Goals from Banini, Stengel combined with yet another shutout move the Spirit within three points of first place
The Washington Spirit earned their seventh shutout of the season last night, beating the Chicago Red Stars 2-0 at the Maryland Soccerplex. Estefania Banini scored her second goal of the season to open the scoring for the Spirit, and Katie Stengel scored moments after entering the game as a substitute in the second half to seal the three points. The Spirit gained ground on the league-leading Portland Thorns FC, who lost for the first time in 2016, while Chicago lost their third straight 2-0 decision.