The Washington Spirit finally put one in the back of the net, but under increasing pressure couldn’t hold on to their lead in 2-1 loss to the Orlando Pride. Ashley Hatch scored off a corner kick in the 26th minute, but Sydney Leroux brought Orlando level with virtually the last kick of the first half. The Spirit hit the post midway through the second half, but the Pride — who took 31 shots on the night — ultimately got their winner on a spectacular late effort from Marta.
Washington moved away from last week’s experimental midfield diamond, instead starting a 4231 that had room for Estefania Banini, who had missed two games with a hamstring injury.