Washington Spirit narrowly beat the Houston Dash 2-1 in their 2025 season opener last night. Under attack almost the entire match, the Spirit relied on defense in the box and goals by Makenna Morris and Ashley Hatch to eke out a win.

The Dash came out on the front-foot, keeping possession and largely shutting down Washington’s ability to progress through the center of the pitch. The Spirit, meanwhile, stuck to their strengths, creating many of their best chances in transition after forcing turnovers in advantageous positions.

In the 15th minute, Casey Krueger made a run up the left side and eventually crossed the ball in to Ashley Hatch. Hatch’s shot was saved by Jane Campbell, but Makenna Morris was there to collect the rebound. She bounced it between the legs of a Dash defender and past Campbell for the first goal of the night.

“It was exciting,” Morris said after the game. “The first goal of the season, and pretty early in the game… It was honestly an incredible moment.”

The second goal came from a forced turnover just outside the box in the 33rd minute when three Spirit players were able to overwhelm the Dash player with the ball. Taking possession, Chloe Ricketts made a shot from distance but hit the crossbar. Houston was slow to react to the change in possession, though, and Hatch was able to run in unopposed for a tap-in. Later replays showed the ball may have actually bounced in after Ricketts’s shot, but it was not called on the field and official credit went to Hatch.

The Spirit came into the second half time with a little more control, but Houston soon recaptured it, driving the attack and allowing Washington only one shot over the ensuing 54 minutes.

The Spirit did get a boost around the 66th minute when Trinity Rodman subbed in. Rodman has been rehabbing a back injury and did not play in last week’s Challenge Cup but looked to be in good form in this match. She immediately got a chance to run with the ball at her feet, threatening Houston all the way into the goal area, but lost the ball when trying to cut centrally.

At the same time as Rodman’s entry, though, defensive midfielder Hal Hershfelt left the field with an injury. The Spirit were able to adjust by moving Rebeca Bernal to midfield and bringing in Esme Morgan, but they missed both Hershfelt’s tenacity and Bernal’s strong defending on the backline.

Just nine minutes later, the Dash scored their goal. Making a series of progressive passes, they got the ball to Avery Patterson on right wing. Patterson’s cross was headed down by Ryan Gareis and towards the goal where rookie Maggie Graham was waiting. Kingsbury and Krueger were nearby, but Graham quickly pushed the ball into the net with what she described to reporters as “my belly.”

The game was back within their reach, and Houston continued on the attack through the remainder of the half and nine minutes of stoppage time, but Washington’s defense held out, seeing the team to their first win of the year.

After the match, coach Jonatan Giráldez had some strong words for his team, saying he was “not so happy” with how they had performed in possession. He singled out the team’s passing, which was only 73% accurate and allowed 28 interceptions, for criticism.

“My perception is that position[ig] was good, but in terms of distance, type of pass, weight of the pass, we were not good enough,” Giráldez said. “I know what the team can do, I know the level that we can have, and we need to give much more.”

Washington Spirit play Kansas City Current at home on Saturday, March 22.

Three takeaways 

• Hal’s injury. The Spirit’s poor performance in the second half is partly attributable to not having Hershfelt on the field. Hershfelt is able to exert control in the midfield, both winning the ball and kickstarting Spirit attacks. We hope her ankle injury isn’t too serious; the Spirit can’t afford to lose her.
• Debuts. Three players made their regular season debuts for Washington in this match. Rebeca Bernal started in center back and quickly showed how important she’ll be for this team. Her defensive prowess prevented more than one Dash goal. Short-term injury replacement players Margie Detrizio and Meg Boade also made appearances, and we’ll be interested to see how the team uses them going forward.
• Work to do. This was not a good match for the Spirit. They fought to a win but looked disorganized throughout, unable to build an attack or stop Houston from progressing into the final third. Injuries have done a number on this team, but with so many players from last year’s Championship run on the field, more coordination should be easily achievable.

Box Score

NWSL Regular Season –  Game 1

Houston Dash 1 (Graham 75′)

Washington Spirit 2 (Morris 16′, Hatch 33′)

Lineups

Houston Dash (442): Jane Campbell (C); Natalie Jacobs, Paige Nielsen, Delanie Sheehan (Ryan Gareis 59′), Katie Lind; Barbara Olivieri (Michelle Alozie 73′), Sophie Schmidt (Maggie Graham 59′), Danielle Colaprico; Yazmeen Ryan, Messiah Bright (Evelina Duljan 73′), Avery Patterson

Washington Spirit (4231): Aubrey Kingsbury (C); Casey Krueger, Rebeca Bernal, Tara McKeown, Gabby Carle; Narumi Miura, Leicy Santos (Margie Detrizio 83′), Hal Hershfelt (Esme Morgan 67′); Makenna Morris (Trinity Rodman 66′), Ashley Hatch (Meg Boade 90+3′), Chloe Ricketts (Brittany Ratcliffe 66′)

Misconduct Summary

Houston Dash:  none

Washington Spirit:  Carle 35′, Bernal 90+8′

Lead image courtesy of the Washington Spirit