Sofia Huerta, Maddie Dahlien End Seattle Reign's Scoring Drought in 2-1 Win at Boston Legacy

For five straight matches, Seattle Reign FC could not find the net with a map and a flashlight. On Friday night in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the goals finally came back, and the first one arrived courtesy of a raised arm.

Sofia Huerta buried an 11th-minute penalty in her 200th NWSL regular-season start, Maddie Dahlien volleyed in a second goal six minutes after halftime, and the Reign held on to beat Boston Legacy FC 2-1 at Centreville Bank Stadium. Aïssata Traoré's stoppage-time strike made the scoreline respectable for the hosts, but it came with the clock basically gone. Seattle had not scored since a 2-1 win over Racing Louisville on March 28, a run of five matches without a goal.

A Handball and a Wall

This was a night of firsts for Boston. The Legacy said it was their first home game at Centreville Bank Stadium, and the Reign noted it was the first meeting ever between the two clubs. A crowd of 9,141 showed up for both.

Seattle started on the front foot, forcing a corner in the opening minute and firing two shots off the resulting chances. Then, in the eighth minute, Angharad James-Turner lofted a cross to the back post for Dahlien, whose shot was blocked by the raised arm of Jorelyn Carabalí. Video review confirmed the call, according to the Reign, and Huerta stepped up in the 11th minute and drove her kick low into the bottom right corner past Casey Murphy.

Boston did not fold. Murphy denied Dahlien in the 23rd minute, and the Legacy began working the ball wide to Nichelle Prince and into Traoré. Claudia Dickey had to stretch to keep out a Traoré shot headed for the top left corner in the 30th minute, and she got down to stop Annie Karich from distance right before halftime. Five minutes of first-half stoppage time came and went, and Seattle took its slim lead into the locker room.

The Turning Point: One Touch, One Goal

The match turned for good in the 51st minute. Off a Seattle corner, Madison Curry floated a cross toward the six-yard box, and Dahlien beat her defender to it and volleyed it home with her first touch. Two minutes later Holly Ward nearly made it three, but Murphy got a hand to her shot toward the top right corner.

Suddenly the team that could not score had scored twice in about 40 minutes. According to the Reign, Dahlien's strike "marked her fifth consecutive game-winning goal." Somebody put that on a T-shirt.

Traoré Keeps Knocking

Boston went to its bench quickly after that. Amanda Gutierres, Laís Araújo and Nicki Hernández all came on between the 64th and 65th minutes, and Boston pushed numbers into the final third. Traoré was everywhere. She forced Dickey into saves with headers in the 70th and 72nd minutes, and at the other end Murphy stopped an Emily Mason header in the 75th to keep Boston alive.

Seattle made a triple change of its own in the 71st minute, sending on Mia Fishel, Mason and Nérilia Mondésir, and then spent most of the final 20 minutes defending. Curry took a yellow card in the 79th, and Carabalí headed the ensuing set piece just wide. Gutierres blazed over from the center of the box three minutes later.

Traoré put the ball in the net in the 87th minute, only for the offside flag to go up. Alba Caño sent a free kick just wide in the 92nd minute. Finally, in the 94th, Emerson Elgin slipped a through ball to Traoré, who finished with her left foot through the middle of the goal. The final whistle went a minute later.

Star Turns

Sofia Huerta marked a milestone start by doing the thing Seattle had not done in five matches. She also had a hand in the attack all night, setting up second-half chances for Ward and Mason. The Reign said it was her first goal since her 200th NWSL appearance, on October 17, 2025, against Utah.

Maddie Dahlien took two shots, put both on target and scored the winner. Efficient, decisive and, apparently, a habit.

Claudia Dickey made four saves, and the Reign said she became the 13th goalkeeper in NWSL history to record 200 saves with a single club.

Aïssata Traoré was Boston's best player by a distance. Five shots, four on target and a goal, plus the offside finish that nearly turned the last few minutes into chaos.

Stats That Matter

• Boston had the ball: The Legacy held 55.2 percent of possession and outshot Seattle 15 to 12.
• Dead even on target: Both teams put five shots on goal.
• Seattle won it without the ball: The Reign made 19 interceptions to Boston's 10.
• Direct route: Seattle attempted 74 long balls, more than double Boston's 32.
• Goalkeeping: Dickey made four saves and Murphy made three.

What It Means

Seattle moved to 4-2-4 with 14 points and won for the first time since that March 28 victory over Louisville, ending a five-match winless run of two draws and three losses. The Reign said it was also the first time since March they had scored more than once in a match. They close May at the Washington Spirit on May 30, which the club said is their final match until July 4, when the league returns from its June break.

Boston fell to 2-3-6 with 9 points, and the club said the loss ended a five-game unbeaten streak. That run, built in the Legacy's inaugural season, was a real sign of progress, and the late push on Friday suggested it was not a fluke. Boston plays at Kansas City on May 30 in what the club called its last game before the league breaks for June.

The Closing Take

Seattle's attack spent five matches stuck on the loading screen, spinning wheel and all. It took a handball and a perfectly weighted Curry cross to finally get the game to start. The Reign will not apologize for how the goals arrived. After a drought like that, you take them however they come.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Club notes as reported by Seattle Reign FC and Boston Legacy FC.