Postgame Press Conference (vs. CHI) • 4-22-23
OL REIGN vs. CHICAGO RED STARS
POSTGAME QUOTES
Saturday, April 22, 2023 • Lumen Field • Seattle, WA
OL Reign Head Coach Laura Harvey
On her thoughts from the game:
“Obviously pleasing. Three games in a week is always tough. It’s arguably even tougher when your opponent doesn’t play three games in a week. So, we knew we had to come out quick and strong and on the front foot and I thought we did that. We made it probably more hard work than when it needed to be at times. But yeah, pleased with the overall performance.”
On the relationship between defender Emily Sonnett and midfielder Jess Fishlock:
“Obviously with (midfielder) Quinn’s injury and (midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt) Olo not being available, we knew we had to drop (midfielder) Jess (Fishlock) back. They’re just smart, they work off each other well. I think having Jess higher up the field can be really effective for us when we don’t have (midfielder) Rose (Lavelle). So, we went with having (forward) Jordyn (Huitema) and (midfielder Bethany Balcer) Boats there today, which I thought worked. They did really well.”
On the Jess Fishlock’s goal in stoppage time of the first half:
“Massive. I think that’s probably the bit that we need to talk about as a collective today is how we let them back into the game. I think we shot ourselves in the foot on both goals, really. We need to look at that and talk about that, but the response was good and last year in September here, we dominated the first half against Chicago, winning on one and we should have been four up in that half and we ended up tying that game and, in my mind, before halftime, I was thinking this is déjà vu and then we got that third goal. So, I think that was really important for us. Disappointed to come out in the second half and concede, that’s something we need to talk about. But again, happy with the response.”
On Chicago’s formation:
“It could be a double-edged sword. I think there were times where they caused us problems because of their formation and then there were times that we caused them problems because of that, so it’s sort of this chicken and egg a little bit. I actually think they’re really hard to play against, but you have to take your chances when you get them and we did that today.”
On scoring every shot on target:
“I just think it’s been a focus from last season to this season. it’s something that we’ve spoken about briefly. We don’t harp on about it. I’m not a believer that if you keep talking about it, it’s going to change – you have to step away from that a little bit. But just consistently working on it, consistently being better at it, I think, is something that we need to continue to do and it might be games like today that it holds strong, but there will be other games where we need to make sure that it does when we get that one chance or one-goal opportunity. So, it’s something that we have to continue to keep being strong with.”
On midfielder Bethany Balcer:
“She just knows where the goal is. She’s willing to run through anything and anyone to score a goal. I honestly think with Boats that it’s not even something that is coached in her, it’s instinctive with her. It’s why she has been able to score the amount of goals she has in this league, consistently, and she just knows where the goal is, she’s instinctive.”
On the first time having two players record a brace in the same game in club history:
“I mean, let it continue. I didn’t realize Jess had scored two goals until I just watched them back, actually, but whatever she’s eating and drinking, let’s – everyone take that because she’s like a fine wine at the minute.”
OL Reign forward Bethany Balcer and midfielder Jess Fishlock
On her thoughts from the game:
Jess Fishlock: “Most importantly, it was obviously a three-game week after international break, so it has been pretty tough and we had to travel mid-week. Obviously, Chicago didn’t play in the Challenge Cup, so we knew that we would have to come out of the blocks real fast and that’s exactly what we did. Obviously, (midfielder Bethany Balcer) Betty here was just fantastic. I think just our kind of resilience throughout the game when we were clearly getting tired just shows what this club is about, to be honest. We wanted to win the game. We knew that anything less than three points was not good enough for us, today. Everyone kind of just pulled through, worked as hard as they can, gave even more than that and on top of that, we managed in bits to play some fantastic football, scored unbelievable goals. I think (midfielder Bethany Balcer) Boats’ first goal was just unbelievable play from us. We conceded two goals, which we wouldn’t really normally, probably, concede if we weren’t a little fatigued. But I mean, to win 5-2 at the back of this kind of run that we’ve had says everything about this group.”
Bethany Balcer: “We were up 2-0 and then we conceded and then we got one right back and then it was 3-2 and then we just kind of put the game to rest, which is what we needed to do. I am really proud of the group for responding in that way because we had every excuse that we could have made as to conceding and just throwing the towel in, but that’s not the identity of this group. So, just the depth we have on this squad has obviously come crucial in weeks like this and we’re going to need it moving forward.”
On conceding two goals:
Jess Fishlock: “I don’t think it is a concern at all. Obviously, we will go through the goals, I am sure, but you can put some of it down to maybe just us switching off a little bit. Like I said, it has been a tough week. There were probably moments in those goals where, if we were pretty fresh, we would have probably dealt with it a little earlier, a little better. So yeah, nothing to be concerned about, for us. We will probably just speak about it briefly and then put it to bed and move on. We have another three-game week coming up, so we need to get the rest kind of going. So, I don’t think there is any concern about those goals today.”
On how many goal celebrations she has planned:
Bethany Balcer: “Honestly, they just come into my head when I’m holding something and after our Gotham game, after my first goal with (Head Assistant Coach) Scott (Parkinson), I was like, ‘OK, me and Scott are going to have a partnership this year on all the goals,’ so there’s just so many funny moments within the team. One day, I was wearing my headset, pretending to be a DJ and that’s when I was like, ‘OK, Scott, I’m going to go over to you and be a DJ,’ I mean, when the league steps up their celebrations, we have to, too. I feel like they’re just so fun now. Yeah, I feel like in the past, we’ve just been like, ‘Woo, I scored a goal,’ but now I’m like, let’s have a little dance party before we go back because that’s fun. So yeah, it’s a fun time.”
On reaching 40 goals scored all-time and if she considers herself a goal scorer:
“No, I am not a goal scorer. I just need to put that out there. I am not a goal scorer. I am a creator. I can score goals. I always say to (head coach) Laura (Harvey) that I’ll pinch in a few, like I’ll get you [some] in the season but don’t be betting on me getting these goals that you need. I’ve come in, obviously, playing [the six and eight positions], so only recently, I’ve been kind of getting up on the backline a little bit. That’s a lot of goals, I’m not even going to lie, so I’ll take it. I thank every single one of my teammates because they make it so easy for me. So yeah, I did not know I had scored that many goals.”
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