Originally published August 17, 2014
he Washington Spirit and their fans went through two waves of emotion last night. First, disappointment as the Spirit lost their final regular season game to Sky Blue FC 1-0. Second, elation as the Western NY Flash held the Chicago Red Stars to a 3-3 draw, which clinched a playoff spot for the Spirit.
The entire 90 minutes was choppy as the Spirit failed to find any rhythm or maintain steady possession while Sky Blue attacked for a majority of the game, but only converted once.
Despite missing their star forward Nadia Nadim and playing just days ago on the road at Western New York, Sky Blue FC looked sharp and tenacious. Their relentless high pressure on the Spirit backline created several dangerous opportunities for both Maya Hayes and Kelley O’Hara.
Sky Blue’s lone goal came in the 27th minute as Kelley O’Hara played a ball into Maya Hayes in the box. Spirit defender Toni Pressley attempted to clear the ball, but provided an assist to Monica Ocampo who chested the ball down and volleyed a shot past Spirit keeper Chantel Jones.
Both sides generated very few chances in the final third. Sky Blue had five shots including two on goal, while the Spirit only took three shots with only one on goal. The ball remained in the middle third of the pitch for a majority of the match as both sides failed to maintain possession.
Spirit head coach Mark Parsons made a flurry of personnel changes in the final 15 minutes of the match including bringing Niki Cross on to replace Toni Pressley and Robyn Gayle on to replace Kerstin Garefrekes. Parsons also moved both Dunn and Krieger into the midfield and had Tori Huster slot back to play center back with Cross.
The changes seemed necessary given the Spirit’s performance, but given that a draw had approximately the same playoff implications as a loss it would have made sense to make those changes much earlier in the second half.
Parsons conceded after the game that his squad’s performance was far below his expectations. “That was really poor tonight,” he explained. “The occasion got to us. Everyone wanted to hit that final pass. We were on the halfway line and we wanted to hit that final pass into that front player to score.”
While the match was disappointing for the Spirit, it was very encouraging for Sky Blue FC. The New Jersey club struggled considerably at the start of the season, but found their stride midway through. Head coach Jim Gabarra credited both team cohesion and the arrival of Nadia Nadim for the turnaround in their results. “The players never quit,” Gabarra said. “We really settled in during the break and came up with a gameplan that every player really bought into.”
Sky Blue captain Christie Rampone concurred with Gabarra’s assessment saying “The unit of the team has been so compact on and off the field.” Rampone added “when Nadia came we realized we were a good team, but we just needed a little extra scoring threat. I think she also gave us the confidence to go after teams and attack teams.”
Spirit captain Ali Krieger highlighted the massive turnaround the Spirit have made since last season when they finished at the bottom of the table. “It is a 100% better,” Krieger explained. “From the professionalism of the club to the team. In all aspects, I think we have done a great job as a group to get this far. We have worked our butts off and we deserve it. We deserve to be in the top four.”
Parsons also added that “I hope we get another crack at it because it would be a real shame to end on that performance.” Well, thanks to a draw between the Chicago Red Stars and the Western New York Flash, the Spirit will get an opportunity to prove their quality in the playoffs. The Spirit will finish third if the Thorns draw or lose to the Reign or finish fourth if the Thorns beat the Reign.
Even though they were eliminated from the playoffs Sky Blue FC’s season isn’t quite over as they will play the Houston Dash on Wednesday. The match is a makeup game after severe weather forced the league to cancel the original match.
Last night’s match held tremendous importance for another reason; it was the final match in the United States for veteran midfielder Lori Lindsey. Lindsey has been an ever present figure in American soccer playing in all three incarnations of professional soccer including WUSA, WPS, and now NWSL. She even played in the W-league when there wasn’t a professional league in the US.
She is universally loved by coaches and players and a favorite among fans. Her terrific sense of humor and infectious positivity has been a huge boost for every team she has been a member of.
Lindsey received a standing ovation as she was subbed off in the 69th minute of the match. The Spirit also honored Lindsey with a photo montage and video with messages from her friends, family, coaches, and former teammates. The tributes to Lori were simple and heartfelt, the perfect way to send off a player who has given so much of herself to soccer.