Postgame Press Conference (at CHI) • Sunday, October 15, 2023

OL REIGN at CHICAGO RED STARS 

POSTGAME QUOTES  

  

Sunday, October 15, 2023 • SeatGeek Stadium • Bridgeview, IL 

  

OL Reign Head Coach Laura Harvey  

  

On if she kept an eye on the live results throughout the league during the game: 

“I actually wasn’t. I told all the staff and the players that we just needed to win the game and then we knew our destiny was in our own hands, but (head assistant coach) Scott (Parkinson) did come and tell me that Angel City were winning 4-nil against Portland. I was like, ‘What!?’ So yeah, I think, when you know that winning is the thing that you need, I think if you try and think about everything else, it doesn’t really matter. But, I think when we knew we’d won and then we knew that we could host, I think that was a nice feeling.” 

 

On forward Megan Rapinoe: 

“She’s a joke. Big players come up big in big moments. She’s done it all of her career and I wish I could’ve given her that sendoff a week ago in Seattle, but we tend to do things the hard way. She could have scored in the first half, we could’ve scored multiple goals in the first half, but I think it just showed her quality. I think I was behind both of the shots and they were sort of a carbon copy of each other and I could just tell (Red Stars goalkeeper) Alyssa (Naeher) couldn’t see it. So, not many people try that and I gave her a big hug and just, yeah, I probably can’t repeat what I said.” 

 

On her thoughts on having a Decision Day: 

“Last year when we knew Portland had lost and we could win the Shield by winning, there’s no doubt we played better. So do I think it gave us an advantage? Yeah, I do think it did, so today was interesting. I haven’t really caught up with everything that’s gone on except that we’re in and we’re hosting. So, it will be nice to go back to the hotel and just catch up on everything that’s gone on. But yeah, I think it’s the way it should be, whether we love it or hate it, I actually think that it’s the way it should be because someone else’s results shouldn’t impact how you approach the game, everyone should approach it the same way, so I do agree that it should be how it was done today.” 

 

On having 34,000 fans at home last week for the Rapinoe sendoff and what her message is to the fans in Seattle: 

“There best be 34,000 there again on Friday night because that’s how we give her what she deserves and that’s how we give this team what it deserves. It’s OK us doing it once, but we believe that we should have that every week, so that’s my message – come out, support this team, get behind us and let’s get ourselves into a semifinal.” 

 

 

OL Reign Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and midfielder Jess Fishlock 

  

On her thoughts on the match and being able to host a playoff game: 

Jess Fishlock: “Yeah, great. Obviously, us knowing that it’s in our hands is nice and it’s down to us and to our responsibility and honestly, I thought we played well today, which is a credit to this group with so much pressure. Another clean sheet for (goalkeeper Claudia Dickey) Clauds, which is great. She’s been fantastic for us – not just this season, but last season too. So, to keep building with her clean sheet after clean sheet is nice. So yeah, we’re excited and now we just move forward to Friday. I think it was a really professional performance from us today.” 

 

Claudia Dickey: “I think it was similar to what she said. I feel like we came out today and we created so many more chances than we have I felt like all season and I think it showed that when we’re on, we’re like impossible to beat. I think everybody kind of had the same attitude going into this – this is our last chance, it could be our last game, so let’s go out there and put everything and I think we’ve been working towards that. I feel like we’ve had a tough few games recently, but we’ve always had each other’s backs. I think we’ve been pushing each other every day. So, it’s just upward from here.” 

 

On what the message was at halftime and what was different between the first half and second half: 

Jess Fishlock: “I think at halftime, we always have conversations like, backline, what do you see? What do you need? Where’s that tiny one percent that we’re missing to go from almost a goal, 50-50 with Alyssa, off the line to clear cut chances or positions that (forward Megan Rapinoe) P is famous for and things like that. So, it’s just a group speaking to each other, letting each other know what they need from the frontline and what the frontline see and feel that need a little bit better from the backline or the midfield and then it’s obviously (head coach) Laura (Harvey) coming in and really just giving us belief and added momentum. We all felt the same way, that it was coming – the first 45 minutes, we were just pushing and pushing and pushing and we believed that it was coming. We talked about a couple tweaks, they worked right away and then it was just more about game management after that – we have players coming on and that’s just the way it goes, really. So yeah, it’s nice for us to be able to talk to each other and say what we need and what we feel we need a little bit more and kind of listen to that and then go implement it i the second half. It’s nice.” 

 

On the field being wet and what it was like being on the field: 

Claudia Dickey: “We train on grass, but we’re used to playing on turf and I think it shows that there have been a lot of games – it was such nice grass, especially in the box, around the box, it was wet and a little slippery and there were some holes, so I think that played into it too. All of warmup, everybody was like, be smart about that when you play a back pass or when you’re trying to clear it, be smart. So, I think that, coming along with it has rained and it was cold, so there were a lot of things going on and I think we did a good job focusing or covering each other when things like that happened.” 

 

On her journey of becoming the starting goalkeeper: 

 Claudia Dickey: “I touched on it a little bit in the press conference yesterday, but I’ve admitted it at a lot of places, but I don’t think I would be in this position without a lot of my teammates, especially (midfielder) Jess (Fishlock) and everybody kind of helped me believe in myself. Just confidence wise, you play a lot in college, everybody does and then becoming a professional is so different and being a goalkeeper is very challenging at times. But yeah, I think the Challenge Cup helped us a lot – (goalkeeper) Laurel (Ivory) pushed me every day, even in those trainings because (former Reign goalkeeper) Phallon (Tullis-Joyce) was playing for two years, basically. So, me and Laurel just worked hard, pushed each other every day and I think she’s one of the people, along with Jess, that helped me believe more in myself and I started to believe it and I feel like I’ve been playing better since then, after the first few games. I think the Challenge Cup helped a lot, everybody gave me a lot of confidence – all the teammates, everybody did well, everybody has played well in the Challenge Cup games. I think that continued to give me confidence. But yeah, it’s very different – you think going into Challenge Cup, it’s just another game, but once you start playing in the regular season, it is very different and I’ve realized that probably the hard way. I hope to continue the confidence, but I definitely wouldn’t be anywhere I am right now without my teammates.” 

 

On her goal: 

Jess Fishlock: “Honestly, at the time, I didn’t feel like I was offside, so when the flag went up real late, I was questioning it in my head, but then it took a while to go to VAR, so I was like, ‘Oh, I genuinely missed being onside,’ which was upsetting. But then when they went to VAR, I was like, ‘Oh, OK, now they’re going to see,’ but I think in the play, I just saw that (defender Alana Cook) Lani was going to just go through the ball, I knew that she wasn’t going to try and play short in that. I just knew she was going to play it, so I just kind of took a risk, really, on my movement because had it not gone past that player, Laura probably would’ve shouted at me that I needed to wait because they would’ve been on a counter and I would’ve been out of position. But thankfully, it went past (Red Stars defender Kayla) Sharples. Even though I scored, I really have to give credit to Alyssa because she stood her ground for so long and as I was running, I was like, when are you going to move? When are you going to move so that I know where I’m going to go and she did not buckle, at all. Then, I was like, I don’t know what I’m going to do now because you’re not moving, which means – and then I was like, I’m too late. It was a real conversation in my head at that point all because Alyssa was standing firm and not buckling. But thankfully, I just managed to get it under her last second. So yeah, you’d be surprised by the type of conversations happening in that, so I blame Alyssa for that. But yeah, thankfully it went in, thankfully there’s VAR, all that stuff and I think the third goal really gave us a little bit of breathing space.” 

 

 Download here: Postgame Press Conference (at CHI) • Sunday, October 15, 2023