KANSAS CITY, KS – JUNE 26: Camryn Biegalski #30 of the Washington Spirit inbounds the ball during a game between Washington Spirit and Kansas City at Legends Field on June 26, 2021 in Kansas City, Kansas.
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Sara Campbell
WashingtonSpirit.com
Leesburg, VA., (07/01/2021) — The Washington Spirit are set to host the Chicago Red Stars on Friday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Segra Field. The match will be streamed on Twitch for both domestic and international fans.
The squads will face off again after a hard-fought 1-1 draw on June 19 at SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago. Trinity Rodman managed to score her first regular season goal, but the Spirit conceded a late penalty and gave Morgan Gautrat the chance to equalize.
The Opposition
The Red Stars are looking to pick up only their third victory of the 2021 season as they are coming off of a tough 0-3 loss against Racing Louisville FC. The Chicago-based team currently sits in 8th place in the NWSL standings.
Rory Dames has earned only one road win this regular season against Kansas City (2-0) with goals from attackers Kealia Watt and Makenzy Doniak, both of which were assisted by Mallory Pugh. Since then, the Red Stars have fallen towards the bottom of the table losing, 1-2, to the Houston Dash, coming out on top, 1-0, against the North Carolina Courage, drawing, 1-1, with the Spirit, falling, 0-2, to OL Reign, and the club’s most recent shutout by Louisville.
All eyes will be on dominant players such as Pugh, Watt and Rachel Hill up top with Gautrat and Vanessa DiBernardo leading the attack in midfield. Long-time goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher along with defenders Julie Ertz and Tierna Davidson will be away on international duty and unavailable for the Red Stars. After earning her second yellow card in the last match against Racing, midfielder Danielle Colaprico is on suspension for Friday’s meeting.
The Spirit
Washington is coming off of a fashionable win on the road against Kansas City, where forward Trinity Rodman found the back of the net just before the final whistle. Richie Burke’s team sits in 4th place behind the Portland Thorns FC, having earned 12 points this far in the regular season.
The Spirit have played just one true home game this season, a 1-1 draw against the Orlando Pride at Audi Field. Ashley Hatch scored in the 64th minute with an assist by left-back Kelley O’Hara. During this regular season, the Washington team has only lost once, their second game against Louisville. They look to clinch the third spot in the table this upcoming match with players like Hatch, Rodman, and midfielder Tori Huster to hold down the center of the pitch.
O’Hara, Emily Sonnett, Saori Takarada, and rookie Karina Rodriguez are all unavailable for the Spirit as they report for international duty, with many beginning preparation for the 2021 Tokyo Games.
