Originally published on April 28, 2014
The Washington Spirit rebounded from their loss against Seattle on Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday evening. The lone goal came from a header by defender Tori Huster in 51st minute.
The Spirit were playing their third game in a week (4th overall), while the Red Stars were only playing their second game of the 2014 NWSL season.
The Spirit demonstrated once again that they are a far different team than the Red Stars faced in 2013. Washington proved they can play physically, which the Red Stars experienced first hand during the game on Saturday evening. Last year, the Red Stars relied heavily on their physical play, but the Spirit were able to match them, and then some.
More importantly, the Spirit proved they are able to grind out wins even when they aren’t playing their best. With the parity of the NWSL, the difference between finishing at the middle of the table versus the bottom will be the ability prevail in games like the one they played against Chicago.
Both teams had to contend with the elements as conditions at the Benedictine U. Sports Complex pitch were blustery and chilly. The less than ideal weather conditions clearly had an impact on each team, as both struggled to maintain sustained offensive attacks. In fact, the first corner or the match wasn’t earned until the 20th minute.
The most dangerous chance of the half came just before the whistle, as midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo slid a well weighted pass to forward Adrianna Leon, who launched a well struck ball that careened off the post. The half ended 0-0.
Spirit head coach Mark Parsons made two substantial substitutions to begin the half, bringing on Crystal Dunn, who replaced Jordan Angeli, and Veronica Perez, who replaced Lori Lindsey. The fresh legs added both an element of speed and physicality to the match.
The Spirit finally broke the stalemate in the 51st minute as Renae Cuellar’s questionable shove created space and perhaps a distraction for Danesha Adams to send in a cross to Tori Huster who snuck in, unmarked, in front of the far post. Huster’s header was placed perfectly, and Karina LeBlanc had no chance of keeping it out of the net.
Surprisingly, the last substitution of the match for Washington was forward Jodie Taylor, who replaced defender Bianca Sierra. Crystal Dunn moved back to replace Sierra at left back and Jodie Taylor played forward.
After failing to call several fouls in the first half of the match, the referee got card happy in the dying embers of the match, as four yellow cards were shown.
Neither side was able to generate many quality chances in the final minutes of the game, and the road/injury weary Spirit prevailed 1-0 to end their road trip.
The Spirit are now 2-2-0, currently sitting in third in the NWSL table. In addition to the victory, Washington goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris also earned her first clean sheet of the year. This is the first loss of the season for the Red Stars, who are currently fourth in the table with a 1-1-0 record.
The Spirit will head home and look to avenge their loss in Seattle when they host the Reign at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday May 3rd at 6:30 p.m. EDT.
Game Lineups
Chicago Red Stars: Karina LeBlanc, Jen Hoy (Hayley Brock – 79’), Alyssa Mautz (Zakiya Bywaters – 56’), Julie Johnston, Vanessa DiBernardo, Rachel Quon, Michelle Wenino, Lori Chalupny, Jackie Santacaterina, Julianne Sitch (Morway – 80’), Adriana Leon
Washington Spirit: Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger, Toni Pressley, Tori Huster, Bianca Sierra (Taylor – 80’), Yael Averbuch, Lori Lindsey (Perez – 45’), Jordan Angeli (Crystal Dunn – 45’), Diana Matheson, Renae Cuellar, Danesha Adams