A fast and long-awaited breakthrough wasn’t enough for the Washington Spirit, who were held to a 1-1 draw by the Utah Royals FC at Audi Field on Wednesday night after surrendering a game-changing equalizer.
“I think we created a lot of chances and as we keep getting more comfortable, and more reps, those chances will go in,” said defender Tara Rudd. “Going forward, we’re going to get as many chances as we can from the start of the game so that they can’t get themselves involved in the end.”
In their second home game of the season, Washington looked sharp from the opening whistle, bringing intensity on both sides of the ball.
The team’s breakthrough came early on in the 18th minute, when midfielder Rebeca Bernal netted her first goal for the club, off a deflected effort from forward Sofia Cantore. That gave the Spirit a thrilling 1-0 lead that sent sparks throughout Audi Field.
The Spirit’s momentum was fueled by a series of key defensive plays and attacking chances. Midfielder Deborah Abiodun made an early statement in the match with a diving block in the box, while defender Lucia Di Guglielmo followed the trend with a sliding stop to deny Utah any scoring chance. Goalkeeper Sandy Maclver also delivered a highlight moment, tipping a dangerous shot onto the crossbar to preserve the Spirit’s lead.
Washington continued to press offensively, creating opportunities to extend their advantage. Star forward Trinity Rodman made her 100th regular-season appearance at Audi Field. She found space in the box, but her shot went over the bar. Forward Rosmande Kouassi forced a save early on in the second half as the Spirit dominated possession.
Despite controlling much of the match, the Spirit couldn’t put the game out of reach, allowing the Royals to capitalize on a late push. In the 84th minute, Royals’ forward Mina Tanaka took advantage of a Washington defensive turnover, slotting home a decisive goal to make it 1-1.
Both sides pushed for a winner, but neither team could break through again, leaving the Spirit having to split points in a match that felt like it slipped away.
Washington now turns their attention to a historic road test, traveling to Colorado for the first time in club history to face Denver Summit FC on Saturday, March 28 at Empower Field at Mile High. With more than 50,000 tickets already sold, the match is on track to break the NWSL single-game attendance record.
“I’m very calm and positive because the team is performing well. The team is training good… I would be worried if we weren’t creating chances,” said head coach Adrián González. “The reality is that we are creating clear chances. Now it’s just about the finish.”