March 26, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Washington Spirit News Release
Washington, D.C. – The Spirit opened its season victorious, cashing in three points in a 1-0 victory off of a Trinity Rodman goal in the 54th minute.
Despite the fanfare surrounding the season opener at Audi Field, the Spirit’s permanent home, the season opening rematch against OL Reign was without much action on the pitch as both teams played to a stalemate in the first 45 minutes of action.
Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury – making her 100th career regular season NWSL appearance – made the first save of the game on a header inside the box from OL Reign’s Jess Fishlock, stopping a would-be goal. Kingsbury would save two more shots in the first half, both coming from Bethany Balcer.
OL Reign continued to apply pressure, controlling possession in the attacking third for much of the first half. The opposition finished with 11 first half shots, eight coming inside the box and three on target. The Spirit did not land a shot on target in three attempts.
The script would quickly flip when third year forward and 2021 NWSL Rookie of the Year winner Trinity Rodman dribbled past midfield before sending a laser from about 20 yards into the bottom-right corner of the goal. The unassisted goal put the Spirit up 1-0 in the 54th minute and was Rodman’s 11th goal in an NWSL regular season match.
Following a series of substitutions from both sides around the 60th minute, OL Reign responded with another near scoring chance – an Elyse Bennett touch inside the box. Kingsbury’s outstretched hands plucked the ball away before Bennett could make a turn and send the ball into an empty goal, saving another clear scoring chance for OL Reign.
After a mass substitution in the 85th minute in which Rodman, Gabrielle Carle and Bayley Feist were replaced with first-year players Lena Silano, Maddie Elwell and Marissa Sheva, respectively, the Spirit held on to the slim lead until the final whistle.
In the second half, the Spirit outshot OL Reign 8-5, holding them to only one shot on target. This is the second consecutive year that the Spirit beat OL Reign in a season opener, extending the team’s unbeaten streak (all competitions) against OL Reign to 10 games. This unbeaten streak dates back to 2018 and includes a current five-game winning streak during which the Spirit have only allowed two goals in the past six matches.
Next up, the Spirit travel to Kentucky to face off against Racing Louisville FC on…