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Boyds, MD – Saturday,April 13, 2019: Washington Spirit vs Sky Blue FC at Maureen Hendricks Field, Maryland SoccerPlex.
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Boyds, Md. (4/29/19) – Defenders rarely come into a game believing their greatest contributions in a match will be on the offensive end, but for Spirit defenders Megan Crosson and Sam Staab, that’s exactly how their 2019 NWSL debuts played out.
Staab, who scored the first Spirit goal of the 2019 NWSL season, did so in her first ever game after being drafted by the Spirit fourth overall in this year’s collegiate draft. The rookie found the ball at her feet after a scramble in the box following a corner and made no mistake on the finish, slotting the chance home into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Rookie Staab described what it was like to contribute offensively in her first game, saying: “The feeling was unreal, I honestly didn’t believe it went in at first. I was just happy we could start our season off with a good win primarily. We’ve all been working so hard and it was great to start off being rewarded for all the work we’ve put in.”
While Staab broke the deadlock, Crosson sealed the win with a solidly-hit header following a whipped-in cross from Mallory Pugh who was streaking down the right flank all game. Crosson made it 2-0 in the second minute of added time, eliminating any chance of a Sky Blue FC comeback and completing a sound Spirit win.
Crosson shared what was going through her head as she scored her first goal: “It felt amazing to contribute to the win. The team has worked so hard and when Mal played the perfect ball I thought, ‘this ball has to go in the back of the net and we are winning our opener in front of our awesome fans.’ It was one of my happiest soccer moments.”
Staab and Crosson will take the field again on May 4 for the Spirit’s fixture against Reign FC. In addition, it will be the club’s first-ever Star Wars theme night.
