Seattle Reign Homecoming Dampened by 3-0 Loss to Utah Royals
By Becca Weinberg
Seattle, WA- The Seattle Reign’s official Lumen Field homecoming was spoiled by both a 3-0 loss and a frightening injury to captain and longtime Reign FC midfielder Jess Fishlock. The match quickly went from bad to worse, with all three Utah goals conceded in the first half, and Fishlock’s injury occurring in the 68th minute.
Images from the first two Utah Royals goals of the match against Seattle Reign FC on Sunday, April 26th, 2026, at Lumen Field. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
“I think how it felt being out there was, we were not ready when the whistle blew,” said defender Sofia Huerta post-game. “Like, the moment the game started, I think Utah was on their front foot, and we were a little slow to start. Hence, the goal that happened so quickly, and the second one that followed.”
The Royals’ first goal was scored just one minute into the match, and their second was scored six minutes later after numerous mistakes and miscommunications from the Reign defense. Once it looked like Seattle had finally found some connections up the field, Utah netted its third goal right before halftime.
“I think in those moments, when you have momentum, and you're really pushing to get back into the game, you ideally want to score in those moments, but you definitely don't want to give up a goal,” said head coach Laura Harvey post-game. “And that third goal was like a sucker punch.”
Images from Seattle Reign FC captain, midfielder, and club original Jess Fishlock leaving the Sunday, April 26th, 2026 match against the Utah Royals at Lumen Field with a left leg injury. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
In the 68th minute, Fishlock’s ankle came down on an awkward shot from midfielder Maddie Mercado inside the box, and Fishlock waved for the team trainers immediately. She was lifted off the grass on a stretcher, with her twisted ankle elevated with an air cast.
“I think when obviously the injury happened, we were really on the front foot, and we were really pushing, and it sucked the life out of us a little bit,” Harvey said of Fishlock's injury. She was not able to provide an update on the severity of the injury after the match.
Quick match notes, from Reign PR
8,211 was the announced attendance at Lumen Field for this NWSL regular-season match between the visiting Utah Royals and the Seattle Reign FC.
With today's result, Reign FC holds a record of 9-3-3 against Utah Royals FC across all competitions.
Reign FC has fielded a different starting XI in each of its first six matches of the 2026 season, highlighting the club’s depth.
Six players have started all six games – Claudia Dickey, Sam Meza and the full backline of Phoebe McClernon, Madison Curry, Sofia Huerta and Emily Mason.
In her 11th season with Reign FC, Laura Harvey became the first coach in NWSL history to reach 250 games across all NWSL competitions with one club.
Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey reached 5,000 regular-season minutes tonight, becoming the first goalkeeper in club history to reach the milestone.
She now holds club records in saves (192), shutouts (15), appearances (56), and minutes played (5,010).
With uncertainty and frustration in the air, the Reign were unable to convert any opportunities on goal the rest of the match, and walked away with a 3-0 loss. The team will regroup and travel to face the Houston Dash on Friday, May 1st, at 5 PM PDT. That match will be broadcast on FOX 13+, Victory+, and will go over the local radio airwaves on 950 KJR AM.
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Check out our previous Seattle Reign FC articles here.
Check out our previous articles written for CSS by Becca Weinberg here, and her work with Lookout Landing here.
Check out our previous articles with photos by Eric Hiller here, and his portfolio here.
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