Faced with the prospect of losing its home opener despite outplaying its opponent, the Washington Spirit rallied in the second half to earn a 1-1 draw with NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL Challenge Cup on Friday at Segra Field.
Trailing at the break, the Spirit inserted reigning NWSL scoring leader Ashley Hatch, who promptly finished the team’s best chance of the night. Ashley Sanchez played a ball into the penalty area, where a defender headed it back toward the edge of the box. The ball landed at the feet of Hatch, who buried it past Gotham goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris in the 61st minute.