NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Washington Spirit

Spirit Settle for a Draw After Last Minute Equalizer from the Flash

August 12, 2015 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Washington Spirit News Release


BOYDS, Md. (August 12, 2015) - The Washington Spirit (7-5-4, 25 points) played the Western New York Flash (5-8-4, 19 points). After a slow start in the first half and aggressive play during the second, both teams secured one point in the 1-1 draw.

The first chances in the game came from the Spirit in the 9th minute when Crystal Dunn, with a move around her defender, cut the ball across the six yard line but no Spirit player was on the end to capitalize.

In the 16th minute midfielder Ali Krieger dribbled the ball and fed a pass to Crystal Dunn down the flank. Dunn cut past two Flash defenders, took a shot on goal and her rebound off of goalkeeper Chantel Jones allowed Diana Matheson to tap the ball in the back of the net. Matheson secured her second goal in two consecutive games with a great follow through to give the Spirit the 1-0 lead.

A couple minutes later Christine Nairn won the ball in the midfield, picked her head up and took a signature 35-yard shot on goal, catching Chantel Jones off her line but the ball hit the corner of the goal frame.

In the last five minutes of the first half the Flash had two close chances off of corners. In the 38th minute Harris punched the ball clear on the edge of the goal line to preserve the score at 1-0. During the next corner, a header off a Flash player went to the far post but Nairn chested the ball off the line.

Both teams went into the locker room playing down the flanks and relying on long balls to switch the field and widen the game. Matheson's goal gave the Spirit the advantage.

The Spirit had their first dangerous goal scoring opportunity in the second half in the 67th minute off a corner taken from Nairn. Nairn's corner found Francisca Ordega who headed the ball into the low corner but Jones made a point blank save to keep the ball from going into the back of the net.

A couple minutes later,the Flash's Jaelene Hinkle, after a poor clearance from the Spirit on a corner, took a shot at the 35-yard line but the shot hit the crossbar.

The last ten minutes of regular time in the second half included several dangerous combination plays from Krieger, Dunn and Ordega, but each opportunity ended in the ball going wide or Jones and her defensive line clearing the ball.

In the 90th minute the Flash capitalized on a initial save by Harris as the loose ball fell to Lynn Williams who scored the equalizer. The game provided nine intense minutes of stoppage time and a couple more opportunities for the Spirit. Dunn and Krieger provided numerous through balls to each other but the score line remained at 1-1 at the final whistle.

The Spirit head on the road for three tough away games starting with the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday August 16th at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the Washington Spirit Statistics

• Discuss this story on the National Women's Soccer League message board...

National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 12, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central