Washington fell, 1-0, to drop its fifth game at Audi Field since the start of August.
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Each of the past two years, the Washington Spirit has navigated the NWSL playoffs and punched its ticket to the championship game without leaving Audi Field. That’s the benefit of locking down the league’s No. 2 seed in back-to-back seasons.
But after heading to a neutral site for each of those finals, the Spirit knows this year’s title tilt is slated for Audi Field. Secure second place again? This time around, that means ensuring home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
That’s why the Spirit’s 1-0 loss against Angel City FC on Saturday night stung all the more. By dropping three points at its rain-soaked stadium, Washington (14-8-4) remained in third — two points back of the second-place San Diego Wave with four matches remaining.
“You want to start getting that fire underneath you as you go into playoffs,” midfielder Hal Hershfelt said. “That’s definitely something we need to go back to the drawing board and work on.”
Maiara Niehues delivered the decisive moment in the 89th minute. Angel City midfielder Carina Lageyre collected a loose ball and picked out the Brazilian, who had come on as a substitute three minutes earlier. Finding the time and space to spin toward goal, Niehues unleashed a 20-yard curler that picked out the top corner.
“It was a great shot,” defender Tara Rudd said. “So we can’t really dwell on it.”
It was the latest impressive result for Los Angeles-based Angel City, which has gone 5-0-1 over the past four weeks to surge from outside the eight-team playoff field to fourth.
Although the dismal weather kept some ticket buyers at home, the Spirit announced a sellout of 19,215 — marking the first time the club surpassed 200,000 in single-season attendance. Yet Washington has struggled to uphold its “Rowdy Audi” reputation and give its fans much to cheer for lately. Since August, the Spirit is 1-5-0 at home. Four of those losses were shutouts. And Washington is only 6-6-1 at home overall.
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“It’s extremely frustrating because even with the weather tonight being bad, [it was] a really great turnout,” midfielder Andi Sullivan said. “That’s not something that just happens, and it’s something that has taken us a long time to earn. I think we need to realize that and respect that and use that to our advantage and give the fans more.”
Spirit Coach Adrián González made only one change — Monique Ngock for Mélissa Bethi in midfield — from the lineup that thrashed the Chicago Stars, 3-0, on the road last weekend.
Neither side created much danger during a sluggish first half. Spirit forward Trinity Rodman glanced an early header wide and later forced goalkeeper Angelina Anderson into a diving stop. Teed up by Sofia Cantore, Ngock could only curl a shot right at Anderson. Angel City’s best chance came when Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver charged from goal to intervene during a nervy scramble off a corner kick.
The visitor found more of a rhythm after halftime, testing MacIver with Prisca Chilufya’s near-post bid and Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir’s long-range laser. Beyond another individual effort from Rodman — a 71st-minute shot over the bar — the Spirit struggled to put Angel City under pressure.
“Trin is a freaking miracle worker,” defender Gabrielle Carle said. “But there’s limits to what she can do when she’s guarded that much.”
Washington nearly surrendered a lowlight-reel winner in the 87th, when Jónsdóttir blocked a MacIver clearance and the ball caromed wide. But the fortunate ricochet only delayed the inevitable.
The Spirit returns to the road — where it’s a league-best 8-2-3 — to face the Houston Dash next Sunday before the NWSL takes an 11-day break for international play (including the United States’ match against Spain on Oct. 10 at Audi Field).
“I don’t know if it’s fair today to lose this game,” González said. “But it is what it is. It is our reality. We need to accept it and move on.”
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