The knockout round of the NWSL Challenge Cup has begun, and the Washington Spirit enter today’s quarterfinal against Sky Blue FC as the top remaining seed left in the tournament. North Carolina’s stunning loss yesterday has opened up the expectations for everyone left in the Challenge Cup, and going out at this stage would rate as a distinct disappointment.
For the Spirit, that means building on some promising performances in the preliminary stage, but it also means continuing a long-standing trend. Washington has completely dominated the recent history of this pairing, having gone 8W-2D-0L in the last ten meetings between these sides.