Postgame Press Conference (vs. LOU) • Wednesday, September 6, 2023
OL REIGN vs. RACING LOUISVILLE FC
POSTGAME QUOTES
Wednesday, September 6, 2023 • Lumen Field • Seattle, WA
OL Reign Head Coach Laura Harvey
On her thoughts on the performance tonight:
“Yeah, disappointed, obviously, to lose in that fashion with a mistake. It’s obviously challenging, but I think in the second half we worked them a little bit more, but we needed to have better quality on the ball and finish our chances.”
On playing well in the first 10 minutes and responding well after the goal:
“In regard to the game, we were the better team. But, we’ve probably played in however many semifinals and been the better team, but goals change games – I’ve said that for the longest time, it’s true. If you don’t take chances, you don’t make the cape. If you don’t make saves, you don’t put the ball in the net, you’re not going to win games. It’s not just this game, it’s not just semifinals that’s happened, it’s consistent right now. So, we have to put that right, we have to acknowledge that. But, I think the Challenge Cup for us, this year especially, has been something that we’ve utilized for our group. We did that again tonight because of the crazy schedule, we had no choice but to do that. I’m proud of the players that have stepped up into these moments, but I think as a collective group, we have to find a way to score some goals because if we don’t, it’s not going to be the Challenge Cup that we’re going to miss out on, it’s going to be bigger things that we probably care more about.”
OL Reign Defender Sofia Huerta and Forward Veronica Latsko
On their thoughts on the match:
Sofia Huerta: “Well, I think we’re both disappointed. It was mentioned that as a team, we make it to so many semifinals and we really wanted to win one finally, especially in front of our fans. I felt like the first 10 or 15 minutes we were really on them and then towards the end, we were putting it on them as well. I think we had opportunities to score and it’s unfortunate, but now we move on. It’s soccer, it’s life, we have to continue with the season and push for the playoffs.”
On the team’s history in the semifinals:
Sofia Huerta: “I don’t have a good answer for you. Sometimes I think when you talk about it too much, then it’s just like you’re jinxing yourself – something we have to figure out as a group, especially coming up on the playoffs. I believe that we’re going to make it to semifinals and we need to win that one. So, we’ll come together – the coaching staff will put things together, we’ll come together as a team, that’s how it always goes and hopefully we can just get over the hump, but I don’t have an answer for you.”
On how their approach was to the semifinal and how significant the importance of it was:
Veronica Latsko: “Honestly, I would say, even just the Challenge Cup games, I know people view it as a time for the non-traditional starters to get time. But, as a player that’s a non-traditional starter, those are the games where you can prove yourself and where you can show that you deserve a spot and you deserve time. So, I think everybody that’s on that field is playing this like it’s a regular season game. We have the same importance of it, like this is our shot to prove ourselves, this is our shot to show how good we are and we’ve done that this season and I’m so proud of the girls that have played during the Challenge Cup, they’re incredible. We’ve done so well.
Sofia Huerta: “I think (head coach) Laura (Harvey) puts out a team every Challenge Cup game that she believes is going to win and she did that tonight as well. Every person who’s gone out and played and we did so well in Challenge Cup this year, that’s because our bench – there’s so much depth, we have a lot of depth on this team. So, again, Laura put out a team that she thought was going to win tonight. We wanted to win and we wanted to make it to the finals, so it’s unfortunate. It does definitely hurt. But, like I mentioned before, it’s soccer and you have to move on.”
Download here: Postgame Press Conference (vs. LOU) • Wednesday, September 6, 2023