The Washington Spirit (11-4-6) face off against Bay FC (6-4-10) this Sunday. Following a disappointing 1-0 loss to Orlando last weekend, the Spirit are four games without a win and have the first three-game home losing streak since moving to Audi Field in 2023 (yikes!). While their August performances have been discouraging, the Spirit still sit comfortably in playoff contention, hovering around 4th with 37 points. For reference, Gotham is currently in pole position with 45 points, and 8th place Seattle has 28. The past few weeks have been frustrating for Spirit players and fans alike, but it’s not time to panic yet. I repeat, DO NOT PANIC.

As Washington prepare to take on 14th place Bay FC (see, doesn’t that feel better?), they will need to put the past losses behind them and make key adjustments to find their winning rhythm again.

Washington Spirit

How They Got Here

Spirits are down, but there’s still a lot of positive takeaways to consider leading into Sunday’s match. Washington has faced Bay FC six times and won all of those contests (outscoring Bay 14-4). The Spirit are tied for second place in goal differential (+11) and have eight clean sheets this season. Even in their 1-0 loss to Orlando last week, the Spirit put up 23 shots (3 on target with 2.14 xG) and had 51 touches in the opposition’s box compared to the Pride’s 17. The Spirit found multiple opportunities to break down Orlando’s defense, they just need more precision in front of goal.

Washington has struggled to find the back of the net since attacking midfielder Leicy Santos picked up a hip injury two weeks ago. On August 8th against the Courage, she led the team in chance creation (7) and had 88% pass accuracy–look at this heat map!

Without Leicy Santos setting the tempo of the attack, the Spirit do not have an obvious replacement for attacking mid. Head Coach Adrián González has chosen to play Hal Hershfelt at the 10 position in Leicy’s absence the past two matches. While Hershfelt has good technical skills for carrying the ball and high passing accuracy, playing her higher in the attack has not increased the Spirit’s chance creation and pulls her out of her natural position where she shines best and is able to make more defensive contributions, tackles, and interceptions.

In addition to Santos, Deb Abiodun, Rebeca Bernal, Lucia Di Guglielmo, Rosemonde Kouassi and Claudia Martínez are all unavailable for Sunday’s game. Remember when I said not to panic? You can panic a little.

Key Difference Makers

With six major absences (+ two players on maternity leave), the Spirit are likely to need a boost from new signings Monique Ngock and Mélissa Bethi. Monique just won Woman of the Competition at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) for first-time champions Cameroon. Mélissa helped Algeria bring home bronze and qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup at WAFCON. Hopefully both can bring some much needed attacking presence and goal scoring energy to the Spirit.

Bay FC

How They Got Here

Bay FC’s losing record in its third season signals a team struggling to find its identity. Despite having a roster with a good balance of NWSL veterans and young all-stars like Alex Pfeiffer and Claire Hutton, they have little to show for their developing squad. Recent signings Kennedy Fuller and Jenna Nighswonger have infused Bay with new energy as they come off of their first win in six matches.

Despite their position at the bottom of the table, Bay FC should not be underestimated. Look at this brilliant set piece they put together last month against Seattle Reign:

Key Difference Makers

Last week against the Houston Dash, Manager Emma Coates made the peculiar decision to overload Bay’s left wing by playing Alex Pfeiffer on the left. While Pfeiffer only managed one shot and seemed significantly muted compared to her normal performances on the right side, creating an attacking triangle with Kennedy Fuller and Jenna Nighswonger on the left created opportunity to Bay to take 17 shots (7 on target). As Nighswonger settles into the squad, I wonder if Pfeiffer will return to her more comfortable right side and Bay will take advantage of Nighswonger’s crosses and service into the box with Pfeiffer and Fuller as target forwards.

What to Expect

The Washington Spirit need to find a way to score goals, and Bay FC’s goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz is not going to make that task easy. Last week against the Dash, Silkowitz recorded her sixth clean sheet of the season and made nine saves. Her save percentage is a whooping 78.5% and this season she has prevented approximately 8.72 goals. She is likely a front runner for the league’s August Best XI.

The best (or worst) head-to-head will probably come down to the center of the park. As the Spirit try to bandaid over the loss of Leicy Santos, whoever is slotted into the attacking midfield role will have to make it past Claire Hutton in order to successfully progress Washington’s attack. If Bay chooses to overload their left flank, Washington will need the midfield to find ways to redistribute the ball to Trinity Rodman on the other side.

Previously: 2-0, Spirit win!

The Spirit and Bay previously faced off on April 5th at Paypal Park with the Spirits taking home 3 points. After struggling to find the back of the net at the beginning of the season and a five-match winless streak (are you sensing a pattern here?), the Spirit secured their first win of the season against Bay. While the Spirit dominated with 62% of possession, the breakthrough came from a forced own goal early in the second half (58′). In the 87th minute, Gift Monday secured the 2-0 win with a decisive rebound shot.

Fun Fact: April 5th was also a Hello Kitty themed-game hosted by Bay, which leads me to believe that she is a member of the Spirit. (Bonus fact: Hello Kitty is not a cat, but a girl named Kitty White. She’s also British.)

Availability Reports

Washington Spirit:

OUT: Deborah Abiodun (Hip), Rebeca Bernal (Excused), Lucia Di Guglielmo (Lower Leg), Rosemonde Kouassi (Illness), Claudia Martínez (Lower Leg) Leicy Santos (Hip)
MATERNITY LEAVE: Aubrey Kingsbury, Casey Krueger

Bay FC:

Location: Audi Field, Washington, DC
Kickoff time: 12:30 PM ET
Available TV: ESPN2