Seattle Reign Come Up Short in 1-0 Loss to Washington Spirit
By Becca Weinberg
Seattle, WA - In a tense battle at Lumen Field on Sunday night between the Seattle Reign and Washington Spirit, a plethora of missed chances and some unfortunate luck throughout the match handed the Reign a 1-0 loss at home. The defeat marked Seattle’s fourth straight match without a goal, and although there were many successes to be proud of, there was overall disappointment with the attacking execution.
Prematch sights ahead of the Washington Spirit win over the Seattle Reign on Sunday, May 10th, 2026, at Lumen Field. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Head coach Laura Harvey celebrated the team’s defensive effort, but spoke post-game on the lack of quality and desire in the final third.
“Do we want to be a team that plays good football in their defensive third and gets to the mid third and does great, and then gets the final third and doesn't? Because that's not going to be a team that gets in the playoffs and wins,” said Harvey. “You've got to be good in all the thirds of the field, and we were lacking that. We've been lacking that obviously over four games.”
Washington’s only goal came in the 84th minute when forward Claudia Martinez beat Reign defender Sofia Huerta to a cross into the box, and Martinez hit a one-touch shot past goalkeeper Claudia Dickey to score.
The Washington Spirit celebrate Claudia Martínez’s goal in the 84th minute against Seattle Reign FC on Sunday, May 10th, 2026, at Lumen Field. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Other than their defensive lapse towards the end, the Reign were in control of possession and shots on target throughout the match. They handled the Spirit’s high press well and continued to connect passes up the field. However, the final finishing touches continued to be lacking.
“I think we gave them a battle. I think, you know, we fought back, and I don’t think that they necessarily liked that,” said Reign defender Madison Curry. I don't think they're used to that, and that comes out in our possession and overall scheme of the game. I thought we had a lot of the momentum. Obviously, it didn't work out in our favor today, but I think in the future it will, and I'm proud of us for not letting them dictate in that way.”
Images from the Seattle Reign FC loss against the Washington Spirit on Sunday, May 10th, 2026, at Lumen Field (Photos by Jules Junior Anoumou for Circling Seattle Sports).
Match notes from Reign PR:
Reign FC has fielded a different starting XI in each of its eight matches of the 2026 season, showcasing the club’s depth.
Six players have started all eight games – Claudia Dickey, Sam Meza, and the full backline of Phoebe McClernon, Madison Curry, Sofia Huerta, and Emily Mason.
After reaching 250 matches coached with Reign FC across all NWSL competitions on April 26, Laura Harvey reached 300 career NWSL matches coached across all competitions today, becoming the first head coach in league history to reach the milestone.
Harvey has coached 252 matches with Seattle (2013-17, 2021-present) and 48 with Utah Royals FC (2018-19).
Emeri Adames made her 50th NWSL regular-season appearance after entering the match in the 79th minute.
At 20 years old, she became the youngest player in club history to reach the milestone and the third-youngest player in league history, behind Olivia Moultrie and Kennedy Fuller.
With today’s result, Reign FC now holds a record of 14-13-8 against the Washington Spirit across all competitions.
The Reign will look to regroup as they prepare for a Friday night home matchup against NY/NJ Gotham FC at 7 PM. The May 15th match will be streamed on Victory+.
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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 previous articles with photos by Liz Wolter here, and her portfolio here
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