Megan Rapinoe’s header lifted the Seattle Reign to a 1-0 win over the visiting Utah Royals Saturday, helping the Reign hold onto second place in the NWSL table.
The two clubs were both hungry for wins and the match marked Royals coach Laura Harvey’s return to Seattle, a club she coached before jumping to Utah during the offseason.
After a relatively even and scoreless first half, the Reign took control early in the second half.
Steph Catley sent a corner in the 54th minute to the far side of the box and Rapinoe headed it to the opposite side of goal. It would prove to be the game-winner, with both sides going scoreless the remainder of the match.
It was Rapinoe’s seventh goal of the season and helped Seattle (8-3-5, 29 points) remain atop a crowded pack of teams vying for second place in the league. Utah (5-5-6, 21 points) sits in sixth place, just four points behind the league’s third and fourth place teams.