How the Spirit have leaned on stellar rookie class

The Washington Spirit are making another postseason run, this time on the backs of a historic rookie class. 

Dealing with injuries to some of their best players throughout the season – including a season-ending ACL injury to Andi Sullivan and a back injury that has kept joint leading goal scorer Ouleye Sarr out since September – the Spirit have had to lean on its youth talent at great lengths throughout the season. Those young players have stepped up in key moments, and when all is said and done, the Washington Spirit’s 2024 rookie class may go down as one of the best in league history. 

As the season has entered its most critical stages, the team’s rookies have continued to step up. Forward Makenna Morris had three goals and an assist in four matches throughout October and November, and was named Rookie of the Month as a result. It marks the fifth time this season that a Spirit rookie has won the award after fellow Spirit rookie Croix Bethune (who also sustained a season-ending injury in August) took it home four times previously this season. 

Morris finished the season tied for the league lead in goals by a rookie alongside Bethune and Racing Louisville’s Emma Sears. 

In the Spirit’s quarterfinal win over Bay FC, the rookies were all over the scoresheet. Four of them – Courtney Brown, Hal Hershfelt, Heather Stainbrook and Morris – wound up starting for the Spirit in that game. To almost solidify that reasoning, Hershfelt nearly had a goal in the first half, continuing what has been a breakout season for the former Clemson star. 

“After the good job that Hal, Heather and Courtney did against North Carolina, I think they deserved to play again from the Starting [XI],” Spirit head coach Jonatan Giraldez told reporters earlier this week. 

Granted, the team had a slow start, but that can be expected from a young team in do-or-die situations against a ramped up playoff crowd. But they’re taking it in stride, and showing gratitude each step of the way. 

“I just feel so thankful it’s my rookie year, being able to be in an environment like this with a team like this, just very grateful,” Hershfelt told the media earlier this week. 

That those rookies were able to start in such a high-pressure environment also helps as the team looks ahead to the future. The team will again play in front of a sold-out Audi Field on Saturday against the reigning league champions. 

“In terms of game plan, we didn’t start the game as we had to start the game,” Giraldez said of the team’s play against Bay FC. “It’s a good experience because we have today again, a lot of young players starting the game. And I think you know, if they had this experience for today, it’s going to help them for the future, for the next game, for the next semi-final. 

“Especially in the way that we did it, I think it’s going to help us a lot in the future.”

For a team that has dealt with persistent injuries this year, including a torn meniscus suffered away from the field by Bethune, the contributions of their rookie class cannot be understated. Both Bethune and Hershfelt were named as alternates for the U.S. women’s national team at the Paris Olympics, speaking to not only their futures but their current abilities. Bethune ended up playing in those Olympics, making her tournament debut in the team’s third group stage match against Australia.

Despite going down with a torn meniscus earlier this season, Bethune’s 10 assists through 17 matches (all of which actually came in a 12-game span) was a league high and matched the NWSL single season record. Her 18 goal-creating actions on the season leads the Spirit and is tied for the league lead while her 69 shot-creating actions is second on the Spirit behind forward Trinity Rodman, who is a finalist for MVP. It’s likely that Bethune will still end up being named Rookie of the Year when all is said and done – and hers could go down as one of the greatest rookie seasons in league history. 

Hershfelt started in her first career NWSL match and later became the fifth Spirit player to score in their regular-season home debut. She’s also just the second player in club history to have multiple goals in their first four matches with the club. 

When asked by WTOP News back in May about the quick adjustment, Hershfelt cited the team’s welcoming culture and the bond that the rookie class has cultivated in sharing the same experiences. 

“It’s a few things,” Hershfelt said of what has gone into the early success of this rookie class. “One, all of our older teammates and our coaches have made us feel so welcomed and so empowered to be able to take on those big roles this season. 

“And then, I feel it’s just easier when you have so many new people coming in that are going through the same exact thing. We can all kind of relate to each other and work together, which I think also helps. Like a little community. I’m super grateful for that. Just having so many people that come in hungry and ready to work. It’s been a great environment to start out at.”

In Morris’ first career NWSL start in July, she had her first NWSL assist and goal, and became the first player in Spirit history to record a goal, assist and win a penalty in the same game. And in October, she joined Mallory Swanson as the only other rookie in Spirit history to record a brace. 

Depth is often spoken about as a key to championship runs. Finding depth in rookies isn’t often done, but it’s something the Spirit have – and it brings the team confidence as they look to make it back to the NWSL Championship for the first time since winning it in 2021, after failing to make the playoffs in the last two seasons. 

But as Brown said on Friday, less than 24 hours before the semifinal, she hasn’t been treated like a rookie in Washington. She, along with the rest of the all-rookie starting midfield three in last week’s quarterfinal, is one a player the Spirit rely on.

“I think it’s been fun to have a rookie midfield,” Brown said. “There’s been some buzz about that on social media, and it’s been kind of funny for us, because we didn’t even realize that it was a rookie midfield until we saw it on social media.”

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