In July, Sam Laity took over as interim head coach of the OL Reign, and his first match was against the Houston Dash, which OL Reign lost 0-2. The OL Reign took triumphant retribution against Houston tonight, scoring five goals. The Houston Dash did get a goal thanks to a cameo from NWSL MVP contender Own Goal. Bethany Balcer, Sofia Huerta, Eugénie Le Sommer, and Jess Fishlock will be the highlights of a spectacular first half for the NWSL's founding club.

Being honest about the five-goal first half, Laity credited the entire team as contributions to such a strong first half. Even though the squad scored five goals in the first half, there were still times during the game when Laity thought about how the team might improve. He mentioned a play that occurred shortly after the side had a 2-0 lead and resulted in an own goal. Laity, on the other hand, commended the team's mindset in not allowing another own goal to linger, noting that it "waked them up" to the point of scoring three more goals.

OL Reign’s win on Saturday night puts the club at fifth in the standings. OL Reign will look to make it four wins in a row, with a trip to the midwest. OL Reign travel to Kansas City to take on Kansas City next on Saturday, August 14

[Photography by ICONIC photographer Jackie Shinstrom]