Match Suspended Between Seattle Reign FC & Racing Louisville FC After Medical Emergency
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - This Sunday afternoon match between visiting Racing Louisville FC and our Seattle Reign FC has been suspended after a medical emergency from Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo. The match was about a minute of stoppage time away from going to halftime before DeMelo required immediate medical attention, and after both teams spent about 16 minutes in their locker rooms, the Lumen Field public address announcer stated that the contest had been suspended with more information becoming available in the near future. Per a statement from Racing Louisville FC, DeMelo is “Alert and stable” which is very encouraging as she gets further evaluation at a local hospital.
There was no media availability following the match, and more information will come in the near future from the NWSL and Racing Louisville FC. It’s currently unclear when this match will resume, but the broadcast of the match said that it’ll be resumed at a time/place agreed to by all parties and that it will pick up at the time it was stopped.
The latest updates from the NWSL and Racing Louisville state that DeMelo is stable and alert and getting the medical attention she needs. She went to sit down on her own and looked dazed before a teammate grabbed her arms to make sure she didn't fall down. DeMelo was taken off the field on a stretcher after receiving medical attention and then taken to a nearby hospital after the being lifted into the ambulance that had come onto the field. There is no official word that they are related, but DeMelo did require medical attention during a match against Bay FC back on March 22nd, where she felt dizzy and tight in the chest in the first half, saying that her heart rate wasn't slowing and that she struggled to breathe for about three minutes. DeMelo was stretched off the field and taken to a local hospital, later speaking publicly about how she was diagnosed with Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism last fall.
In far less important information, the match itself was scoreless going into halftime. Seattle had better possession and besides that, Louisville had the front foot in this match. Louisville had ten shots to Seattle’s three, featuring a few dangerous chances that were stopped by Claudia Dickey in goal for the Reign. Mia Fishel flashed some of her quality play up top in a start for Seattle but the Reign only generated 0.10 expected goals in the opening 45 minutes.
As more information becomes available we will do our best to share it to the general public, whether it’s on the condition of DeMelo or when this match will resume.
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Cover photo by Eric Hiller