HOUSTON, TX – MAY 26: Julia Roddar #16 of the Washington Spirit brings the ball up the field during a game between Washington Spirit and Houston Dash at BBVA Stadium on May 26, 2021 in Houston, Texas.
No results can be found
Showing results for:
-
Athletes
-
Pages
-
News
Athletes
Pages
News
Ian Decker
WashingtonSpirit.com
Leesburg, VA., (05/29/2021) – The Washington Spirit head to Tacoma, WA to face OL Reign on Sunday, May 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Cheney Stadium. The match will be broadcast on Paramount+ in the U.S and Twitch for international viewers.
The two sides last met on September 14, 2019 — a regular-season match — with the teams tying, 2–2. Washington took the lead in the 90’, but Reign netted in the 92’ to steal two points.
The Opposition
OL Reign finished the 2021 Challenge Cup Presented by Secret with a 2–1–1 record. Other than a slip-up against eventual Challenge Cup champions, Portland Thorns, Reign drew the opening match with the Houston Dash, 0–0, and bested the Chicago Red Stars (3–2) and Kansas City (2–1).
Reign opened the regular season with a 0–0 draw against two-time champions North Carolina Courage. In the first Cascadia rivalry match of the season, OL bested Porland 2-1. After being purchased by Olympique Lyonnais in December 2019, there has been an influx of stars to Reign, with Sarah Bouhaddi, Dzsenifer Marozsán and Eugénie Le Sommer all set to make the swap this summer on loan deals. The Tacoma-based team is led by USWNT stalwart Megan Rapinoe and ever-present center-back Lauren Barnes.
The Spirit
In the early portion of the regular season, Washington has drawn with Orlando, 1–1, dropped points to Louisville, 2–0 and bested the Houston Dash this past week. After outshooting and out-possessing Orlando and sputtering in Louisville, Washington earned an impressive 2–1 win against the Dash despite playing with a red card — Andi Sullivan saw two yellow cards against Houston — for most of the second half.
Playing their third of three games in 10 days — all on the road — Head Coach Richie Burke will continue to rotate his lineup to keep legs fresh and avoid injuries. Aside from defender Paige Nielsen, who remains on the injury report, Burke will have a full lineup to choose from on the West Coast.
