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Photo Copyright Brad Mills for Imagn Images
Shortly before the Washington Spirit’s Sunday afternoon game against the Houston Dash, they learned that they had technically clinched a berth for the 2024 NWSL playoffs. For some teams, this type of news might let them off the hook, allowing the players to ease up on the intensity of their game and instead cruise to the postseason. But not the Spirit.
“There are many good things, lots of good news,” head coach Jonatan Giráldez said after the game. “It’s always welcome, for sure, but we are forbidden to relax.”
As evidenced by their 3-0 rout over the Dash, the Spirit are playing every last regular game like it counts. The game, which featured two goals from Ashley Hatch and a goal and assist from Trinity Rodman, was a demonstration of the team’s discipline, creativity, and energy, all elements they’ve focused on maintaining over the course of the 2024 season.
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The Spirit are not only continuing to dominate on the field, but they’re doing so while getting creative, and a little daring. Sunday’s game featured Esme Morgan, a recent acquisition for the Spirit from Manchester City. Morgan, in her very first start, played a full 90 minutes and anchored the team’s back line.
“Today she had the chance, and now I know I have three center backs,” Giráldez told the press in a postgame conference, when asked why he chose to keep Morgan in the entire game. “It’s good to give chances to players, it means a lot.”
Rookie midfielder Hal Hershfelt echoed the same sentiments about Morgan to the press after the game. “She fit right in, on the field today she killed it,” Hershfelt expressed. “In a first game, it’s hard to come in in a role where you have to direct traffic. But she played ninety minutes … she’s really smart, that helps us a lot.”
Another relatively bold choice Giráldez made in Sunday’s game that paid off was putting Ashley Hatch at the top of the forward line and largely organizing the attack around her. This decision was immediately vindicated, as Hatch scored on a penalty kick just seven minutes into the game, and then secured her brace with a goal in the 26th. This goal was Hatch’s 50th career regular-season goal, and she is only the seventh player in NWSL history to get to this number.
After the game, Giráldez immediately recognized that Hatch, who has been jerked around between the bench and various positions this season, got her chances to make an impact and seized them. “Hatch is always available,” Giráldez told reporters. “She scored two goals, but for me, that’s not the most important thing. [She did] everything we asked today, especially receiving in the pocket … and without the ball she did a good job too.”
Hatch also acknowledged how important it was for her to prove herself on Sunday after her up-and-down season. “It meant a lot [to be back in my old position],” she said to reporters after the game. “I love playing for this team, and anytime I’m on the pitch I’m really excited. I’m happy with the team’s performance today and happy I was able to contribute.”
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Giráldez, who admitted that he came into Sunday’s game expecting to outperform the opponent, took advantage of the wind behind his sails to exercise nearly his entire roster. In addition to Hatch and Morgan getting their chances, players who don’t typically as much field time, like Lena Silano and Paige Metayer, got their feet wet against the Dash.
“Maybe they haven’t played so many minutes,” Giráldez said about some of his subs after the game. “But the way we finished the game was a good way to say our identity is going high … you never know if you are going to be important for the team.”
The Spirit may be making some bold moves and creating opportunities for lesser-known players to shine, but they’re also sticking to their roots and staying focused. Rodman’s goal and assist on Sunday were emblematic of just this – the team is able to take chances because they can continue to rely on Rodman, their lethal weapon, to get her job done. Rodman’s goal in the 46th minute was her eighth this season, tying Ouleye Sarr for the most on the team. It was also the 23rd of her career, which makes her tied (with Diana Matheson) for scoring the second-most goals in Spirit history.
“She is an amazing player, and she should be able to score in almost every game because she has the skills for that,” Giráldez said. “But the most important thing [she does] is not the goal, but creating the chance.”
Continuing to rely on Trinity to both score and create chances for her teammates is something every member of the Spirit is doing. It’s one of the best ways for the team to maintain the consistency they’ve worked so hard on this season.
“Our goal for the second half of this season is just to stay consistent,” Hershfelt said to reporters. “That comes from how we practice, too, just keeping this energy and focus.”
And, as the Spirit demonstrated, consistency isn’t just about executing what you do in practice. It’s a mindset, and it’s how the Spirit are staying focused on finishing the season on top while not getting lazy or distracted by the wins they rack up.
“We have to be very consistent and focus on what we have to do,” Giráldez. “I’m very happy, because before starting the game, I was speaking with [the team] that way. Good news is welcome, but we need to be 100 percent ready, and we need to 100 percent give our best today.”
