Semifinal Pre-Match Press Conference (at SD) • Saturday, November 4, 2023
OL Reign Pre-Match Press Conference • Saturday, November 4, 2023
Head Coach Laura Harvey and Captain/Defender Lauren Barnes
On their overall thoughts going into the semifinal against San Diego Wave FC:
Lauren Barnes: “I think we’re really excited, there’s been such a fun buzz around the team right now since we’ve been in Seattle and this week leading up to the semifinals. We’re experienced in this, but I think we’ve got a group that truly hasn’t been together for a really long time, so there’s some newbies and some that have been on another teams that have been in these positions. But yeah, the overall vibe has been incredible, it’s really buzzing and I think everyone’s excited that we get to be on the pitch tomorrow.”
On the defense being strong and moving defender Lauren Barnes back to center back:
Laura Harvey: “I think that obviously (defender Lauren Barnes) Lu has a ton of experience. We played a little bit differently at the start of the year with our fullbacks, especially on the left, but I think as the season has gone on and we’ve evolved a little bit, we’re probably asking Lu to do stuff that wasn’t natural to her, so I think going back into that sort of center back position is now pretty natural to her. So yeah, I just think that the backline has done a really good job of limiting the opponent, but also, I think what it’s given us is a bit of a different dynamic when we attack and how we attack, both with Lu there, with (defender) Phoebe (McClernon) on the left, obviously getting (defender) Sofia (Huerta) back and actually having (goalkeeper) Claudia (Dickey) in goal. I think all of those things have accumulated and is looking a little bit differently when we have the ball”
On defender Emily Sonnett:
Laura Harvey: “I’ve said this before, I think she’s been our most consistent player this year. I think her ability to control tempo in really frantic moments has been a bit of a game-changer for us, at times. It’s obviously well-documented that this has been a new thing for her that she’s evolved into and I think one of the other things that she brings to us is she’s a winner, she wants to win. So, I think that’s been a huge positive for us this year with her.”
Lauren Barnes: “I just think she brings a lot of experience for us at the highest level and I think, like (head coach) Laura’s (Harvey) touched on, both the defense and the [No.] 6, so she’s played center back, she’s played fullback, she’s played the [No.] 6, so having someone on the field that is experienced in all those three positions helps with leadership and I think she’s brought that to the field and like Laura said, I think she’s one of our best competitors on the field, so she wants to win and I think we’ve lacked that at times so having her on the field and being consistent in that has really driven the defense and the midfield as well.”
On being mentally tougher this year:
Lauren Barnes: “I think it’s something we’ve always really strived for, obviously, at the beginning of the season, but I know we kind of spoke as an OG group last year about what we needed to kind of change for this season and I think that was something that was definitely at the top of the list to do and I think bringing in players like Sonnett was why we kind of did that. Phoebe obviously also being healthy and consistently playing now, she’s also a very big competitor and I think when you get more of those types of players around certain positions, it just really helps with the mentality and I think it also helps rise everyone else up to that standard. So, I think seeing that has been really fun this year and I think our season has kind of been up and down, but I think because we’ve had that mental toughness and the grind, that’s why we are where we’re at right now.”
On how she is keeping the team focused and ready:
Laura Harvey: “I think that our games against each other are always pretty tight. I think this year and last year, I think that we know that we are quite similar in a lot of ways as teams, but we know the things that we have to do against them to have success and we’ve obviously proven that, which is nice. So, I think we’re just very focused on making sure that we do the things that we know we need to do to have success in those moments, but also know that, in reality, it doesn’t really mean anything. I think the true sentence is that we’re playing the Shield winners, this league doesn’t lie and when you know that you’re coming up against that, you’ve got to prepare for that in the right way, so I think we’ve been very conscience and prepared on making sure we have all the sort of i’s dotted and t’s crossed to make sure that we’re fully prepared for what we think they’ll bring and the ways in which we can hopefully hurt them.”
On moments throughout the season where she found joy:
Lauren Barnes: “I guess, the biggest thing that’s been going around is obviously (forward Megan Rapinoe) Pinoe’s retirement, so I think it kind of just really softens what we’ve been doing. We’re so, not like narrow-minded, but we want to win, we’re always competitive. But, seeing one of the greats kind of leave the game, you kind of reevaluate and savor the moments, I guess, a little bit more. So, I think that season for me, I’m doing that this year – really taking the time to appreciate what we do and not take any day for granted and I think this year, it’s been hard internal and I think being able for the team to perform like we have has been really incredible to see and I think that’s always a testament, I say, to [Laura Harvey] for bringing in the type of players that she does. We don’t just form footballers here, it’s people as well. This team has been really different this year, in terms of personality – a lot of personalities coming out as well that we’ve been able to see over the last couple years, which is fun. Yeah, so I think that’s been really exciting to see. Like Pinoe leaving, there’s going to be a couple more coming soon and it’s just really cool to see that younger group kind of move into the areas that are going to need to be filled pretty soon.”
On if the team has any inside jokes over the past week and what the mantras are:
Lauren Barnes: “I mean, our classic one is the circus.”
Laura Harvey: “We are the traveling circus. That’s what we say. I think the key is, in these moments, honestly, is that – I think one of the things that we’ve learned over the years is that if you try and change the way that you prepare or you try and change things just because it’s the semifinal, it doesn’t tend to work very well. So, I think we’ve sort of just tried to continue to do the things that we’ve been doing that’s given us some success. So yeah, we have a lot of internal jokes – we have a question of the day, actually, in our space and the last question before we left was, ‘What’s the funniest thing that’s happened this year?’ There were some good ones, but probably can’t share many of them on here, unfortunately. But yeah, I think that’s the thing that Lu touched on before, whether it’s because Pinoe is retiring or you’re just looking back, I think something like that, the question of the day, as silly as it sounds, looking back on the year and just thinking, ‘I can’t believe that that was this year,’ it just seems like this year as been a real grind for us. It’s been something that hasn’t been easy going. I felt last year we sort of got on a run around summer and the summer sort of took us off onto this sort of run and then it ended abruptly and we were like, ‘Oh, what happened?’ Whereas I feel like this year, we’ve never had that feeling of, ‘Oh, we’re on this sort of gliding path to success and we’re going to be great and we’re going to be OK because of it,’ we’ve had to work and grind at everything and every time we felt like we were getting somewhere, something happens and we have to reevaluate and we have to go again and I think that that’s been one of the really cool things about this group – they dug in in those moments and whether they’re doing it for Pinoe, they’re doing it for themselves, they’re doing it because they want to win, whatever it might be. Over the years, we’ve had a lot of mantras and sayings and slogans and ultimately, it’s never got us where we want to be, so this year we’re very narrow-minded on the grind and the sort of making sure that we take every day for what it is. I was having a conversation with (head assistant coach) Scott (Parkinson) about this, there are only four professional women’s teams in this country training right now and we’re one of them, so that’s pretty cool and just appreciating that was a moment we were like, ‘Oh, not everyone’s getting to go to work every day right now, let’s appreciate that.’ Obviously, our aim is to try and be in the top-2 to keep training and doing what we love every day.”
On what she thinks San Diego did well in their final run of the regular season:
Laura Harvey: “I think just winning in the moments they needed to, honestly. I don’t think they changed too much in who they are, I don’t think tactically they really did anything that was majorly different – obviously a little personnel change in the summer, but outside of that, I think they just went in games, they picked up points in the games they needed to pick them up in. I think we did that very similar last year. The hardest thing is, you feel like you’re on that momentum and then you don’t play for three weeks and it’s tough. So, we felt that, we’ve been there, whereas like I said before, I think we’ve had a different journey to get to this point. Yeah, I don’t think majorly anything different, I think they’re just, in the moments they’ve needed to have some quality to win games, they’ve had it and honestly, it’s not been sort of one individual either, really, I think it’s been a bit of a collective team effort from them.”
On if this feels like there’s a rivalry forming with San Diego:
Lauren Barnes: “I mean, we played them in Challenge Cup and then regular season. We have a lot more west coast teams this year, which obviously it’s always been Portland for who knows how long now, but we have more west coast rivals, which has been really fun and San Diego has been at the top for a long time for being an expansion team. So yeah, there’s something about being competitive over here and wanting to win and we know we always get that with Portland and we have that rival, but this is kind of like another home west coast rival when we come down here and when they come up. Yeah, it’s been fun growing, for sure. There are a lot of things, like the cooler, all that stuff comes up, but it’s like, yeah, there is and she kind of talked about it before of kind of similar teams. So yeah, it’s interesting, I guess.”
On what has been the biggest surprise and biggest frustration of the season:
Laura Harvey: “There hasn’t been many surprises for me, honestly. Someone asked me this question the other day, there’s been no real standout surprises. I think just maybe the frustration has been that we haven’t been able to put probably our best team on the field very often, I don’t know, maybe that’s a frustration. But everyone has to deal with that a little bit. But yeah, not many surprises for me.”
Lauren Barnes: “Yeah, not within our own organization, but it has also just been so fun to see the league continue to grow and new people come in and changes being made midseason for teams to be stronger and better and I think seeing that is a testament to where we’re going and what this league can look like five, 10 years down the road.”
On if everyone is available tomorrow:
Laura Harvey: “Yeah, everyone’s available.”
On Dickey being in form and having strong relationships with the backline and how important it is at this point in the season:
Laura Harvey: “Yeah, very important. I think exactly how you described it is exactly the sort of journey that someone goes on when they’re in Claudia’s shoes is, she had to show it in training, she had to show it in games that she got opportunities to play in and I think she did a good job of that and then obviously it’s a very different emotion when you become sort of the No. 1 or whatever and I don’t tend to love that sort of sentence, but I think once she sort of got in there, I think the narrative around proving yourself and proving that this is the right decision can sometimes be hard to juggle. Honestly, for the majority of the games, like there’s been a couple of little mistakes and obviously she’s been punished on them a lot, but I think she’s done a great job of settling into that role, which is difficult halfway through the season, really well and it’s continuing to develop as we speak and I think we’ll continue to do that moving forward.”
On Wave defender Naomi Girma and what makes her so dangerous and having never lost to San Diego and if it gives the team a little confidence:
Laura Harvey: “Yeah, (Wave FC defender) Naomi (Girma) is exceptional. I think she is – it’s not really what threats she gives you, it’s how you can get after her and expose her because of the defender that she is. So yeah, Naomi is an exceptional talent. I was very lucky enough to coach her very briefly at the (USWNT) U20s and it’s not a surprise to me at all the level that she’s producing right now and I think she’ll continue to do that. I think that the pressure, in my opinion, is on San Diego. They are the Shield winners, they are the best team in the league and they’re at home, that should be the way it is, but I think the fact that we’ve been able to have success against them means that we have a really good understanding of ways in which we can contain them. But, a playoff game is different? Yes, 100 percent they’re different, there’s no question to that and we are not taking anything lightly or thinking that this is going to be an easy ride because we’ve had good results against them previously. I think obviously I’m sure that’s stuck on their locker room wall, it would be if I was in their shows. So, I think there’s no doubt in my mind that that’s a huge motivation for them, but I think it can be a huge motivation for us because we understand ways in which we can hurt them.”
Download here: Semifinal Pre-Match Press Conference (at SD) • Saturday, November 4, 2023