Washington Spirit continued their strong road form — improving their away record to 9-3-2 — with a 3-2 win over the Houston Dash Sunday night. The Spirit pulled ahead twice, with goals by Tara Rudd and Sofia Cantore, but allowed the Dash to equalize each time with a brace for Miljana Ivanović. Newcomer Clara Luvanga finally scored the game winner for the away side, her first NWSL goal.

A series of corner kicks saw the Spirit get their first shots. The first resulted in a save of a backwards passed header by Andi Sullivan; the second, a flick by Hal Hershfelt that was blocked out of play. On the third, Esme Morgan placed the ball perfectly for Rudd to head into the goal.

For her part, Rudd chalked the goal up to “just being in the right places,” crediting Morgan’s cross and their communication with each other. Before the kick, she said Morgan had asked her what kind of pass Rudd would like, and Rudd requested one that was “a little more flat, rather than floated.”

The Spirit kept things moving quickly after the goal, aggressively chasing down loose balls and counter-pressing to maintain possession and showing more variation in their attacks than they have in recent weeks. It was a dominant first half for Washington, who maintained 71 percent of possession and took 17 shots, while holding Houston to four.

Near the end of the half, though, they gave the Dash a golden opportunity opportunity. The Spirit failed to fully clear and control the ball from their box, and it was won by Ivanović just outside. Ivanović took a first-touch shot through traffic, smashing the ball into Washington’s goal.

Houston put forth a better showing in the second half, Rudd feeling her own team eased up too much on their counter-press to allow them back in. The Spirit were the first to find another goal, though, scoring in the 51st minute.

Mélissa Bethi passed the ball to Trinity Rodman and put on the jets to create some space and get it toward the goal. In a two-on-two situation, she held the ball up briefly to allow Cantore to position herself to make a run behind the Dash’s centerbacks. Rodman then slipped the ball between the defenders, giving her teammate a clear view of the goal. Cantore slipped the ball past Jane Campbell to put the Spirit ahead once more.

Being too casual on defense cost the Spirit that lead again, though. Lined up near the top of their box, none of them stepped to Sarah Puntigam, giving her plenty of time and space to shoot another powerful shot. Sandy MacIver saved this one, but the ball Ivanović found the ball on the resulting corner and was able to nab a brace.

The Spirit appeared to be in some trouble, allowing additional chances over the next 25 minutes, one of which clanged off their crossbar in the 80th minute. Then, in the 84th, Rodman got the ball and powered past her defender, eventually slipping it through a tight space to Claudia Martínez. Martínez pulled centrally and passed ahead for Clara Luvanga. Chasing down the ball, Luvanga used the side of her foot to slot the ball into the goal for the game winning goal. It was a milestone for two players: the assist was also Martínez’s first in NWSL play.

A Dash corner at the death spelled danger, but the Spirit made two blocks and one save to close out the game and keep all three points. The win keeps the Spirit in third place in the standings — two points behind San Diego Wave — but with three matches to go, they haven’t clinched a playoff spot just yet.

“We definitely need a three points and going into this break with 3 points, hopefully it builds a little more confidence,” Rudd said, adding that they’ll need all the points they can get in the tight final stretch of the season.

Up next: After an international break, the Spirit will face league leaders Gotham FC in Buzzard Point on October 17.

Three takeaways 

• Clara Luvanga’s first goal. It was a big night for Luvanga, who played her second match for the Spirit (and her first with any appreciable training time.) In addition to her goal, she worked with Rose Kouassi to hassle Houston’s back line and using her speed both to create chances on the dribble and find balls behind the back line. “Having a full week with the team, I think helped a lot with understanding what we need from her and building connections with her teammates,” Adrián González said. He said Luvanga is learning quickly but stressed patience for what can be a difficult adjustment to a new league.
• Lineup changes. Struggling to string together wins in recent weeks, Washington started with a slightly different lineup, notably featuring Sofia Cantore on the wing, rather than her typical central spot, and Ashley Hatch as the striker. “We wanted to make some changes. Obviously, we weren’t happy with how the team was attacking, creating chances,” Adrián González said. He was pleased with the results of the experiment, crediting Cantore’s versatility and Hatch’s skill at linking up with both the midfield and her fellow forwards. “I think the team needed today some rotations, some changes, being a little more dynamic. I think it worked pretty good today, and we have more options for the future
• International break impact. This match was a significant improvement for Washington in terms of variety and quantity of chance creation, but will they be able to keep the momentum? Twelve players have been called up to their international teams for next week’s FIFA window, meaning both tired legs and an interruption to their training with the club. But for the remaining players, the break means extra time to work on connections and prepare for a tough fight against Gotham.

Box Score

NWSL Regular Season –  Game 27

Houston Dash 2 (Ivanović 44′, 59′)
Washington Spirit 3 (Rudd 11′, Cantore 51′, Luvanga 84′)

Lineups

Houston Dash (4231): Jane Campbell (C); Leah Klenke, Kiki Van Zanten (Kyah Harper 60′), Paige Nielsen, Avery Patterson; Sarah Puntigam (Cate Hardin 70′), Maggie Graham, Kat Rader; Kate Faase (Sophie Schmidt 46′), Lisa Boattin (Messiah Bright 85′), Miljana Ivanović (Clarissa Larisey 70′)

Washington Spirit (4231): Sandy MacIver; Tara Rudd, Lucia DiGuglielmo, Gabby Carle, Esme Morgan; Mélissa Bethi (Clara Luvanga 66′), Andi Sullivan (C), Hal Hershfelt (Monique Ngock 66′); Trinity Rodman, Sofia Cantore (Rose Cantore 66′), Ashley Hatch (Claudia Martínez 77′)

Misconduct Summary

Houston Dash:  Larisey 86′
Washington Spirit:  none

Image courtesy of the Washington Spirit