SEATTLE REIGN FC at HOUSTON DASH POSTGAME QUOTES
Saturday, September 21, 2024 • Shell Energy Stadium • Houston, TX
Head Coach Laura Harvey
On her initial thoughts on the game tonight:
“I’m going to say a word I say a lot – we didn’t have enough quality in the moments we needed it. They had maybe two bits of really good quality – one was a goal, one hit the bar. Yeah, that was the game for me. We controlled it. We moved the ball. But in the moments where we needed some quality, we didn’t have it.”
On how this loss impacts the team’s chances of making the playoffs:
“It obviously makes it harder, but the harsh reality is that you win your next four games, you still probably make it, just again because of who you’re playing. But have we given away two opportunities to get points that would have made our lives easier to make that pathway? Absolutely. So, we need to look at that and address that. I think [the loss to Gotham] was different than today. I felt we controlled the game a lot today which I don’t think we did a ton of on Monday. But when we’re controlling the game like we did and we get the opportunities that we did, we have to show some quality in those moments, and unfortunately, we didn’t.”
On Jordyn Huitema returning to the field after missing the last game due to an illness and how she thought she performed:
“I mean, I think you know with Jordyn, she got herself in the positions that we want to get her in and fair play to her for going 90 minutes having not really trained all week. But yeah, she’ll be disappointed that she didn’t score those goals, I’m sure.”
Captain/Defender Lauren Barnes and Defender Phoebe McClernon
On the team’s mindset after tonight’s loss to Houston:
Lauren Barnes: “We’ve got to go for it. Every game, we’ve got to win. We knew that coming into this as well. It’s unfortunate that we have created a lot of chances, we just need to put them away. But yeah, our goal stays the same, make playoffs.”
On what Laura Harvey told the team at halftime to help make adjustments:
Phoebe McClernon: “I mean, I think I can speak for myself on this one, just carrying the ball a little bit more, making them make a decision, which in turn opened up spaces and areas that we found joy in. I thought especially our outside backs, really getting involved in the game in the second half helped us out, but obviously still didn’t get that final product. So, clearly have a little more learning to do.”
On if the heat impacted how the ball moved and the team’s overall performance:
Phoebe McClernon: “I don’t know if it changed the way the ball moved. The field was nice, so the ball was moving fast, which was enjoyable more than anything else. But frankly, that was a pretty chilly game for Houston.
Lauren Barnes: “I mean, it’s always hard to come here – we’re traveling, it’s always going to be hot regardless. We prep for these things, so I think we have a lot of resources and we did really well with that to keep us all in the game. I wish we could climatize to this heat, but we just can’t in Seattle, so it ends up being a mental game and moving the ball like we’ve talked about. It’s the one thing that doesn’t get tired, so we need to make sure that we continue to move them because it’s awful for them as well. It’s not just us coming into this environment. So yeah, I thought we handled it well. I think at the end of the day we just need to finish our chances and keep the ball out of the net.”