The Washington Spirit kicked off their championship defense in style, defeating OL Reign 2-1 in the NWSL regular season opener for both sides. With 10,177 in attendance at Audi Field, the Spirit got top-class goals from Ashley Sanchez and Ashley Hatch in either half, while Aubrey Kingsbury saved a penalty kick for the second straight week.
Washington caused the initial problems, but the biggest early chance came at the other end. A ball over the top found Ally Watt isolated in space, and as she tried to move past Camryn Biegalski inside the box, the Spirit defender collided with her.