Washington, D.C (10/19/2024) – The Washington Spirit will face the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday, October 20th in the final regular season game between the two teams. The game begins at 5:00 p.m. EDT at Audi Field in Washington, DC and will be broadcast locally on Monumental Sports Network and streamed on NWSL+. Fans can also listen to the Washington Spirit Radio Network by visiting WashingtonSpirit.com or the ESPN 630 website or app beginning at 4:30 p.m

The spirit

The Spirit answered the bell last weekend, dominating Racing Louisville FC 4-1. beginner Makenna Morris She led the way with a brace in the first half – becoming the first 2024 NWSL draft selection to score multiple goals in a game this season. Ashley Hatch She had a pretty nice night too, making her 150th appearance in the regular season and taking a penalty. She is now a perfect 11-for-11 from penalties, is the Spirit's all-time leading penalty converter and is tied for third in NWSL history. Finally, Lena Silano scored just outside the 18-yard penalty area shortly before the final whistle.

The Spirit are arguably the most dangerous team in the NWSL when it comes to losses. In games immediately following their six losses this season, the Spirit have a perfect record of 6-0-0 and a +11 goal margin, outscoring their opponents 17 points to six. The last time the Spirit lost two games in a four-game window, the team won four straight.

The win was crucial and ensured the Spirit remained in second place in the NWSL table. With two games remaining in the regular season and a home game in the quarterfinals already won, Washington, Gotham FC and Kansas City are all fighting for the No. 2 seed and a chance to have home field advantage all the way to the NWSL Championship.

The Spirit and Gotham FC are tied at 50 points, but the Spirit have a four-goal advantage on goal difference. Every goal conceded, whether win or loss, will be crucial for both teams.

This weekend, Kansas City plays the No. 12 San Diego Wave, while Gotham FC plays the No. 1 Orlando Pride, who may rest players before the playoffs. If Kansas City loses and both Spirit and Gotham FC win, Current's No. 4 seed will be suspended.

This weekend's opponent, the Chicago Red Stars, is one of the Spirit's most frequent opponents. With 26 regular season appearances, the Spirit have not earned a home win over the Red Stars since their time at the SoccerPlex in Germantown, Maryland.

Although they scored four goals against Chicago in May, scoring goals against the Red Stars has also been a challenge for the Spirit in the past. In the 26 games, the Spirits averaged less than one goal per game. Additionally, Crystal Dunn and Trinity Rodman are the Spirit's all-time leading scorers against Chicago with just three goals each.

However, scoring goals hasn't been a problem for the Spirit this season. The team is recording the most goals in team history and has several games left to play. It currently has scored 48 goals (an average of two per game) and has scored four goals for the third time this season.

The Spirit have won four straight home games, with three of the four wins coming by a three-goal margin. Before the last four games, Washington had recorded just two three-goal wins in 121 regular-season home games.

Counting NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup games, the Spirit have scored multiple goals in 12 of 15 home games (tied with KC Current for most in the NWSL), including 10 regular season games at Audi Field.

The Spirit will conclude the 2024 away regular season with a clash against the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, November 2nd at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. on ION or the Washington Spirit Radio Network.

The opposition

Last Saturday, the Red Stars dropped points against Gotham FC, losing 2-0. The score and box score can tell a deceptive story. This game remained scoreless until the 87th minute when Lynn Williams scored a crucial penalty. Esther also contributed to the score in the eighth minute of stoppage time in the second half.

While the Red Stars kept Gotham at bay for most of the game, their defense was continually tested. Gotham had 60% possession and outscored Chicago 12-2. Chicago also had a concerning pass accuracy of under 70%.

Despite losing a game at home last week, the Red Stars have won two consecutive away games and have a total of six away wins this season, the second-most in a single regular season in club history (7 in 2019). Chicago is seeking its first three-game road win streak in the league since a four-game streak in June-August 2019.

Chicago's 2-0 win at Houston on Oct. 4 was the 16th consecutive road game in which the Red Stars scored a goal in all competitions dating back to last August. There has only been one longer streak of one-goal away games in all competitions by an NWSL team: North Carolina (18) in 2018-21.

Ironically, the Spirit supported the Red Stars' playoff hopes last week. The 4-1 victory over Racing Louisville FC was the ticket Chicago needed to secure a spot in the playoffs. With sixth place (32 points), the Red Stars are guaranteed to be sixth to eighth. Only four points separate Chicago from eighth-place Bay FC.

The last time the Red Stars played the Spirit, it didn't end well for the home team. The Spirit won 4-1. That result included a record-breaking three assists in a game from the rookie of the year candidate Croix Bethune. Brittany Ratcliffe In this game she also scored her first regular season brace of her career.

However, Chicago is undefeated in seven straight regular season road games against Washington since 2017 (5-0-2). In NWSL history, there have only been two extended away unbeaten streaks against a single team: Portland vs. Chicago (10 straight from 2013-19) and Chicago at Orlando (8 straight from 2016-22).

Series story

The Washington Spirit have a regular season record of 8-11-7 against the Chicago Red Stars. The Spirit lost to Chicago in its first-ever game at Audi Field last year and has an all-time losing record at home venues.