The Washington Spirit continued one of the hottest stretches in the NWSL on Saturday night, defeating the North Carolina Courage 2-0 to earn their third consecutive victory and eighth win in their last nine regular season matches.
Leicy Santos and Trinity Rodman each found the back of the net, while goalkeeper Sandy MacIver recorded her seventh clean sheet of the season as Washington controlled the match on the road.
After a tightly contested opening half hour, the Spirit broke through in the 37th minute. Defender Kate Wiesner delivered a long cross into the penalty area where Santos volleyed the ball across her body and finished with her left foot for her fifth goal of the season.
Washington doubled its advantage before halftime when Tara Rudd sent a long ball over the top to Rodman. The U.S. National Team star raced between defenders, carried the ball into the box, and calmly finished past the goalkeeper for her sixth goal of the year, giving the Spirit a 2-0 lead.
North Carolina appeared to cut the deficit in half early in the second half when former Spirit midfielder Ashley Sanchez scored on a free kick, but the goal was overturned following a VAR review due to an infraction by the Courage.
MacIver preserved the shutout with a key one-on-one save against Sanchez in the 63rd minute and added another important stop in the 85th minute. Washington withstood sustained pressure, including seven minutes of stoppage time, to secure the victory.
The Spirit will look to extend their winning streak on Wednesday, July 15, when they face Gotham FC during Rivalry Week in the Queens Classic at Citi Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8pm, with the match airing on ESPN.
