The Washington Spirit appeared to have run out of just what their moniker suggests after their 3-1 loss to the Western New York Flash during Sunday’s home opener.
Despite the Flash’s physical dominance throughout the match, the first half was evenly battled. Both teams had only one shot on goal, but WNY’s Vicky Losada — who had two goals and an assist this match — was able to capitalize on her opportunity, making the score 1-0 15 minutes into the match.
Losada’s first goal came from a shot about 30 yards out which caught former Flash goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris off of her line. Harris’ sweeper-keeper style had been successful throughout preseason but hardly challenged until this match. The wind was a slight factor in this goal, but Harris took responsibility and was not afraid to emphasize that mistakes were made on both ends.
“It’s a learning process… when you don’t do the small things right you get picked apart,” she said. “We could’ve had a few goals but that’s the sport. That’s what it’s about. They put away their opportunities and we got caught sleeping on a few.”
Toward the end of the first half, the Spirit had a few glimpses at scoring opportunities, but none were very threatening and the team remained down one goal heading into the second half.
It did not take long for Washington to tie things up in the second half, however, scoring only five minutes in. Their one goal, deflected into the net by Flash’s defender Amy Barczuk, was a result of Spirit midfielder Christine Nairn’s corner kick, combined with a nice gust of wind.
Unfortunately, this was the last time that the Spirit showed any potential of winning.
Almost immediately after Washington’s goal, the Flash’s Brittany Taylor scored off of a far-post cross sent by Player of the Game, Losada. WNY clinched the game in the 67th minute when she finished a ball chipped by New York’s Adriana Martin.
Losada’s performance could not have come at a better time for the Flash, as key player and Women’s National Team member Abby Wambach, under a last-minute decision, sat out due to a fractured bone under her eye. Also, WNT player Carli Lloyd made little impact, most likely a little fatigued after coming off of a spectacular two-goal performance only three days prior, defeating China 3-0.
The Flash finished three of its four shots on goal and, although there is still a full season ahead, this kind of performance is sure to keep the WNY at the top half of the NWSL rankings.
“To get three points in the first game away from home is a big deal,” Wambach commented. “We didn’t start off last year this way. We lost the first game, and the first game does set the tone. I’m pleased with the performance the team made… [it was a] good day in the attacking third.”
For the home team, better days have been seen on this field. Washington head coach Mark Parsons was especially disappointed in how quickly the team’s body language changed after the second goal. Although good things happened in the first half, too many reminders of last season’s eighth place Washington Spirit team emerged in the second. Parson’s first priority is to shut this down before bad habits are repeated.
“We’re a different beast this year,” the coach said. “Really exciting what we can do, but we’ve got to improve the mentality and show some resilience.”
Hopefully the Spirit will continue to build on the positives and turn things around before this Saturday when they battle FC Kansas City. The game will be played at 6:30 at the Maryland SoccerPlex.