Washington Spirit set to face North Carolina Courage at Richmond’s City Stadium in preseason finale

Washington Spirit  |   March 16, 2018
Washington Spirit set to face North Carolina Courage at Richmond’s City Stadium in preseason finale Featured Image

Washington Spirit vs. North Carolina Courage
2018 NWSL Preseason
City Stadium
Saturday, March 17 – 7:00 p.m. ET
#WASvNC | TICKETS 

Boyds, MD (March 16, 2018) – The Washington Spirit will host the North Carolina Courage on Saturday night in Richmond, Va. for the club’s NWSL preseason finale.

Saturday will be the first ever women’s professional soccer game played at City Stadium, home of the United Soccer League’s Richmond Kickers. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, and over 4,000 tickets are already out. [TICKETS]

Washington kicked off the preseason on Saturday, March 10 with a 1-1 draw against the University of North Carolina at Evergreen Sportsplex in Leesburg, Va. Rookie forward Mallory Eubanks netted her first career goal in her first professional match, providing an 87th minute equalizer for the Spirit.

In partnership with the Richmond Strikers, this Saturday’s match was planned to serve as the marquee game during this weekend’s prestigious Jefferson Cup Girls Weekend, a major economic impact event for the RVA region each spring, which hosts to more than 5,000 players and 350 participating teams.

The game will provide youth players in town for the Jefferson Cup – and fans from throughout the Richmond area – with the opportunity to watch some of the best female professional players in the world, including multiple U.S. Women’s National Team members and other international stars scheduled to appear.

U.S. Women’s National Team players scheduled to appear in the game for Washington include: 2018 NWSL College Draft No. 1 pick Andi Sullivan, 2017 NWSL Rookie of the Year Ashley Hatch, defender Taylor Smith and forward Mallory Pugh.

U.S. Women’s National Team players scheduled to appear for North Carolina include: defenders Abby Dahlkemper; midfielder McCall Zerboni; and forwards Crystal Dunn and Lynn Williams.

Washington also selected Canadian international defender/midfielder Rebecca Quinn with the No. 3 overall pick in the NWSL College Draft out of Duke University. With Quinn, the five U.S. internationals, as well as returning midfielders Yanara Aedo (Chile) and Estefania Banini (Argentina), and forward Francisca Ordega (Nigeria), the Spirit roster feature nine total players who are members of their respective national teams.

In addition, the Spirit returns several top performers from last season. Just a few of the team’s key returning players include: defender Estelle Johnson, who was named to the NWSL Team of the Month twice in 2017; midfielder Havana Solaun, who scored five goals and led the team with four assists in her first season with the club; and midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard, who led the team in passing as a rookie.

Midfielder Tori Huster, the longest tenured Spirit player, enters her sixth season with the club after joining in 2013 ahead of the inaugural NWSL season. Six other players: Johnson, Ordega, goalkeeper Kelsey Wys, defenders Whitney Church and Caprice Dydasco, and midfielder Joanna Lohman are each entering their fourth seasons in Washington.

Saturday’s match will not be live streamed. Live updates will be provided via the Spirit’s Twitter feed @WashSpirit and Facebook page.

Single game tickets for the Spirit’s regular season home games, including their March 31 home opener against Marta, Alex Morgan, and the Orlando Pride, are available now at Tickets.WashingtonSpirit.com or by calling the club’s ticket office at 301-591-0927.

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