Angel City beat the reigning NWSL champion Washington Spirit 1–0 on the road today, following a 42nd-minute goal by forward Christen Press. The win was a return to form after last week's home loss to the Orlando Pride.
'We were feeling the effects of the loss last week, and wanted to put that right,' said head coach Freya Coombe after the game. 'We’ve shown that when we’re really on it, we’re a really tough team to break down and beat, as well as being exciting in the offense and the attack. We wanted to get back to that this week and I felt that we did.'
The game was back and forth for much of the first half, with both teams defending well and limiting the other side’s chances. The first good chance for either team came in the 16th minute, when Washington forward Trinity Rodman beat defender Tyler Lussi to the right of the penalty area, dribbled to the endline, and sent a low, driven ball across the face of goal, though no Spirit players were able to reach the ball in time. Washington had another look in the 19th minute, a close-range header by Rodman that keeper DiDi Haračić saved.
The Spirit continued to push for the next ten minutes, forcing Angel City to absorb pressure, which they did well. A 30th-minute hydration break gave the team an opportunity to reassess the game, and coming back after the break, wingers Press and Jun Endo switched sides, with Press now on the left.
'We made a few adjustments in that hydration break that just allowed us to have a little bit more movement,' said Coombe.
That change would prove fruitful, as Press notched the game’s only goal in the 42nd minute from the left side. After muscling past Morgan Goff on the inside, she charged forward, took a touch, and sent a cleverly struck right-footed shot curving around defender Emily Sonnett and past keeper Aubrey Kingsbury, who dove but couldn’t reach the ball.
A couple half-chances by the visitors and a shot from the top of the 18 by Washington midfielder Anna Heilferty—which Haračić did well to save—closed out the half.
To start the second half, forward Simone Charley subbed out for midfielder Clarisse Le Bihan, marking her first minutes since her signing in April.
Angel City had another good chance in the 55th minute, when defender Jasmyne Spencer sent a pass up the right wing for midfielder Savannah McCaskill. McCaskill sprinted onto the ball and struck an arching shot toward the far post from the right side of the penalty area, sending Kingsbury diving. The keeper just got a glove on the ball to swat it away, and it was cleared out.
Washington got another look in the 67th minute, with midfielder Ashley Sanchez dribbling through space centrally and finding forward Ashley Hatch on the right. Hatch sent the ball into the six-yard-box, but Haračić dove to save it. The home team had their best chance of the second half in the 78th minute when Heilferty popped a ball over the back line for defender Sam Staab, who hit it on the volley but sent the ball wide to the right.
After eight minutes of stoppage time, most of which took place during a downpour, the final whistle blew to make Angel City’s first-ever road win official.
'It was a tough week, and I'm really proud of the team,' said Press after the game. 'Both of the matches in the league that we've won have been such team wins, so much effort from all the players on both sides of the ball, so I'm really proud of us, and it's really important for us as an expansion team to have short-term memories when it comes to performances that we're not happy with so we can continue to take points.'
In addition to Le Bihan, defender Paige Nielsen—a league champion last year with the Spirit—also got her first minutes today, subbing in for McCaskill in the 97th minute. Midfielder Miri Taylor also subbed on for the first time in stoppage time.
Angel City is at home next Saturday, May 21, against the Kansas City Current. The match will be at 7:30 p.m. and will be streamed live on Twitch.
