Barnes, Press and Riley take a bow, playoff tickets punched – Equalizer Soccer

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All but one playoff spot were claimed in the penultimate weekend of the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League regular season. Also, three NWSL legends bid farewell to their home fans for the final time, Temwa Chawinga suffered a concerning injury, Orlando and San Diego find form at the right time and brilliant individual performances from a trio of central attacking midfielders pushed their respective teams at or above the playoff line. 

Lauren Barnes leads Seattle to final home win and postseason berth in farewell season

Is there a player more synonymous with a single club than Lauren Barnes and the Seattle Reign? Barnes added another star to her studded crowd as she earned her NWSL record 250th appearance for the Seattle Reign on Friday night. The 36-year-old center back helped her side secure both a win over the Utah Royals and a spot in the playoffs for the ninth time in club history. 

Several more records fell for Seattle, as Sofia Huerta scored the match-winning penalty kick goal in her 200th regular season appearance. Jess Fishlock also notched her 100th regular season win – the second most for all active NWSL players. 

The one player ahead of her? Lauren Barnes. In the post-match press conference, head coach Laura Harvey donned a T-shirt that bore the image of her captain. She hailed her performance as “flawless.” Barnes has spent her entire 12-year NWSL career in Seattle and made her debut in the Reign’s inaugural season in 2013. 

Just last week she officially announced her plans to call time on her career at the conclusion of this season. She is not done yet, as Seattle are guaranteed at least two more games – including a quarterfinal. Per Jen Cooper (the authority on NWSL stats and records), Barnes has started every playoff game in Reign history.