Washington Spirit Faces Utah Royals FC Looking to Deliver Another Home Win

Sports stats



NWSL Washington Spirit

Washington Spirit Faces Utah Royals FC Looking to Deliver Another Home Win

May 16, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Washington Spirit News Release


Washington, D.C. - The Washington Spirit will return to Audi Field this Saturday night hosting Utah Royals FC after the side's fourth consecutive away win last weekend at Chicago. Kicking off under the lights at Audi Field at 7:30 p.m. EDT, tickets are still available here.

The Spirit

The Spirit enters Saturday's match fresh off a 3-2 victory over Chicago Stars FC at SeatGeek Stadium, when the side became the second team in league history to start a season 4-0-0 on the road. Back at Audi Field, the Spirit looks to secure a win for the 'Rowdy Audi' fans.

Last weekend, forward Rosemonde Kouassi recorded her first career NWSL goal and added her fourth assist on Gift Monday's game-winner. Monday's score was her third in the last four matches and second winner. After Ashley Hatch started the season out strong with four goals in the first four matches, the Spirit attack has seen wider contribution with two goals from defender Esme Morgan alongside Kouassi and Monday's tallies.

The Spirit will look to reverse its recent home pattern on Saturday night. After putting up a 10-2-1 Audi Field record last regular season, the team has started 1-3-0 in DC this year and an impressive 4-0-0 on the road. Across the Spirit's 43 total regular season matches at Audi Field, the team has earned points in 32 of them. The team will try to set the tone early as it looks to reestablish its home field advantage.

After a strong start to the year in the defensive third with three clean sheets in five matches, the Spirit has conceded more than normal recently. With nine goals against across the team's last three times out, Washington will want to put together another stout defensive performance this weekend. The team is tied for first in the NWSL in saves so far this season at 28 through eight matches, a mark that represents good goalkeeping but also one that means Washington would like to limit the number of shots on target moving forward.

The Opponent

Utah Royals FC sits second-to-last on the NWSL table this season, just one spot above Chicago, which Washington beat last week.

Utah is coming off a 2-0 road defeat to Angel City FC, a match in which Royals defender Alex Loera returned to the pitch after 384 days away recovering from an ACL injury. Although Utah could not find a goal, the side had valiant efforts, such as a shot from Ana Maria Guzman in stoppage time that soared just above the crossbar.

Utah has scored just four goals this season and has been held scoreless in five of its last six matches. The Royals sit in last place in the NWSL in goals for, assists and shots on target. The attacking struggles come in stark contrast to the side's strong finish to the 2024 season, when the Royals tallied seven goals in the final four matches.

Despite the difficulties putting together offensive chances, Utah is fifth in the league in possession, maintaining the ball in over 53% of match time this season. Look for the Royals to try and limit the Spirit's time in possession on Saturday and force the home team's defending third to step up.

All-Time Series History

The Spirit trails the Royals 3-4-1. However, the Spirit won both meetings with Utah last season, with a 2-1 home win in March and a 1-0 away win in June. Last season, the Washington Spirit scored in the first 30 minutes of both matches. Washington has totaled 13 goals this season, with Utah securing just four. The Spirit has not won a home contest since the side's 2-0 win over Bay FC on March 28.

No single player has stood out on the score sheet when these two sides meet as all 11 goals have been scored by different players. For the Spirit, Ashley Hatch, Ouleye Sarr, Andi Sullivan and Kate Wiesner are the only current players to have scored against Utah. For the Royals, second-year standout Ally Sentnor is the lone active goal-scorer.

Check out the Washington Spirit Statistics



National Women's Soccer League Stories from May 16, 2025


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