Reign clinch playoff spot with 2-1 win over the Royals

Audio By Carbonatix

Sofia Huerta converted a penalty in the 67th minute and the Seattle Reign clinched a spot in the National Women's Soccer League playoffs with a 2-1 victory over the visiting Utah Royals on Friday night.

The Reign (10-7-8) moved into third place in the standings with the victory, which extended the team's unbeaten streak at Seattle's Lumen Field to seven games.

Ainsley McCammon scored on a header off a cross from Maddie Dahlien in first-half stoppage time to put Seattle up 1-0. It was the 18-year-old's first goal.

The Royals (5-13-7) tied it in the 61st minute on Paige Monaghan's left-footed goal from the top of the box that sailed over Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey's outstretched arms and into the upper corner.

Minutes later, Utah's Bianca St-Georges was called for a foul in the box and Huerta converted the penalty to give the Reign back the lead.

Reign captain Lauren Barnes, who announced her plans to retire at the end of the season, started. Last week she became the first player to reach 250 regular-season appearances.

Barnes has spent her entire career with the Reign, joining the team in the league's first year in 2013. She has now played in 251 of the club's 277 games.

Manaka Matsukubo had three goals and the North Carolina Courage stayed alive for a playoff spot with a 4-1 victory on the road against Bay FC.

Matsukubo scored her first goal in the third minute that Bay goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz tried to stop but the ball rolled into the goal. She added a second in the eighth.

Penelope Hocking pulled a goal back for Bay in first-half stoppage time at San Jose's PayPal Park.

Shinomi Koyama made it 3-1 for the Courage (8-8-9) in the 74th before Matsukubo's final goal in the 80th.

North Carolina was sitting just outside the playoff line in the league standings, a point below Racing Louisville in the eighth and final spot with one game to go in the regular season. The victory snapped a three-game winless streak for the Courage.

Bay (4-13-8) was already eliminated from the playoffs.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer