RICHMOND — Sarah Griffith cut right and took a hard touch, building up momentum as she closed on the ball from just outside the penalty arc. The Chicago Red Stars forward rocketed a shot that cleared Washington Spirit goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart and splashed into the top left corner of the net.
The 89th minute strike was the decisive blow in Washington’s 3-2 loss to Chicago on Wednesday at Richmond’s City Stadium. The defeat ends the Spirit’s run in the NWSL Summer Cup — it needed a win to advance out of the group stage. With a 1-2-0 mark in the midseason tournament, the Spirit will instead turn its focus to the restart of its season after the Olympic break.