OL Reign vs. Sky Blue FC provide first scoreless draw of the NWSL Challenge Cup
The match ended without goals, but with plenty of big chances
OL Reign and Sky Blue FC settled for a scoreless draw on Tuesday, the first shutout of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup tournament in Utah.
The first half ended in a 0-0 stalemate, with just a handful of close opportunities from both sides. The closest came from Sky Blue FC where an incredible counter nearly set up Nahomi Kawasumi to score the opening goal of the half. But OL Reign defender Lauren Barnes flew in at the last second to recover and prevent the ball from hitting the back of the net.
The second half saw both teams come out of the tunnel a lot more energized and ready to put their team up over the other, but ultimately that energy never materialized into any actual scoring. It felt like OL Reign had the closest of all the close opportunities to score in the final 45. Jasmyne Spencer, who came on in the 76th minute, was on a breakaway and just had the goalkeeper to beat when her shot met the hands of Kailen Sheridan to keep things even.