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Washington, D.C. (06/07/2025) – The Washington Spirit will return to Audi Field on Sunday afternoon to take on the North Carolina Courage. Kicking off at 4 p.m. ET, the match will be broadcast locally on Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) while streaming on NWSL+ and Paramount+.
The Spirit
While the Spirit enters Sunday’s match off a 16-day break since its most recent outing, a 2-1 win at Seattle, much of the Washington roster has been busy with international duty. Ten players from the Spirit roster were called up by their respective home countries to compete in the latest FIFA window, whether it be at the senior level or youth level. Of the ten called up, nine have returned and will be available for the team on Sunday. Chloe Ricketts and the U.S. Under-20 team’s time at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship extended into this weekend.
Sunday’s home match will be the last at Audi Field for the Spirit until August 3 as the side will head off for back-to-back away matches before the NWSL breaks from regular season play in July. At home this season, the Spirit’s record is 1-3-1, a stark contrast to 2024’s 10-2-1 regular season record. The team’s last home win came on March 28, a 2-0 victory over Bay FC.
Washington will be without its leading goal-scorer this weekend as Ashley Hatch (six goals) is out with a back injury. Look for new signee and second leading scorer Gift Monday (three goals) to step up in her place. Before the international break, second-year midfielders Croix Bethune and Hal Hershfelt both returned from injury and have seen increased minutes. With the extra rest between matches, the duo could play an even larger role on Sunday.
Two regular starters on the Spirit back line made headlines this week. Esme Morgan was named to England’s final roster for the upcoming Women’s Euro tournament and will travel to her second career major international tournament, having made England’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup roster. Additionally, Casey Krueger was named to the NWSL’s Best XI of the Month. Despite just 138 minutes of action out of a possible 360 in the month of May as Krueger was returning from injury, the standout’s impact was immense. In addition to her consistent performance in the defending third, she netted the stoppage time equalizer on May 17 against Utah before providing a stellar service into the box that led to the opening goal at Seattle on May 23.
The Spirit defending third is also coming off its best performance since its April 19 shutout in Orlando. Allowing just one goal to Seattle, the side had its first performance without multiple goals against in over a month.
The Opponent
Though the side sits out of playoff position on the NWSL table, the North Carolina Courage has earned points in four of its last five matches, winning three. After a rough start to the season, the Courage has found its footing as of late, even taking down the last undefeated team in the league in April when it beat a 5-0-0 Kansas City squad.
In North Carolina’s last visit to DC in June 2024, the Courage earned its first away win of the season with a 1-0 decision thanks to a goal from former Spirit player Ashley Sanchez. The last time these two sides faced off was in the 2024 regular season finale in which the Spirit locked up the second overall seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs. Also a 1-0 result, the game-winning goal was delivered by Ashley Hatch.
Known for playing a possession-focused game, this year’s Courage team is top five in the league in possession percentage. Similarly, eight of North Carolina’s 13 goals (61.5%) this regular season have been assisted, compared to ten of the Spirit’s 18 (55.5%).
The Courage enters Sunday’s match relatively healthy with just three players listed as out on the team’s availability report. With a variety of talent on its roster, from veteran defender Kaleigh Kurtz to the aforementioned Sanchez to the newly acquired Jaedyn Shaw, this year’s Courage team is an experienced one. The side will be looking for its fourth straight win at Audi Field across all competitions.
All-Time Series History
The Spirit holds a 5-11-2 regular season record against the North Carolina Courage with a -8 goal differential (19-27). In the past ten regular season matches between the sides, however, the Spirit owns a slight 5-3-2 advantage. Last season, the sides split the two matches, each winning 1-0 on the road. The Courage’s win was one of just two victories by the away team at Audi Field in 2024 while the Spirit’s win snapped a North Carolina home unbeaten streak that lasted over 18 months.
The recent away success in this series extends back almost four years, with the home team not winning in any of the past eight regular season matchups between Washington and North Carolina. The last time the home team won between these sides was in July 2021 when the Spirit took all three points at Audi Field.
Sunday’s match will be the first time these sides face off this season. They will meet again at First Horizon Stadium in Cary, North Carolina on Saturday, October 11.
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