Washington, D.C (October 20, 2024) – The Washington Spirit defeated the Chicago Red Stars 2-0 in front of 17,065 spectators at Audi Field. The fifth-largest crowd in Washington Spirit history showed up for the team's final regular home game of the season.

Going into the game, both teams were confident they would play with purpose as the playoff seeds still hang in the balance. The Spirit, Kansas City Current and NJ/NY Gotham FC all entered the weekend just one point apart in the battle for second place in the standings. With a win, Chicago could also secure the number 6 seed.

The Spirits started the game with a lot of pressing and counterattacking, which led to several ball losses for the Red Stars, which the Spirit were unable to capitalize on. Possession was easily controlled by the Spirit against a Chicago team that entered the game ranked last in the NWSL with about 40% possession per game.

Spirit's high pressing and lightning-fast shots finally paid off Heather Stainbrook hit the net in the 31st minute. With this goal, all six Spirit rookies have now scored in the regular season, extending an NWSL record for goals scored by rookies on a single team in a season. The goal also extended the Spirits' club record for the number of different players to score in a season (15). Entering the game, the Spirit had a perfect record of 7-0-0 when scoring first at home and scored an NWSL-high 29 goals in the first half this season.

The Spirits continued to dominate for the rest of the first half, finishing the game with ten shots and seven corners and even securing over 50% of the Chicago Red Stars third period action in the final 15 minutes of play.

The Spirit had their first big chance of the second half with a run past the Chicago defenders and a cross from Ashley Hatch, but it was picked up by Red Stars keeper Alyssa Naheher. Shortly thereafter, Trinity RodmanHis debut in that game sparked an outpouring of celebration that reverberated throughout the Audi field. Makenna Morris dropped to cover the middle of the field, allowing Rodman to take her usual spot on the wing.

Things quickly became restless and in the 70th minute the mood of the game changed dramatically. Rosemonde Kouassi, who was arguably the Spirit's biggest playmaker during the game, and Chicago's Ludmila got into an altercation that resulted in both players being ejected from the game. Lidmila initially received a yellow card, but it was converted to a red card after a VAR review.

With a count of ten players, Rodman made their impact felt almost immediately. She took a pass from a Chicago defender and split the defensive line with a pass to Hatch, who struck the ball with her left foot and sent it across the goal. Late in the run, Morris threw himself and the ball into the net, giving the Spirit their second goal of the game. The goal was Morris' fifth of the season and led to the tie Croix Bethune and Louisville's Emma Sears for most NWSL rookies in 2024.

The Spirit maintained their momentum and didn't allow Chicago a single shot for 30 minutes. The nine extra minutes of stoppage time ended where most of the game was played, in Chicago's final third with countless shot attempts, but the end result stood. The Spirit finished the game with 23 shots, setting a team record for most shots in a single game.

It was the sixth time this season for the Spirits that they kept a clean sheet. Goaltender Aubrey Kingsbury now ranks third in Spirit history with six shutouts in a season. Additionally, the win extends the Spirit's undefeated streak, which led at halftime, to 34 games (26-0-8). Ultimately, the win keeps Spirit in second place in the NWSL table. A win in the final game of the regular season and maintaining a goal difference advantage over Gotham FC guarantees the Spirit's home advantage through the NWSL Championship game.

Next up, the Spirit will finish the season on Saturday, November 2nd on the road in Cary, North Carolina against the North Carolina Courage. The game begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast on ION and the Washington Spirit Radio Network

-NWSL match report-

Game: Washington Spirit vs. Chicago Red Stars

Date: Sunday, October 20, 2024

Venue: Audi Field (Washington, DC)

Start: 5:00 p.m. EDT

Weather: Sunny, high 60s

Summary of points:

WHAT – Heather Stainbrook – 31'
WHAT – Makenna Morris – 83'

Lineups:

WAS: 1 – Aubrey Kingsbury; 9 – Tara McKeown; 14 – Gabby Carle; 24 – Esme Morgan (5 – Annaig Butel, 87'); 3 – Casey Kruger (6 – Kate Wisner, 74'); 16 – Courtney Brown (2 – Trinity Rodman, 56'); 17 – Hal Hershfelt; 22 – Heather Strainbrook; 8 – Makenna Morris (13 – Brittany Ratcliffe 87'); 19 – Rosemonde Kouassi; 33 – Ashley Hatch (4 – Lena Silano, 87')

Unused substitutes: 28 – Nicole Barnhart; 32 – Jenna Butler; 26 – Paige Metayer; 39 – Chloe Ricketts

CHI: 1 – Alyssa Naher; 32 – Taylor Malham; 4 – Cari Roccaro; 41 – Hannah Anderson; 12 – Natalia Kuikka (30 – Camryn Biegalski, 45'); 20 Bea Franklin; 21 – Julia Grosso (13 – Leilanni Nesbeth, 76'); 14 – Ludmila; 9 – Mallory Swanson (11 – Chardonnay Curran, 60'); 22 – Rosella Ayane (10 – Shea Groom, 45'); 8 – Jameese Joseph (26 – Nadia Gomes, 89')

Unused substitutes: 19 – Mackenzie Wood; 5 – Julia Bianchi; 23 – Tatumn Milazzo; 24 – Jenna Bike

Statistics Summary: WAS/CHI

Shots: 23/9

Shots on goal: 12/2

Saves: 2/10

Fouls: 12/5

Offside: 0 / 1

Summary of the misconduct:

WHAT – Hal Hershfelt – Yellow Card – 47'

WHAT – Rosemonde Kouassi – Red Card – 70'

CHI – Ludmila – Red card – 70'

WHAT – Heather Stainbrook – Yellow Card – 90+4'