 11th minute.
But Balcer refused to fold or let the fan base pout. The forward found an equalizer in the 34th minute and teammate Veronica Latsko whipped a reverse header into goal for the game-winner in the 89th minute.
Reign keeper Laurel Ivory had five saves in the match to preserve a 2-1 victory at Lumen Field. The Wave (2-3-1) are winless in Seattle.
“When you’re down 10 players nine minutes into a game and you’re on a five-game losing streak, it felt like one thing after another,” Ivory said. “We deserved this win.”
After King was sent off, Balcer waved her arms to appeal for the 7,030 in attendance to stay lively after hard fouls. In the 34th minute, Balcer brought the crowd to their feet with an equalizer. She jumped and screamed and tugged at her Reign crest in celebration, epitomizing the toughness and determination the club is known for.
Tension was high before kickoff. The sides are vocal about “hating” each other, with the Reign owning the series at 7-1-2, including a semifinal win at Snapdragon Stadium last fall. San Diego’s first win was in March in the 98th minute.
The Wave team that hit the field Friday was starkly different from the lineup that won in March. San Diego coach Casey Stoney made four lineup changes due to injuries and had Jaedyn Shaw as a reserve.
U.S. internationals Alex Morgan (lower leg), Naomi Girma (thigh) and Abby Dahlkemper (thigh) were on San Diego’s injured list along with Swedish international Sofia Jakobsson (lower leg) and Melanie Barcenas (hip).
It didn’t matter for the Reign. They had their own problems in a five-game losing streak — the worst start to a season.
King being shown a red card in the ninth minute seemed fitting for the way the season was going.
VAR signaled for referee Danielle Chesky to review an off-ball play. King was charging down the sideline, shaking Hanna Lundkvist off her to get to a long ball pass. Her second arm movement looked to smack Lundkvist in the face.
“Per the laws of the game, a red card was issued for violent conduct for contact made in the face while not challenging for the ball,” Chesky said in response to a request for insight to the decision.
The Reign (2-5-0) played down a player the remainder of the game. Adjusting to the situation left the Reign vulnerable in the 11th minute when Kyra Carusa collected her own rebound and swung it back into goal on a half-volley.
Balcer pressured Wave keeper Kailen Sheridan to level the score. The latter mishandled a backward pass, and Balcer, seizing the possession, tapped a right-footed shot into the empty net.
“They came here with injuries but when [a red card] happens so early in the game, you can either crumble or you can stand up and fight and be counted,” Reign coach Laura Harvey said. “This says a lot about the group, about who they are and who they want to be. They stood up and fought to the death.”
The match didn’t have a flow as eight yellow cards, two red and 35 fouls were called. It’s the most disciplinary infractions in a single match in NWSL history.
Harvey trusted her team to not have anyone else sent off. She started to make her substitutions in the 52nd minute when she brought Latsko on for Emeri Adames. Balcer was subbed off in the 67th minute.
The Reign have a three-game week, which is why Harvey pulled midfielder Ji So-yun from the starting lineup. She entered the match in the 67th minute.
The Reign earned a free kick late in the game that set up the winning score. Ji powered an assist into the box, Latsko jumping at the near post to miraculously angle a header past Sheridan.
“Ji put it on a platter and I said I’m going to flick it and see where it goes,” said Latsko, who scored the playoff winner against San Diego, too. “I had no idea what the trajectory was going to be.”
Each side had dangerous tackles and challenges as San Diego tried to get back into the match. There ended up being 15 minutes of stoppage time as VAR called Chesky to review a play from a corner kick where Ivory made a save.
The crowd chanted “blow the whistle” to end the match. Chesky showed Wave midfielder Kristen McNabb a red card and then ended the match.
“I wanted to go nuts,” Harvey said of clinching the win. It’s the 100th overall for defender Lu Barnes, which is a league record. “You can’t take winning for granted. They’re really hard to come by so you have to celebrate like it’s your last one … we’re going to definitely celebrate winning.”