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The Spirit started a three-match road trip with an exciting 4-2 win over the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday night. Interim head coach Adrián González, midfielder Croix Bethune, and Brittany Ratcliffe, who scored a brace, share their thoughts on the game.
Adrián González
On the game overall:
“I think today we had maybe one of the best games this season. In terms of what we wanted to do, I think the game plan was pretty clear. Players just executed very well. We know that we wanted to be close to the ball and try to be patient with long attacks and try to disorganize them. That situation could also help us just in case we lose the ball, trying to press and trying to win it back because we know that Chicago is a team with really strong counterattacks, especially if they find (Mallory) Swanson between lines, they are very dangerous. I think today we did a great job with both and really good defense. We were creating chances and scoring goals, so I’m happy with the performance.”
On the midfield during the beginning of the game:
“The first couple of minutes are always complicated because there are a lot of emotions and players need to set their feelings a little bit and also see how the opponent is playing. I think the first 10-15 minutes of the game is always a little bit crazy. A lot of second balls, but after that I think we just followed our game plan so we could have more possession and we identified where the spaces were. Today especially, and through the week, we progressed very well and because of that, we could find Croix (Bethune) between lines and Trin (Trinity Rodman), Hatchy (Ashley Hatch) and Ouleye (Ouleymata Sarr) as a forward. After those 10-15 minutes we were more patient, and we could progress more.”
On Trinity’s first goal:
“I think she deserves that. She’s been training so hard and focusing on that. She wants to improve and a player like her being that humble I think it’s very important because she’s always ready to improve. I’m happy because she’s been creating a lot of chances and today, finally, she could score. I’m sure from here she’s going to continue scoring goals and creating chances because she’s performing very well.”
On Brittany Ratcliffe:
“She brings a lot of energy. She can make runs behind, she has really good 1 v 1’s, and she’s a very powerful player, and she’s scoring goals. In terms of defense, she’s working hard and during the last 20-30 minutes when the team needs a little bit more energy, she’s helping us a lot in those situations. I’m so happy because she’s training very hard, and I’m sure that she will be helping the team in the future. We are able to find her, and she’s helping us a lot.”
Croix Bethune
On how she feels about being the first Spirit player to have three assists in one game:
“Honestly, I am just out there doing me, doing what I’m doing. When I have players that can score and make runs and movement, it’s a lot easier to put it where they need it, and they just finish it in the back of the net.”
On getting comfortable with teammates and pace of the NWSL:
“I’d say all of it. A lot of what we practice we are putting out on the field, and it’s being executed a lot smoother now. I’d say a mixture of everything.”
On the team’s mindset as the game entered the 80th minute:
“2-0 is very tricky in soccer, and 2-1 is even trickier. So, once they scored, we were just kind of like, we need to score to give us more of a brace and also not allow them to score to tie the game. We just kept playing. We didn’t really get scared, and once the chances were there, we executed them. Our players that came in off the bench did their role and did their job, as you can see with Britt scoring two goals.”
On her connection with Brittany Ratcliffe:
“I feel like I just naturally play well off the players and see the game as it’s going. But also, practice makes perfect. Britt does a good job of, whether she’s starting or coming off the bench, doing what she needs to do. Just seeing her make the runs makes it easier for me to slip it through.”
On the importance of responding to last weekend’s loss:
“The Orlando game was an unfortunate loss. I feel like we could have definitely scored a lot more goals and won, but the game is behind us. We can’t change anything that happened, and our next focus was Chicago. I feel like we performed exactly how we wanted to, and expected to, against Chicago. We could have not allowed the two goals, but putting up four was amazing so it’s a big response after a loss.”
Brittany Ratcliffe
On her first goal of the match:
“I feel like every time I score, I black out and don’t remember anything. Honestly, the ball Croix played in was such a great ball, I knew I had to make it count. I’m just thankful it went in. Anytime it goes in, I say to myself, “Oh my god, that’s so exciting”.
On her connection with Croix:
“Croix is such an awesome player, and I think anyone can play with her. Croix is just so easy to play with. She has great vision and tenacity. She always wants to go forward and makes everyone around her better. The three assists she had tonight, was just proof of that.”
On team chemistry:
“In terms of chemistry, we have a close team. At practice, we are always switching in and working with each other. No matter where you’re playing or who’s on the field, we just have that connection. It’s still going to take time, it’s still early, and we have so much room to grow. I’m very thankful for the team I’m on, we work very well together. “
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