Thirty seconds; a minuscule amount of time compared to the 120-plus minutes already played. Thirty seconds to glory for one. Thirty seconds in which to change the outcome for the other. The Washington Spirit fans already had their phones out to record the moment their team won. Instead, they recorded a flighted ball and a bit of luck as the Western New York Flash equalized in the dying seconds of extra time, 2-2. In the ensuing kicks from the penalty mark the Flash completed the comeback, 3-2, wrenching the 2016 NWSL Championship out of the Spirit’s grasp thanks to three saves by Flash goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo.
Washington drew first blood with a goal from Crystal Dunn in the ninth minute. Megan Oyster served a long ball over the top to Dunn, who met it on the bounce just outside the top right corner of the Flash’s penalty area. Dunn coolly chested the ball around Flash goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo into the penalty area and calmly passed the ball into the open net.
Western New York went to work, probing for the equalizer. A mere five minutes later, they got their breakthrough. Lynn Williams carried the ball down the left flank for Western New York. She played a nice, rolling ball to Samantha Mewis arriving late and unmarked at the top of the Spirit penalty area. As the Spirit defense closed in around her, Mewis threaded a right-footed shot into the lower right corner of the Spirit goal to tie the game, 1-1.
The Spirit had the next scoring chance in the 33rd minute. Christine Nairn found herself with an open lane to goal about 20 yards from the Flash goal. She ripped a shot, sending D’Angelo diving to her right to make the save.
Ninety minutes was not enough to settle the issue. Washington again scored first, going up 2-1 in the second minute of extra time. Francisca Ordega took a long touch trying to beat the Flash defenders on the right side of the penalty area. Ali Krieger won the resulting 50-50 ball, barely making the one-touch pass as she was knocked over. Dunn was wide open when she received the ball and quickly curled a left-footed shot into the upper right corner of the goal.
Mewis almost had the answer for Western New York again, but Spirit goalkeeper Kelsey Wys came up with a big save in the 93rd minute. After a bit of a scramble, Mewis rifled a first-time shot from 20 yards out. Wys was able to hold on to the ball and keep Washington in front.
D’Angelo made a big save of her own in the 96th minute to keep the Flash in the match. Dunn headed a cross to Krieger, who fired a left-footed volley at the Flash’s goal. D’Angelo leapt to her left and saved the ball at full extension. She could feel the Flash gaining momentum. The smile on her face after the save said it all.
Thirty seconds to go and the Spirit could all but taste victory. Thirty seconds to achieve what they had worked toward for three years and this season. Western New York had the ball on the left flank. Jessica McDonald sent one last cross to the far side; one last chance to change the game. Wys charged off her line to try to punch the ball away, but she couldn’t beat Golden Boot Winner Lynn Williams. Williams out-leapt the two players marking her and headed the ball into the back of the Spirit net, tying the match 2-2 in the 124th minute.
The Flash used all that new-found momentum in the penalty kicks. Abby Dahlkemper started things off for the Flash, nestling her right-footed kick into the right corner. Ali Krieger stepped up first for the Spirit, striking a hard shot down the middle. D’Angelo made the save, 1-0 to the Flash. The second round saw Jaelene Hinkle narrowly beat Wys, who dove right and got her right hand to the ball, but couldn’t keep it out. Christine Nairn coolly put in her left footed shot, but it was still 2-1, Flash. Washington got the break they needed when Jessica McDonald sent the Flash’s third kick well over the net. Katie Stengel then put the Spirit on even terms, pinging her right-footed shot off the left post. The score was all tied at 2 after three rounds. Lynn Williams scored a cheeky shot for Western New York in the fourth round, taking just one step to plant her foot and pass a right-footed shot to her right of Wys. For the Spirit, Tori Huster struck a high, hard right-footed shot toward the left post, but D’Angelo came up with the diving save; 3-2 Flash after four rounds. Wys kept Washington alive in the fifth round, diving to her left and saving Samantha Mewis’ soft right-footed shot. All the pressure was on Diana Matheson to make the Spirit’s fifth kick and send the kicks from the mark into sudden death. She struck a right-footed shot barely to her right of the Flash goalkeeper. D’Angelo easily made her third diving save of the spot kicks. Agony for the Washington Spirit. Exaltation for the Western New York Flash, winning their first NWSL Championship.
Be sure to have a look at our photo gallery from the final here.
Lineups:
Western New York 4-4-2
D’Angelo; Hinkle, Kennedy, Dahlkemper, Eddy; Zerboni, Mewis, Erceg (C), Doniak; Williams, McDonald
Substitutes:
79′ Smith for Doniak
106′ Hamilton for Zerboni
Washington Spirit 4-3-3
Wys; Dydasco, Zadorsky, Oyster, Krieger (C); Huster, Nairn, Church, ; Banini, Ordega, Dunn
Substitutes:
22′ Kleiner for Dydasco
79′ Matheson for Banini
113′ Stengel for Ordega
Goals:
9′ Dunn (Oyster)
14′ Mewis (Williams)
91′ Dunn (Krieger)
120+4’ Williams (McDonald)
Penalty Kicks, 3-2 to WNY:
WNY – Dahlkemper (goal)
WAS – Krieger (save)
WNY – Hinkle (goal)
WAS – Nairn (goal)
WNY – McDonald (miss)
WAS – Stengel (goal)
WNY – Williams (goal)
WAS – Huster (save)
WNY – Mewis (save)
WAS – Matheson (save)
Misconduct:
84’ Yellow: Zerboni (WNY)
120+2’ Yellow:Wys (WAS)
