Photo Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
SEATTLE — Sunday night’s National Women’s Soccer League matchup between Racing Louisville and Seattle Reign at Lumen Field was suspended following a medical emergency that resulted in Racing midfielder Savannah DeMelo leaving the field in an ambulance. Louisville later posted that DeMelo was “stable and alert” and “transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.”
The match went to halftime early with three minutes remaining in stoppage time. It was later suspended and will be resumed at a date to be determined, from the time of suspension.
“The decision was made in consultation with match officials, medical personnel, and both clubs. Out of respect for the seriousness of the situation and in the best interests of players and staff, the match was abandoned,” the NWSL said in a statement provided to The Equalizer.
As first-half stoppage time began, DeMelo knelt to the ground and then sat down, looking dazed before losing consciousness. Both teams’ medical personnel reacted quickly and soon called for the EMTs. An ambulance was driven out onto the field, which DeMelo was eventually loaded into on a stretcher.
The league received heavy backlash and the Players’ Association called for a league policy change earlier in May for not suspending the game between Angel City and Utah Royals after Savy King suffered a cardiac episode on the field. The players were made to play the rest of the game despite agreeing it should have been suspended.
Sunday’s match marked the first time in league history that a game was suspended because of a medical incident.
Louisville’s players and coaches were visibly shaken in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Head coaches Laura Harvey and Bev Yanez could be seen discussing while DeMelo received medical attention before Harvey motioned to her team that they’d be going to halftime early. Reign players came back out onto the field after the suspension was announced to show appreciation for the fans, looking visibly emotional. Fans continued to mill about the stadium, looking somewhat confused after the suspension was announced over the speakers.
This is the second time this season that DeMelo left an NWSL match on a stretcher. In a March 22 game against Bay FC, DeMelo was stretchered off the pitch late in the first half. During that game, Racing Louisville said DeMelo was taken to the hospital “for a precautionary evaluation after experiencing lightheadedness during the first half.” She said about that incident that her heart rate wasn’t slowing, and she struggled to breathe for about three minutes. In May, DeMelo spoke to ESPN about being diagnosed withGraves’ disease and hyperthyroidism last fall.
