Photo of Trinity Rodman by Stacy Podelski/1495Sports
In front of a record crowd of 11,281 on a memorable day at Audi Field, the Washington Spirit were able to win their home opener against the OL Reign by a score of 1-0 in NWSL action on Saturday.
The action was a tightly contested soccer match, the Spirit and OL Reign played stellar defensively in the first 45 minutes of action.
OL Reign were able to do an amazing job of applying pressure, in addition to controlling the possession in the attacking third for the first half. The visitors had 11 first half shots, with eight of those coming inside the box and three on target.
Trinity Rodman and the Spirit were able to get the momentum on their side, as Rodman was able to make an amazing move past the midfield firing the shot from about 20 yards into the goal. That goal was enough to lift the home side to victory.
For Rodman the goal was the 11th in the NWSL Regular Season, the forward who earned the Player of the Match award for her play.
Both sides would get fresh legs on the field, and that helped out the OL Reign tremendously as they got close to tying things up. It was an Elyse Bennett touch that almost got them the lead.
The Spirit gained the momentum in the second half of play, as they were able to outshoot the opposition by a tally of 8-5. Eventually that and the team’s defense was able to earn them three points.
In what was a milestone moment for the squad Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury made her 100 career regular season NWSL appearance. Kingsbury got called to action early by making the first save of the game on a header inside the box from Jess Fishlock.
Kingsbury stayed active throughout most of the match, continuing her amazing goaltending abilities from seasons past. In addition, there were two additional saves that Aubrey made that were essential to the Spirits victory.
Up next for the Spirit the team will have their first away test of the season, as they take on Kentucky to take on Racing Louisville FC on Saturday, April 1. That match will start at 3:00 p.m. with anyone wanting to catch the action can do so by checking out the Paramount+ network.
For more information on the Washington Spirit fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: