The host OL Reign triumphed 1-0 over Angel City in an NWSL quarterfinal on Friday night thanks to a late Veronica Latsko header.
Latsko was able to bundle the ball over the line in the 87th minute via a headed chance to send the Reign to a semifinal with San Diego.
It was a first half in Seattle of relatively few quality chances between the two sides, but the visiting Angel City was the more aggressive.
Claire Emslie was driving forward in the 30th minute when she found herself on the ball outside the box on the right side of the field. Cutting inside, her left-footed effort initially seemed to be a cross but ricocheted off the back of an OL Reign player and cut toward goal. This left Angel City forward Sydney Leroux with an opportunity to slide in and perhaps get a touch on the ball, but it rolled into the grateful arms of Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey instead.
In the second half, the Reign adjusted, with midfielder Rose Lavelle coming on for her first NWSL appearance since Sept. 3, and Megan Rapinoe came close again on a free kick opportunity in the 69th minute but her shot landed high over the bar in the end.
In the 87th minute, a ball out wide from defender Phoebe McClernon found Latsko just a couple of feet away from the penalty spot. From there, Latsko was able to get her effort past Angelina Anderson, who did get a hand on it, and into the back of the net to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
After four minutes of stoppage time, Lumen Field then erupted even more as the Reign sealed a 1-0 win in the Quarterfinal and will now travel to face the Wave in San Diego in the first weekend of November.
