Washington Spirit plays UNC to 1-1 draw in preseason opener

Washington Spirit  |   March 10, 2018
Washington Spirit plays UNC to 1-1 draw in preseason opener Featured Image

Leesburg, VA (March 10, 2018) – The Washington Spirit opened the preseason with a 1-1 draw against the University of North Carolina on Saturday night at Evergreen Sportsplex in front of a sell-out crowd of 2,000 fans.

Following a scoreless first half, each team found the net in the second 45-minute period, starting with a 66th minute strike by UNC’s Bridgette Andrzejewski. The two-time All-American and U.S. Youth National Team forward struck on a header into the top right corner, putting the Tar Heels ahead.

Washington continued to press, and eventually broke through in the 87th minute, when rookie forward Mallory Eubanks scored an unassisted goal on a loose ball in the box, providing the equalizer in the waning minutes.

The Spirit racked up 11 shots on target in the game, while limiting UNC to just two. Tar Heel goalkeeper Sam Leshnak piled up 10 saves in the draw, while Washington’s three goalkeepers – Aubrey Bledsoe, DiDi Haracic and Kelsey Wys each saw action.

The Spirit will play its next and final preseason match next Saturday, March 17 against the North Carolina Courage in the first ever NWSL game played in Richmond, VA. More than 2,000 tickets have already been sold for the game. Tickets are available at RichmondKickers.com. [TICKETS]

Single game tickets for the Spirit’s regular season home games are available now at Tickets.WashingtonSpirit.com or by calling the club’s ticket office at 301-591-0927.

NWSL Match Report
Match: Washington Spirit vs. University of North Carolina
Date: March 10, 2018
Venue: Evergreen Sportsplex
Weather: Low 30s

Scoring Summary:
WAS: 1 | 0 – 1
UNC: 1 | 0 – 1

66 UNC – Bridgette Andrzejewski

87 WAS – Mallory Eubanks

Lineup
Starting XI: Aubrey Bledsoe (32’ Haracic | 60’ Wys), Caprice Dydasco, Whitney Church, Estelle Johnson, Meggie Dougherty Howard, Estefania Banini, Morgan Proffitt, Joanna Lohman (46’ M. Huster), Havana Solaun, Cali Farquharson, Mallory Eubanks

Substitutes: DiDi Haracic, Kelsey Wys, Liz Wenger, Maddie Huster, Marissa Sullivan, Chiny Asher, Ashley Meyers
Head Coach: Jim Gabarra

Misconduct Summary:
N/A

Spread the love