The Washington Spirit put up a good fight, but once again left Sahlen’s Stadium without anything to show for it after a 1-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage. A controversial 24th minute red card to center back Paige Nielsen forced the Spirit into a defensive posture for much of the game, and while they performed admirably against the defending NWSL champs, a Debinha volley in the 64th minute condemned them to defeat.
A typical Courage start saw Aubrey Bledsoe put to the test immediately, with a clearance under pressure inside of 30 seconds.