The Washington Spirit were on the back foot for much of a 1-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage in the Spirit’s first game of the 2017 NWSL season. McCall Zerboni scored in the 19th minute, and despite some second half chances, the Courage held the Spirit to zero shots on goal. First half injuries to Joanna Lohman and Cheyna Williams aggravated the Spirit’s woes.
To be honest, the Spirit were lucky to keep the score line at 1-0. The Courage registered 23 shots, and without a fantastic performance in goal from Stephanie Labbe, it could have been a blowout.