Pre-Match Press Conference (at SD) • Tuesday, May 30, 2023
OL Reign Pre-Match Press Conference • Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Head Coach Laura Harvey and Forward Elyse Bennett
Head Coach Laura Harvey
On how the team is responding after a win last week:
“I think we’re focused on tomorrow. I think we have to, in these three-game weeks, especially when we’re on the road, I think it’s difficult, so I think we have to make sure that we stay on top of the details that got us what we needed on Saturday and take that into the game tomorrow.”
On the challenges of picking a lineup with the series of upcoming games:
“I mean, even last year, I honestly thought our Challenge Cup group was the toughest. I think that was shown in how tight the games were and I believe that again this year, I think it’s the toughest. So, we have to travel a lot, even though the West Coast is, we stay on the same time zone, it’s still nearly a three-hour flight to come down here, so I think that it’s a challenge and to have Angel City, San Diego and Portland in one week is challenging to anybody. I think we have to just go out and we have to rotate, there’s no doubt we have to do that with how tight the turnaround of games are, but we’ve done that in all of the Challenge Cup games so far and I think it’s a good opportunity for one, to see the depth of our roster and two, to prepare ourselves for what potentially the World Cup is going to look like for us.”
On what makes San Diego a tough opponent:
“I think they are built off being pretty pragmatic. I think they have constantly been a team that has not given up a ton of goals, I think they had a little blip of that last month, but outside of that, I think that’s been their identity. I think that they try and get in behind you pretty often, so that can be difficult to play against. I think that they have a lot of threats within the team, so you have to be willing to manage that and you need to be able to get at them quickly. I think in all the games that we’ve played, maybe bar one, it’s been a really tight scoring game and I don’t doubt that tomorrow will be any different. So, I think that we just have to go into it with the same mindset that we did on Saturday in terms of being good at the foundations of what we are because I don’t think that things will change too much with them. I think we can expect a similar thing to what we faced when we faced them before.”
On being tough to beat defensively:
“I think the biggest thing is that we don’t rely upon our backline. I think that’s when we’re at our best is, they’re sort of the last line of defense for us. When we defend as a collective, that’s when we’re the most threatening and the [hardest] to break down and I thought that was our biggest thing that we did on Saturday was, we defended as a team and then we put that defending into an attacking threat, which then puts the opponent on the back foot.”
Forward Elyse Bennett
On getting the start and scoring a goal in the last game and getting acclimated to the team:
“I think it’s just been kind of getting acclimated and finding my footing again since the trade. I feel like I’m kind of in a place now where I’m starting to feel comfortable and starting to feel like myself again out there. So, I feel like (Head Coach) Laura (Harvey) kind of touched on that last week in terms of me just being myself and doing what I know how to do best and whatever way I can help the team succeed is what I want to be doing. So, it was nice to get that first start in the regular season and to be able to contribute and I hope to continue doing that.”
On what she’s looking at as an attacker:
“Well, I think I’m just looking to exploit spaces and see kind of where we can put the ball. I think that me and (forward Megan Rapinoe) Pinoe were kind of talking as the game sort of went on a couple minutes in and I felt like that near-post ball was on because I was able to run off that back shoulder. So, I think that that first time ball in behind was going to be dangerous and we kind of were talking about that, so I was glad that we were able to execute and get that goal. But, I think that each game brings different things, so I think that each game is going to be different and the spaces are going to be different, but I think that just finding those spaces and being able to exploit them is something that I’ll continue to look to do.”
On what makes San Diego a tough opponent:
“Well, I think San Diego (Wave FC) is just a good team and I think that goes for pretty much any team in this league, honestly. I think that every game is pretty tight, aside from maybe the last game we just played and you have rare occurrences of multiple goal games. But I think that, in terms of the league in general, I think it’s stiff competition across the board. So, I think that San Diego provides us a different picture than maybe our last game, but I think that every game is going to present different challenges, so I think it’s just that.”
On posting vlogs and if she plans on doing that more often:
“I think I’m slowly starting to get back to YouTube. I think, in my trade and just kind of getting settled in Seattle, it was probably the last thing on my list of to dos. But it’s always fun to pick up the camera and kind of show younger girls and anyone who wants to watch kind of what it’s like to live this life and I feel like it’s enjoyable for me and I get to connect with a variety of different people in the audience. So, it’s nice to be able to do that and when I feel able and willing to do so, I love to do that, so I will continue to share what I can when I can.”
On appearing in every game this season:
“I think that we’ve kind of been in this position before. I think that we’ve had these three-game weeks and we’ve been able to prepare for them and we’ll do the same thing this week. I do think it’s a quick turnaround, but I think that our team is extremely deep and that’s where our roster is just great to have. I feel like we’ll be ready for this game on Wednesday and then after we get to work on Wednesday and hopefully get that win, we’ll focus on Saturday. So, I think it’s just one game at a time.”
On going against former college teammates from Washington State University:
“Yeah, I think it’s fun. I think it’s always fun seeing people that you played with kind of make it to where we’re at now and see how much we change and grow over the years. But, I think it’s always fun to connect and I usually wait until after the game to do so, but it’s always fun seeing familiar faces and catching up and yeah, it’s always, ‘Go Cougs!'”
Download here: Pre-Match Press Conference (at SD) • Tuesday, May 30, 2023