Match Report (W11) Washington Spirit 2 - 1 Seattle Reign FC

Santos, scored the go-ahead goal in the 17th minute from a spectacular free-kick. Her 4th of the campaign.

Washington, D.C. – The Washington Spirit returned to winning ways on Saturday night, defeating Seattle Reign 2-1 in front of a sold-out Audi Field crowd of 19,365, the largest attendance recorded at a Spirit home match this season.

Coming off a difficult 5-3 loss against Club América in the W Champions Final, the Spirit entered the match looking for a response against a Seattle Reign side that arrived in the nation's capital sitting 10th in the standings. By the final whistle, Washington had done exactly that, securing its sixth win of the season and third consecutive home victory.

The Spirit started brightly and found the breakthrough in the 17th minute through Colombian midfielder Leicy Santos. From a dangerous set-piece opportunity, Santos curled an excellent effort toward the left side of goal, leaving goalkeeper Claudia Dickey with no chance as the ball nestled into the back of the net. The goal was Santos' fourth of the season and continued her impressive run of form in midfield.

Washington appeared in control for much of the first half, but Seattle found an equalizer just before halftime. In the 43rd minute, a ball played behind the Spirit defense released forward Maddie Mercado into space. As goalkeeper Sandy MacIver rushed off her line to close down the angle, defender Lucia Di Guglielmo inadvertently redirected the ball into her own net, leveling the score at 1-1 heading into halftime.

The Spirit continued to push forward after the restart, creating several dangerous opportunities while controlling long stretches of possession. Dickey proved to be one of Seattle's standout performers, producing key saves to deny Washington on multiple occasions and keeping the visitors within reach.

That breakthrough finally arrived in the 81st minute through Hal Hershfelt. The midfielder's effort took a deflection off a Reign defender, wrong-footing Dickey and bouncing into the center of the net. The goal was Hershfelt's second of the season and ultimately stood as the match winner.

Seattle searched for another equalizer in the closing stages, but Washington's defense remained organized and disciplined to see out the victory and secure all three points in front of an energized home crowd.

After the match, forward Sofia Cantore highlighted the importance of the squad's depth and the impact made by the substitutes.

"We have a big roster, even if we are tied, we know that fresh people can come in and do great like they did today."

Goal scorer Leicy Santos reflected on both her performance and the result.

"I am happy with the goal and the win."

Defender Elizabeth Tse pointed to improvements made following the midweek defeat.

"Today we saw an improvement from the last game, we played quicker to find the width of the free player."

The victory keeps Washington firmly in the playoff positions, currently in 4th place with 21 points, and provides an immediate bounce back after the W Champions Final disappointment

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Three Points

1. Home Fortress: The Spirit recorded their sixth victory of the season and extended their winning streak at Audi Field to three consecutive matches.

2. Goals Coming From Everywhere: Washington now has seven different goal scorers this season. Leicy Santos scored her fourth goal of the campaign, while Hal Hershfelt, who scored the game-winner, netted her second goal of the season.

3. Record Crowd: Audi Field welcomed a season-high crowd of 19,365 supporters, marking the largest attendance of the season and a complete sellout for the Spirit.

Starting XIs

Washington Spirit

MacIver; Tse (Morgan 67'), Carle (Metayer 82'), Bernal (Sullivan 67'), Rudd, Di Guglielmo, Hershfelt, Santos (Monday 82'), Cantore (Martinez 67'), Rodman, Kouassi

Unused Substitutes: Wiesner, Tamara, Abiodun, Collins

Head Coach: A. Gonzalez

Seattle Reign

Dickey; Bugg, McClernon, Curry, Huerta, McCammon (Meza 45'), Menti (Fishel 65'), Mercado (Adames 87'), James-Turner (Ratcliffe 89'), Ward (Mondesir 46'), Dahlien

Unused Substitutes: Brown, Holmes, Miller

Head Coach: L. Harvey

Scoring Summary

Washington Spirit

Santos (17')

Hershfelt (81')

Seattle Reign

Di Guglielmo (Own Goal, 43')

Booking Summary

Washington Spirit

Tse (5') — Yellow Card

Sullivan (78') — Yellow Card

Seattle Reign

Ward (17') — Yellow Card

Menti (59') — Yellow Card

McClernon (68') — Yellow Card

Hershelft, scored the game-winner at the 82nd minute. Her 2nd of the campaign.