Seattle’s win gave Jess Fishlock’s final season another chapter

Seattle Reign’s 1-0 win over Orlando on 1 November did two things at once: it marked Jess Fishlock’s final regular-season home match and secured the club the NWSL’s last playoff place. A corner-kick goal from Bugg in the 68th minute settled the game, according to Orlando Pride’s match report.

The margin mattered. North Carolina also won on Decision Day, beating Denver 1-0. The Equalizer reported that a Reign draw would have sent the Courage to the playoffs instead. Seattle’s win kept its season alive by the narrowest route, and made the occasion planned around Fishlock’s goodbye a qualification night too.

Fishlock had announced her retirement in April. The Reign announcement named 1 November as her final regular-season home match and called her the last remaining original from the club’s inaugural 2013 squad. The Equalizer reported that 16,095 fans were at Lumen Field and gave Fishlock a large ovation as she left the match.

The night also put a young Reign player at the center of the result. Bugg, 20, scored the winner. In the club’s postmatch account, Fishlock said of her younger teammates, “they give me so much life and they give me so much joy.” Coach Laura Harvey called Bugg and other players who joined in 2024 possible “torchbearers” for the club. Harvey’s words describe her view of their potential; Bugg’s goal was one decisive contribution on a night when Seattle needed it.

The Reign now travel to Gotham for a quarterfinal scheduled for 8 November. Gotham finished first and won its first Shield; Seattle finished eighth. The NWSL schedule lists the playoff round as single elimination, and Gotham’s report confirms the matchup. Fishlock’s regular-season home farewell has happened. Seattle’s season, and its playoff ending, has not.