2021 Washington Spirit season

Washington Spirit
2021 season
PresidentBen Olsen
Head coachvacant
StadiumMaryland SoccerPlex
Audi Field
Segra Field
NWSL3rd
NWSL PlayoffsChampions
Challenge CupGroup stage
Top goalscorerLeague: Ashley Hatch (10)
All: Ashley Hatch (11)
← 2020
2022 →

The 2021 Washington Spirit season was the club's 11th season of existence, and its ninth in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.

The season began with the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup on April 9, 2021 followed by a 24-match regular season. The regular season concluded on October 31, 2021.[1] The Spirit made its first playoff appearance in five years on November 7, 2021, taking down the defending league champion North Carolina Courage in a quarterfinal match at Audi Field. On November 14, Washington took down two-seed OL Reign in Tacoma to advance to the 2021 NWSL Championship Game in Louisville, KY. The following Saturday, November 20, the Spirit earned its first league title with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars after extra time.

Background

Main article: 2020 Washington Spirit season

The 2020 season was the Washington Spirit's seventh season. The season was slated to begin on April 18, 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, the NWSL season was cancelled due to the pandemic. The club participated in the NWSL Challenge Cup and the NWSL Fall series which were held in lieu of the regular season. The Challenge Cup was held behind closed doors at the neutral venue of Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. The Spirit reached the Quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup, and finished in third place in the Fall Series. Combined across all matches, the Spirit had the second best record of matches played during the 2020 season.

Club

Roster

As of September 11, 2021.[2]
No. Pos. Player Nation
1 GK Aubrey Bledsoe  United States
2 FW Trinity Rodman  United States
3 DF Sam Staab  United States
5 DF Kelley O'Hara  United States
6 DF Emily Sonnett  United States
7 MF Saori Takarada  Japan
8 FW Averie Collins  United States
9 DF Tegan McGrady  United States
10 FW Ashley Sanchez  United States
11 MF Jordan DiBiasi  United States
12 MF Andi Sullivan  United States
13 FW Bayley Feist  United States
14 DF Paige Nielsen  United States
16 MF Julia Roddar  Sweden
17 FW Kumi Yokoyama  Japan
18 GK Devon Kerr  Canada
19 MF Dorian Bailey  United States
20 FW Mariana Speckmaier  Venezuela
21 MF Anna Heilferty  United States
23 DF Tori Huster  United States
24 MF Chinyelu Asher  Jamaica
25 DF Karina Rodriguez  Mexico
27 FW Tara McKeown  United States
28 DF Morgan Goff  United States
30 DF Camryn Biegalski  United States
31 GK Sydney Schneider  Jamaica
33 FW Ashley Hatch  United States

Management and support staff

Role Name[3]
Manager Vacant
Technical Staff Coach United States Kris Ward
Goalkeeping coach England Paul Crichton
High Performance Director United States Michael Minthorne

Non-competitive

March 6, 2021 Preseason Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 0–6 Washington Spirit West Palm Beach, Florida
Report Hatch 18' (Sanchez), 23', 39' (Feist)
Feist 27'
Rodman 51', 71'		 Stadium: Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus
March 13, 2021 Preseason Washington Spirit 5–0 IMG Academy West Palm Beach, Florida
O'Hara 29'
Sanchez 54' (pen.)
Feist 64' (Sanchez), 69'
Sonnett 83' (Sanchez)		 Report Stadium: Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus
March 20, 2021 Preseason Washington Spirit Canceled Orlando Pride West Palm Beach, Florida
Report Stadium: Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus
Note: Canceled due to false positive Coronavirus disease 2019 tests at Spirit training camp.

Competitive

NWSL Challenge Cup

Main article: 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup

Standings

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 NJ/NY Gotham FC 4 2 2 0 5 3 +2 8 Qualification for the Championship
2 North Carolina Courage 4 2 1 1 9 8 +1 7
3 Orlando Pride 4 1 2 1 3 3 0 5
4 Washington Spirit 4 1 1 2 3 4 −1 4
5 Racing Louisville FC 4 0 2 2 4 6 −2 2
Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Results

April 10 1 North Carolina Courage 3–2 Washington Spirit Cary, North Carolina
3:30 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park
Attendance: 2,300
Referee: Alyssa Nichols (Mississippi)
April 15, 2021 (2021-04-15) 2 Washington Spirit 1–0 Racing Louisville FC Washington, D.C.
7:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Audi Field
Referee: Danielle Chesky (Virginia)
April 21, 2021 (2021-04-21) 3 Orlando Pride 1–0 Washington Spirit Orlando, Florida
7:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Exploria Stadium
Referee: Alex Billeter (Florida)
April 27, 2021 (2021-04-27) 4 Washington Spirit 0–0 NJ/NY Gotham FC Washington, D.C.
7:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report Stadium: Audi Field
Attendance: 2,039
Referee: Karen Callado (California)

NWSL

Main article: 2021 National Women's Soccer League season

Standings

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Portland Thorns FC 24 13 5 6 33 17 +16 44 NWSL Shield
2 OL Reign 24 13 3 8 37 24 +13 42 Playoffs – Semi-finals
3 Washington Spirit (C) 24 11 6 7 29 26 +3 39 Playoffs – First round
4 Chicago Red Stars 24 11 5 8 28 28 0 38
5 NJ/NY Gotham FC 24 8 11 5 29 21 +8 35
6 North Carolina Courage 24 9 6 9 28 23 +5 33
7 Houston Dash 24 9 5 10 31 31 0 32
8 Orlando Pride 24 7 7 10 27 32 −5 28
9 Racing Louisville FC 24 5 7 12 21 40 −19 22
10 Kansas City 24 3 7 14 15 36 −21 16
Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(C) Champions

Results

May 16, 2021 (2021-05-16) 1 Orlando Pride 1–1 Washington Spirit Orlando, Florida
7:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Exploria Stadium
Referee: Karen Callado (California)
May 21, 2021 (2021-05-21) 2 Racing Louisville FC 2–0 Washington Spirit Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium
Attendance: 6,011
Referee: Katja Koroleva (Washington)
May 26, 2021 (2021-05-26) 3 Houston Dash 1–2 Washington Spirit Houston, Texas
6:30 PM CDT (UTC-5)
Report
Stadium: BBVA Stadium
Attendance: 2,241
Referee: Natalie Simon (Florida)
May 30, 2021 (2021-05-30) 4 OL Reign 0–1 Washington Spirit Tacoma, Washington
4:00 PM PDT (UTC-7)
Report
Stadium: Cheney Stadium
Attendance: 2,537
Referee: Samantha Martinez (California)
June 6, 2021 (2021-06-06) 5 Washington Spirit 1–1 Orlando Pride Washington, D.C.
2:00 pm EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Audi Field
Attendance: 5,199
Referee: Adorae Monroy (Washington)
June 19, 2021 (2021-06-19) 6 Chicago Red Stars 1–1 Washington Spirit Bridgeview, Illinois
7:00 PM CDT (UTC-5)
Report
Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium
Attendance: 3,296
Referee: Karen Abt (Colorado)
June 26, 2021 (2021-06-26) 7 Kansas City 1–2 Washington Spirit Kansas City, Missouri
7:30 PM CDT (UTC-5)
Report
Stadium: Legends Field
Attendance: 5,157
Referee: Laura Rodriguez (Colorado)
July 2, 2021 (2021-07-02) 8 Washington Spirit 0–1 Chicago Red Stars Leesburg, Virginia
7:00 PM EDT (UTC-4) Report Roddar 33' (o.g.) Stadium: Segra Field
Attendance: 3,201
Referee: JC Griggs (Virginia)
July 10, 2021 (2021-07-10) 9 Washington Spirit 2–0 North Carolina Courage Washington, D.C.
7:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report Stadium: Audi Field
Attendance: 4,929
Referee: Matt Franz (Virginia)
July 18, 2021 (2021-07-18) 10 Washington Spirit 2–3 NJ/NY Gotham FC Leesburg, Virginia
5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Segra Field
Referee: Karen Callado (California)
July 25, 2021 (2021-07-25) 11 Racing Louisville FC 0–2 Washington Spirit Louisville, Kentucky
3:00 PM EDT (UTC-4) Report
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium
Attendance: 6,422
Referee: Samantha Martinez (California)
August 1, 2021 (2021-08-01) 12 Chicago Red Stars 3–1 Washington Spirit Bridgeview, Illinois
5:00 PM CDT (UTC-5)
Report
Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium
Attendance: 2,534
Referee: Natalie Simon (Florida)
August 7, 2021 (2021-08-07) 13 Washington Spirit 0–1 Portland Thorns FC Leesburg, Virginia
7:30 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Segra Field
Attendance: 2,899
Referee: Katja Koroleva (Washington)
August 13, 2021 (2021-08-13) 14 Houston Dash 2–2 Washington Spirit Houston, Texas
7:30 PM CDT (UTC-5)
Report
Stadium: BBVA Stadium
Referee: Laura Rodriguez (Colorado)
August 22, 2021 (2021-08-22) 15 Washington Spirit 2–1 Orlando Pride Washington, D.C.
4:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Audi Field
Attendance: 6,002
Referee: Tori Penso (Florida)
August 29, 2021 (2021-08-29) 16 Washington Spirit 0–0 North Carolina Courage Washington, D.C.
5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Report
Stadium: Audi Field
Attendance: 4,554
Referee: Greg Dopka (Illinois)
September 4, 2021 (2021-09-04) 17 Portland Thorns FC 3–0 Washington Spirit Portland, Oregon
7:30 PM PDT (UTC-7) Report Stadium: Providence Park
Note: The NWSL declared a forfeit due to breaches of medical protocols by the Washington Spirit. Portland received a 3–0 win according to FIFA guidelines.
September 12, 2021 (2021-09-12) 18 Washington Spirit 0–3 OL Reign Washington, D.C.
5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4) Report Stadium: Audi Field
Note: The NWSL declared a forfeit due to breaches of medical protocols by the Washington Spirit. OL Reign received a 3–0 win according to FIFA guidelines.
September 26, 2021 (2021-09-26) 19 Washington Spirit 2–1 Kansas City Leesburg, Virginia
5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Jenkins 8' Stadium: Segra Field
Attendance: 3,295
Referee: Karen Abt (Colorado)
October 6, 2021 (2021-10-06) 21 NJ/NY Gotham FC 0–0 Washington Spirit Chester, Pennsylvania
7:00 PM EDT (UTC-4) Stadium: Subaru Park
Attendance: 9,532
Referee: Ismir Pekmic (Minnesota)
October 9, 2021 (2021-10-09) 22 Washington Spirit 3–0 Racing Louisville FC Washington, D.C.
7:30 PM EDT (UTC-4)
Stadium: Audi Field
Referee: Laura Rodriguez (Colorado)
October 14, 2021 (2021-10-14) 20 North Carolina Courage 1–2 Washington Spirit Cary, North Carolina
7:30 PM EDT (UTC-4) Speck 60'
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park
Attendance: 3,742
Referee: Sergii Demianchuk (Georgia)
October 16, 2021 (2021-10-16) 23 OL Reign 0–2 Washington Spirit Tacoma, Washington
7:00 PM PDT (UTC-7) Report
Stadium: Cheney Stadium
Attendance: 4,009
Referee: Katja Koroleva (Washington)
October 31, 2021 (2021-10-31) 24 Washington Spirit 1–0 Houston Dash Washington, D.C.
2:00 PM EDT (UTC-4) Rodman 76' Stadium: Audi Field
Attendance: 4,542
Referee: Danielle Chesky (Virginia)

Playoffs

November 7, 2021 (2021-11-07) First round Washington Spirit 1–0 North Carolina Courage Washington, D.C.
5:30 PM EST (UTC-5) Hatch 113' Report Stadium: Audi Field
Attendance: 5,379
Referee: Natalie Simon (Florida)
November 14, 2021 (2021-11-14) Semi-finals OL Reign 1–2 Washington Spirit Tacoma, Washington
3:00 PM EST (UTC-5) Le Sommer 3' Report
Stadium: Cheney Stadium
Attendance: 5,273
Referee: Matt Franz (Virginia)
November 20, 2021 (2021-11-20) Final Washington Spirit 2–1 Chicago Red Stars Louisville, Kentucky
12:00 PM EST (UTC-5)
Report Hill 45+5' Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium
Attendance: 10,360
Referee: Tori Penso (Florida)

Transfers

Transfers in

Date Position No. Name From Fee/notes Ref.
December 24, 2020 MF 6 United States Emily Sonnett United States Orlando Pride Trade for Meggie Dougherty Howard [4]
January 26, 2021 MF 16 Sweden Julia Roddar Sweden Göteborg Free [5]
June 23, 2021 DF 25 MexicoKarina Rodriguez United States UCLA Bruins Free [6]

Transfers out

Date Position No. Name To Fee/notes Ref.
August 18, 2020 MF 10 United States Rose Lavelle England Manchester City Free
November 2, 2020 FW 20 Jamaica Cheyna Matthews United States Racing Louisville Waived
November 12, 2020 GK 21 United States Katie Lund United States Racing Louisville Draft [7]
November 12, 2020 FW 6 United States Katie McClure United States Racing Louisville Draft [7]
December 24, 2020 MF 8 United States Meggie Howard United States Orlando Pride Trade for Emily Sonnett [4]
December 30, 2020 DF 5 United States Brooke Hendrix United States Racing Louisville Free [8]
January 7, 2021 FW 18 United States Jessie Scarpa Sweden KIF Örebro Free [9]
July 8, 2021 DF 4 United States Natalie Jacobs Spain Real Betis Wavied [10]

NWSL Draft picks

Main article: 2021 NWSL Draft
2021 Washington Spirit Draft Picks
Round Selection Player Nat. Position College Ref.
1 2 Trinity Rodman  USA FW Washington State
1 8 Tara McKeown  USA FW USC
2 19 Anna Heilferty  USA FW Boston U
3 29 Sydney Schneider  JAM GK UNC Wilmington
4 39 Mariana Speckmaier  VEN FW Clemson

Player statistics

Top scorers

Place Pos. No. Name CC NWSL NWSL Playoffs Total
1 FW 33 United States Ashley Hatch 0 10 1 11
2 FW 2 United States Trinity Rodman 1 6 1 8
3 FW 10 United States Ashley Sanchez 1 4 1 6
4 MF 12 United States Andi Sullivan 0 2 1 3
5 FW 17 Japan Kumi Yokoyama 1 0 0 1
DF 3 United States Sam Staab 0 1 0 1
DF 14 United States Paige Nielsen 0 1 0 1
MF 23 United States Tori Huster 0 1 0 1
DF 27 United States Tara McKeown 0 1 0 1
MF 16 SwedenJulia Roddar 0 1 0 1
MF 26 United States Taylor Aylmer 0 1 0 1
DF 5 United States Kelley O'Hara 0 0 1 1
6 Own Goal 0 1 0 1
Total 3 29 5 37

Assist leaders

Place Pos. No. Name CC NWSL NWSL Playoffs Total
1 FW 2 United States Trinity Rodman 1 5 1 7
2 MF 12 United States Andi Sullivan 0 3 0 3
3 DF 4 United States Natalie Jacobs 1 1 0 2
MF 23 United States Tori Huster 0 2 0 2
MF 26 United States Taylor Aylmer 0 2 0 2
FW 27 United States Tara McKeown 0 2 0 2
DF 3 United States Sam Staab 0 1 1 2
4 DF 5 United States Kelley O'Hara 0 1 0 1
MF 19 United States Dorian Bailey 1 0 0 1
MF 16 Sweden Julia Roddar 0 1 0 1
Total 3 18 2 23

Clean sheets

Place Pos. No. Name CC NWSL NWSL Playoffs Total
1 GK 1 United States Aubrey Bledsoe 2 8 1 11
Total 2 8 1 11

Disciplinary

Pos. No. Name CC NWSL NWSL Playoffs Total
Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card
GK 1 United States Aubrey Bledsoe 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
FW 2 United States Trinity Rodman 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 0
DF 3 United States Sam Staab 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1
DF 4 United States Natalie Jacobs 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
DF 5 United States Kelley O'Hara 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 1
DF 6 United States Emily Sonnett 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
FW 10 United States Ashley Sanchez 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0
MF 12 United States Andi Sullivan 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 1
DF 16 Sweden Julia Roddar 1 0 2 0 1 0 4 0
MF 19 United States Dorian Bailey 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF 21 United States Anna Heilferty 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
DF 23 United States Tori Huster 1 0 3 0 0 0 4 0
MF 26 United States Taylor Aylmer 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
FW 33 United States Ashley Hatch 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0
Total 6 1 24 2 2 0 32 3

References

  1. ^ "The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup Set to Begin on April 9, 2021". nwslsoccer.com. February 1, 2021. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. ^ "Roster – Washington Spirit". Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "Coaching Staff - Washington Spirit". Archived from the original on June 23, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Orlando Pride Acquires Pair of First round draft picks, Allocation Money and Meggie Dougherty Howard". www.orlandocitysc.com.
  5. ^ Small, Jordan (January 26, 2021). "Washington Spirit sign Swedish international Julia Roddar to a multi-year contract". washingtonspirit.com. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "Washington Spirit Sign Defender Karina Rodriguez to a One-Year Deal". NWSLsoccer.com. June 23, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Racing Acquires Rights to Heath, Press in Expansion Draft". Racing Louisville FC. November 12, 2020. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  8. ^ Yates, Dominique (December 30, 2020). "Racing Louisville FC signs defender Brooke Hendrix". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Bromley, Ben (January 7, 2021). "Adrien Perez, Jessie Scarpa, and more: Freedom Kicks for 7 January 2020". Black and Red United. SB Nation. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  10. ^ "Spirit waive Natalie Jacobs, add Taylor Aylmer and Morgan Goff". July 8, 2021.