Pressley Goal Leads Spirit to 1-1 Draw Against UVA

Washington Spirit  |   March 30, 2014
Pressley Goal Leads Spirit to 1-1 Draw Against UVA Featured Image

Boyds, Md. (March 30th, 2014) – Under heavy downpour the Washington Spirit met against University of Virginia (UVA) women for their second preseason match at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday, March 29th. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

The UVA Wahoos were first to get on the scoreboard in the 10th minute of the first half. Midfielder Alexis Shaffer had a run through with the ball. She was able to get around Spirit defender Cecilie Sandvej and found the ideal moment to shoot the ball. The ball shot high enough to slightly knick the goal post and hit the back of the net.

As the first half progressed, both the Spirit and UVA pressed on. In the 15th minute UVA forward Brittany Ratcliffe was headed for goal. Spirit goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris came out of goal to make the save. This was Harris’ first appearance and start in the preseason. The Spirit fought back and spent most of the last 20 in the UVA half getting through the defense to create chances. The relentlessness paid off in the 38th minute when Toni Pressley headed a ball after a corner kick set piece sent in by striker Danesha Adams.

In the second half the rain continued to be ruthless. There were three substitutions for the Washington Spirit. Jones, Matheson and Gayle came in for Harris, Cuellar and Sandvej respectively. Ferrari and Reuther came in for Stearns and Sobra for the Wahoos.

With fresh legs on the pitch each team had to once again find their rhythm. US Women’s National Team defender Ali Krieger sent a cross to English striker Jodie Taylor in the 62nd. Taylor was in goal but was unable to turn the ball before the UVA defense found her and cleared it. UVA keeping the Spirit on their toes created a chance in the 66th with a shot on goal by Shaffer that was an easy save for Spirit goalkeeper Chantel Jones.

US Women’s National Team defender Crystal Dunn came in as a substitution for striker Tiffany Weimer in the 69th and wasted no time. In the 72nd Dunn sent a cross into the box that went directly into UVA goalkeeper Jessie Ferrari’s hands. The last chance to get one more goal came in the 90th minute by Spirit midfielder Jordan Angeli. She sent a ball into the box. The ball hit the goal post and was eventually cleared.

The Washington Spirit next meets the University of Maryland in a match to benefit Headers for Hope on Saturday, April 5th at 7pm at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Headers for Hope is a nonprofit organization established to help the family and friends of those battling cancer. Fans and supporters can purchase general admission tickets online for $10 each, in advance. Tickets will be available to purchase on site the day of game at $15 each. One hundred percent of the profits from the match will go to benefit Headers for Hope. To purchase tickets please go through the Washington Spirit online ticket portal: https://tickets.washingtonspirit.com/.

STARTING LINEUPS:

WASHINGTON SPIRIT:
GOALKEEPERS: A.Harris (C.Jones, 46). DEFENDERS: A.Krieger (M.Morris, 69), T.Pressley (J.Angeli, 56), C.Sandvej (R.Gayle, 46), B.Sierra. MIDFIELDERS: Y.Averbuch, C.Nairn (L.Lindsey, 56). FORWARDS: D.Adams, R.Cuellar (D.Matheson, 46) J.Taylor, T.Weimer (C.Dunn, 69).

UVA:
GOALKEEPERS: M.Stearns (J.Ferrari, 46). DEFENDERS: J.Srobra (M.Reuther, 46). MIDFIELDERS: M.Brian, D. Colaprico (T.Hanway 90th), A.Shaffer, E.Sonnett. FORWARDS: M.Doniak (M.Morgan, 62nd), G.Douglas, B.Ratcliffe (J.Sroba, 78), K.Torres (N.Johnson, 73rd).

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