Match Recap: Angel City 2, Washington Spirit 4 | 5.18.24

Match highlights

Angel City fell 2–4 on the road tonight in a dramatic battle with Washington Spirit. All six goals were scored in the first half, with  Trinity Rodman, Casey Krueger, and Ouleymata Sarr scoring for Washington, and Sydney Leroux adding to an own goal forced by Clarisse Le Bihan to bring LA’s total to two.

Washington opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a combination play starting with a lateral ball that forward Ashley Hatch played into the box for forward Ouleymata Sarr. Sarr beat her mark and sent the ball onward to forward Trinity Rodman as she made a central net-crashing run and put her shot into the back of the net.

Angel City equalized with an own goal in the 20th minute. An initial cross by midfielder Clarisse Le Bihan was blocked, and the ball was cleared out of the box; defender Madison Curry sent it back to Le Bihan, who fired off a second cross from the left. Washington defender Anaïg Butel was near the goal line, and the ball ricocheted off her leg and into the net.

The visitors doubled their lead just three minutes later, as forward Sydney Leroux got on the end of a free kick by forward Claire Emslie and sent a decisive header into the back of the net.

It didn’t take long for Washington to level the score. In the 30th minute, defender Casey Krueger sent a long diagonal pass into the box, which forward Croix Bethune scooped up. She tapped the ball to Rodman on her right, who found the back of the net from the top of the six-yard box.

Spirit again pulled ahead in the 34th minute. Following a chaotic sequence in the box that saw midfielder Lily Nabet make an outstanding save off the line, the ball bounced out to Krueger just outside the 18, and the veteran defender sent her shot past a screened-off DiDi Haračić.

Just two minutes later, Bethune sprinted up the middle of the field on a transition play. With Angel City’s defense out of shape, she sent a short sideways pass to forward Ouleymata Sarr, who found the back of the net from inside the 18.

ACFC kept pushing to start the second half. Forward Alyssa Thopmson nearly notched her first of the season in the 58th minute when she ran onto a through ball from Le Bihan. A defender clipped her inside the box, but she kept her balance and shot, hitting goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury’s shoulder as she came off her line to try to claim the ball. Kingsbury also saved a 60th-minute effort by Rocky Rodríguez, a header on a cross by Le Bihan.

Haračić had some noteworthy saves of her own, including a 66th-minute stop where she came off her line to claim the ball and stop a breakaway play by Hatch.

As both teams made a number of substitutes, there were few chances for either side over the last half-hour of the game.

Leroux’s goal tonight was her 44th career NWSL goal, putting her in tenth place for most goals all-time in the league. Additionally, the Thompson sisters became the first sisters in league history to start the same game for the same team.

Angel City returns home this Thursday, May 24, to face rival San Diego Wave at 7:00 p.m. That game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network and locally on Bally Sports SoCal. Tickets are available here.