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Washington, D.C. (09/26/2026) – The Washington Spirit lost a tough defensive battle against Angel City FC on a rainy Saturday evening in DC. The Spirit welcomed 19,215 fans to Audi Field for its fourth sellout of the season and surpassed 200,000 fans through the gates in the regular season for the first time in club history.
After an even opening stretch, the Spirit began to apply pressure. Trinity Rodman led the early attacking push, but Angel City broke up her run in the fifth minute. Following the play, Rodman had a header that drifted just wide of the left post.
In the 22nd minute, Hal Hershfelt disrupted an Angel City pass, leading to a Spirit corner and two shot attempts, but neither found the back of the net. Angel City defender Savy King was issued a yellow card in the 26th minute as the match continued to grow more physical.
Minutes later, a powerful shot from just inside the box by Monique Ngock was saved by Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson. The Spirit stood tall in the ensuing Angel City attack with two blocked shots of its own. Rodman fired a shot from the outside of the box in the 39th minute, but Anderson came up with the save once again.
Heading into the second half, the rainy conditions continued to make the field more unruly and unpredictable. In the 54th minute, Angel City took advantage of the left wing. Evelyn Shores sliced a ball across the box, but Gisele Thompson just missed contact with the ball. Following the close call, MacIver made a great save after a Prisca Chiluyfa shot.
In the 60th minute, the Spirit committed a foul near the edge of the 18-yard box and Angel City’s Ally Sentnor lined up to take the kick but missed wide to the right. A few minutes later, Rosemonde Kouassi earned a corner but Angel City denied the chance. The Spirit continued to knock on the door.
In the 64th minute, Mélissa Bethi and Clara Luvanga came on for Ngock and Kouassi to add a spark to the offense. Luvanga made her Spirit debut and became the first Tanzanian player in NWSL history in the process. After a quick counterattack, Rodman bolted down the field and got a great shot off, but just missed top right corner in the 70th minute. To follow, Sveindís Jónsdóttir forced a great save from MacIver.
In the 75th minute, Paige Metayer and Tamara Bolt came on for Sofia Cantore and Lucia Di Guglielmo. The Spirit continued to hunt for opportunities on offense, and most of its success were in the counterattack.
After a nonstop battle, Tara Rudd had a huge block that resulted in an Angel City corner. Taylor Suarez floated the ball toward the back post, and it was headed out of the box. Shortly after, Jónsdóttir nearly had a goal, but the ball was deflected wide. In the 85th minute, Maiara Niehues came on for Sentnor. Three minutes later, Niehues scored an upper-90 goal to put Angel City ahead.
Heading into the final minutes, Ashley Hatch subbed on for Rodman. As the match came to a close, Bethi had a good look at goal from outside the 18, but the ball went high and wide. The Spirit fell to third place on the table with the loss with four matches left to play.
Next up, the Spirit will head to Texas for its second and final matchup of the regular season with the Houston Dash on Sunday, October 4. Kicking off at 7 p.m. EDT, the match will air on Roku.
-NWSL Match Report-
Match: Washington Spirit vs. Angel City FC
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026
Venue: Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. EDT
Weather: Cloudy, low-60s
Scoring Summary:
| Goals | 1 | 2 | F |
| Washington | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Angel City | 0 | 1 | 1 |
LA – Maiara Niehues – 88′ (assisted by Carina Lageyre)
Lineups:
WAS: 18 – Sandy MacIver; 14 – Gabrielle Carle; 24 – Esme Morgan; 9 – Tara Rudd; 13 – Lucia Di Guglielmo (26 – Paige Metayer, 77’); 8 – Monique Ngock (7 – Mélissa Bethi, 65’); 17 – Hal Hershfelt; 12 – Andi Sullivan (33 – Ashley Hatch, 90’); 2 – Trinity Rodman; 27 – Sofia Cantore (16 – Tamara Bolt, 76’); 19 – Rosemonde Kouassi (25 – Clara Luvanga, 65’)
Unused Substitutes: 28 – Sara Wojdelko; 5 – Élisabeth Tsé; 11 – Claudia Martínez; 21 – Gift Monday
LA: 19 – Angelina Anderson; 15 – Evelyn Shores; 11 – Sarah Gorden; 6 – Emily Sams; 3 – Savy King; 8 – Ary Borges; 17 – Ally Sentnor (12 – Maiara Niehues, 86’); 16 – Carina Lageyre; 32 – Sveindís Jónsdóttir (14 – Nealy Martin, 90+3’); 24 – Prisca Chilufya (99 – Taylor Suarez, 71’); 20 – Gisele Thompson
Unused Substitutes: 13 – Hannah Seabert; 4 – Karsyn Cherry; 10 – Claire Emslie; 25 – Sophia Mattice; 33 – Riley Tiernan; 40 – Jennie Immethun
Stats Summary: WAS / LA
Shots: 16 / 14
Shots On Goal: 2 / 3
Saves: 2 / 2
Fouls: 7 / 10
Offsides: 2 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
LA – Savy King – 26’ – Yellow Card
LA – Evelyn Shores – 45+1′ – Yellow Card
LA – Ally Sentnor – 74′ – Yellow Card
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