2017 Washington Spirit season
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| 2017 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General manager | Chris Hummer | |||
| Head coach | Jim Gabarra | |||
| Stadium | Maryland SoccerPlex | |||
| NWSL | 10th | |||
| Top goalscorer | Mallory Pugh (6) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 5,200 (July 8 vs. Orlando) | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 2,365 (Aug 30 vs. North Carolina) | |||
| Average home league attendance | 3,491 | |||
|
| ||||
The 2017 season is Washington Spirit's fifth season, competing in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
In the aftermath of finishing 2016 runners-up, the Spirit saw a series of key departures including captain Ali Krieger (traded to Orlando Pride), Christine Nairn and Diana Matheson (both traded to Seattle Reign), and Crystal Dunn leaving for Chelsea, while retaining her contracting rights. In addition to the departures, key injuries to Joanna Lohman, Francisca Ordega, and goalkeeper Kelsey Wys limited the Spirit's playing options.
Unable to adequately replace these players, the Spirit struggled to compete throughout the 2017 season ultimately finishing last (10th) for the first time since the inaugural season.[1] However, building for the future, Gabarra was able to recruit U.S. national team prospect, Mallory Pugh midseason.[2] Pugh would go on to lead the team in scoring, registering 6 goals in 16 games.[3]
Club
Roster
The first-team roster of Washington Spirit.[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
- (FP) = Federation player
Team management
| Owner | Bill Lynch |
| General Manager | Jim Gabarra |
| Head Coach | Jim Gabarra |
Source:[4]
Competitions
Preseason
On February 2, the Washington Spirit announced its preseason schedule.[5]
| March 18, Sat | Washington Spirit | 3–0 | Penn State University | Boyds, Maryland |
| 14:00 EDT (UTC-04) | Stengel  34'Mewis 43', 53' |
[p 1] | Stadium: Maryland Soccerplex Attendance: 300 | |
| Note: Played in three 30-minute periods. | ||||
| March 25, Sat | Washington Spirit | 5–0 | University of North Carolina | Leesburg, Virginia |
| 18:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Sigvardsen Jensen 35'  58'Stengel 49'Williams 52'Mewis 81'Agnew 89' |
[p 2] | Stadium: Evergreen Sportsplex Attendance: 2,000 |
| April 1, Sat | Washington Spirit | 4–3 | Duke University | Boyds, Maryland |
| 14:00 EDT (UTC-04) | Stengel 23', 59' Dougherty Howard 37'Williams 52' |
[p 3] | Dorsey 27', 44' McCoy 41' |
Stadium: Maryland Soccerplex |
| April 8, Sat | Washington Spirit | 2–0 | University of Virginia | Boyds, Maryland |
| 19:00 EDT (UTC-04) | Mewis 21' Lohman 65' |
[p 4] | Stadium: Maryland Soccerplex |
Regular season
| Sat Apr 15 1 | Washington Spirit | 0–1 | North Carolina Courage | Boyds, Maryland |
| 3:00 p.m. | Mewis 28' Zardorsky 82' |
[m 1] | Zerboni 18' 70' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 2,407 |
| Sat Apr 22 2 | Orlando Pride | 1–1 | Washington Spirit | Orlando, Florida |
| 4:00 p.m. | Jensen 60' Kallman 65'Huster 75' |
Report Box Score |
Alleway 59' Evans 86' |
Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 14,452 Referee: Karen Abt |
| Sat Apr 29 3 | Washington Spirit | 0–1 | Houston Dash | Boyds, Maryland |
| 7:00 p.m. | Report Box Score |
Ohai 28' Benites 59' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,154 Referee: Christina Unkel |
| Sat May 6 4 | Washington Spirit | 4–3 | Sky Blue FC | Boyds, Maryland |
| 7:00 p.m. | Ordega 6', 56' Simon 26' (o.g.)Solaun 34'Williams 87' |
Report Box Score |
O'Hara 12' Simon 39'Killion 50', 71' (pen.) |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,190 |
| Sat May 13 5 | Seattle Reign FC | 6–2 | Washington Spirit | Seattle, Washington |
| 4:00 p.m. | Christine Nairn 20' Yanez 35'Kawasumi 69'Rapinoe 71' (pen.), 76'Elston 79' |
Report Box Score |
Solaun 60' Mewis 88' |
Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 3,007 Referee: Victor Rivas |
| Sat May 20 6 | Washington Spirit | 0–1 | FC Kansas City | Boyds, Maryland |
| 7:00 p.m. | Ordega 84' |
Report Box Score |
Newfield 39' Saurbrunn 48' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,714 |
| Sat May 27 7 | FC Kansas City | 3–2 | Washington Spirit | Kansas City, Missouri |
| 8:00 p.m. | Leroux 9', 27' Newfield 15'  70'Sauerbrunn 60'Taylor 89' |
Report Box Score |
Mewis 5' Dougherty Howard 39'Solaun 83'Ordega 86' |
Stadium: Swope Soccer Village Attendance: 1,728 |
| Sat June 3 8 | Washington Spirit | 2–0 | Houston Dash | Boyds, Maryland |
| 7:00 p.m. | Williams 3' Pugh 69' |
Report Box Score |
Brooks 63' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,096 |
| Sat June 17 9 | Chicago Red Stars | 1–1 | Washington Spirit | Bridgeview, Illinois |
| 2:50 p.m. | Naughton 31' Press 82' (penalty) |
Report Box Score |
Ordega 42' (Williams) Howard 62'Zadorsky 81' |
Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 3,189 Referee: Christopher Greer Assistant referees: Joshua Haimes, Gjovalin Bori Fourth official: Jeffrey Swartzel |
| Sat June 24 10 | Washington Spirit | 1–0 | Portland Thorns FC | Boyds, Maryland |
| 4:00 p.m. | Ordega 19' |
Report Box Score |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 4,319 |
| Sat July 1 11 | Boston Breakers | 1–0 | Washington Spirit | Boston, Massachusetts |
| 4:00 p.m. | Chapman 62' Purce 72' (White) |
Report | Johnson 64' |
Stadium: Jordan Field Attendance: 2,523 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| Sat July 8 12 | Washington Spirit | 2–2 | Orlando Pride | Boyds, Maryland |
| 4:00 p.m. | Pugh 24' (Ordega), 90' (pen.) |
Report | Marta 10', 56' (pen.) |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 5,200 |
| Sat July 15 13 | Houston Dash | 2–1 | Washington Spirit | Houston, Texas |
| 8:30 p.m. | Poliana 25' (Beckie) Andressinha 53' (Daly)Van Wyk 59' |
Report | Johnson 75' (Solaun) |
Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium Attendance: 3,332 |
| Sat July 22 14 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–1 | Washington Spirit | Portland, Oregon |
| 10:00 p.m. | Sykes 30' Long 62'Weber 80' |
Report Box Score |
Ship 12' Solaun 58'Dydasco 72' |
Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 18,478 |
| Fri August 4 15 | Sky Blue FC | 1–4 | Washington Spirit | Piscataway, New Jersey |
| 7:00 p.m. | Hayes 2' |
Report Box Score |
Ship 51' Church 57'Williams 61'Howard 73'Solaun 87' |
Stadium: Yurcak Field Attendance: 2,496 |
| Tue August 8 16 | Orlando Pride | 3–0 | Washington Spirit | Orlando, Florida |
| 7:00 p.m. | Evans 45' Marta 52'Pereira 57'Umogagu 62'Morgan 64' |
Report Box Score |
Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 4,273 Referee: Christina Unkel |
| Sat August 12 17 | Washington Spirit | 2–2 | Boston Breakers | Boyds, Maryland |
| 4:00 p.m. | Johnson 6' Williams 64' |
Report | Leon 44' 79' Salem 90+5' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,722 Referee:  Danielle Chesky |
| Sat August 19 18 | North Carolina Courage | 2–0 | Washington Spirit | Cary, North Carolina |
| 4:00 p.m. | Hatch 46' Kallman 84' (o.g.)Dahlkemper 90+2' |
Report | Dydasco 55' Farquharson 83' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 3,530 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| Sat August 26 19 | Washington Spirit | 1–2 | Chicago Red Stars | Boyds, Maryland |
| 7:00 p.m. | Williams 81' Johnson 90+3' |
Report | Kristen Mavis 23' Mautz 66'Colaprico 70'Press 87' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,469 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| Wed August 30 20 | Washington Spirit | 2–3 | North Carolina Courage | Boyds, Maryland |
| 7:30 p.m. | Banini 8' Farquharson 23'Huster 45'Williams 73' |
Report | Mewis 45+1' McDonald 61' 66' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 2,365 Referee: Amber O'Connor |
| Sat September 2 21 | Portland Thorns FC | 4–0 | Washington Spirit | Portland, Oregon |
| 4:30 p.m. | Nadim 22' Sinclair 25' 81'Reynolds 36'Sonnett 40' |
Report | Haracic 21' |
Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 19,141 Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva |
| Sun September 10 22 | Sky Blue FC | 1–2 | Washington Spirit | Piscataway, New Jersey |
| 6:00 p.m. | Hayes 43' |
Report | Church 75' Pugh 85' |
Stadium: Yurcak Field Attendance: 2,008 Referee: Becky Pagan |
| Sat September 23 23 | Washington Spirit | 0–3 | Boston Breakers | Boyds, Maryland |
| 7:00 p.m. | Report Box Score |
Dowie 47' Kallman 54' (o.g.)Leon 55'Frisbie 69'White 77' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,475 Referee: Luis Guardia |
| Sat September 30 24 | Washington Spirit | 2–3 | Seattle Reign FC | Boyds, Maryland |
| 7:00 p.m. | Pugh 27', 32' |
Report Box Score |
Fishlock 71', 90' Crummer 83' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,780 Referee: Danielle Chesky |
Regular-season standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina Courage | 24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 38 | 22 | +16 | 49 | NWSL Shield |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC (C) | 24 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 20 | +17 | 47 | NWSL Playoffs |
| 3 | Orlando Pride | 24 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 45 | 31 | +14 | 40 | |
| 4 | Chicago Red Stars | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 39 | |
| 5 | Seattle Reign FC | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 43 | 37 | +6 | 34 | |
| 6 | Sky Blue FC | 24 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 42 | 51 | −9 | 33 | |
| 7 | FC Kansas City | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 29 | 31 | −2 | 31 | |
| 8 | Houston Dash | 24 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 23 | 39 | −16 | 24 | |
| 9 | Boston Breakers | 24 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 24 | 35 | −11 | 19 | |
| 10 | Washington Spirit | 24 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 30 | 48 | −18 | 19 |
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 24 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 30 | 48 | −18 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 16 | 21 | −5 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 27 | −13 |
Last updated: October 1, 2017.
Source: Match reports
Results by round
Updated to match(es) played on October 1, 2017. Source: Match reports
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Postseason playoff
The Spirit struggled to gain any momentum during the 2017 season and were the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention after a home loss to the Chicago Red Stars on August 26 (Week 19).[6]
Squad statistics
Squad statistics are of regular season only
Appearances and goals
- As of October 1, 2017[7]
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | NWSL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Defenders: | |||||||
| 3 | DF | USA |
Caprice Dydasco | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 4 | DF |  CAN |
Shelina Zadorsky | 21 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | USA |
Whitney Church | 22 | 1 | 22 | 1 |
| 6 | DF | USA |
Kassey Kallman | 17 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | USA |
Morgan Proffitt | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | USA |
Alyssa Kleiner | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Midfielders: | |||||||
| 9 | MF |  JAM |
Havana Solaun | 24 | 5 | 24 | 5 |
| 10 | MF |  ARG |
Estefania Banini | 9 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| 15 | MF | USA |
Joanna Lohman | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | USA |
Cameron Castleberry | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | USA |
Kristie Mewis | 8 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| 23 | MF | USA |
Tori Huster | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 24 | MF |  CMR |
Estelle Johnson | 20 | 2 | 20 | 2 |
| 29 | MF | USA |
Megan Dougherty Howard | 23 | 1 | 23 | 1 |
| Forwards: | |||||||
| 2 | FW | USA |
Arielle Ship | 14 | 1 | 14 | 1 |
| 7 | FW |  DEN |
Line Jensen | 9 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| 8 | FW | CAN |
Lindsay Agnew | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | USA |
Mallory Pugh | 16 | 6 | 16 | 6 |
| 12 | FW | USA |
Katie Stengel | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 13 | FW | USA |
Crystal Thomas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | FW |  NGA |
Francisca Ordega | 14 | 4 | 14 | 4 |
| 17 | FW | USA |
Cali Farquharson | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | JAM |
Cheyna Williams | 21 | 5 | 21 | 5 |
| 27 | FW |  CHI |
Yanara Aedo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Italics indicates player left team midway through season.
Goalkeeper Stats
Last updated: October 1, 2017
| No. | Nat | Player | National Women's Soccer League | ||||||||
| GP | GS | MIN | W | L | D | GA | GAA | CS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Stephanie Labbe | 17 | 17 | 1530 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 30 | 1.76 | 2 |
| 18 | | Kelsey Wys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 21 |  | DiDi Haracic | 7 | 7 | 630 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 2.57 | 0 |
Transfers
In
| Date | Player | Number | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 17, 2016 | Kristie Mewis | 19 | MF | Boston Breakers | Trade[8] |
| November 17, 2016 | Kassey Kallman | 6 | DF | Boston Breakers | Trade[8] |
| December 21, 2016 | Havana Solaun | 9 | MF | Seattle Reign FC | Trade for Rights, Signed[9][10] |
| February 10, 2017 | DiDi Haracic | 21 | GK | Washington Spirit Reserves | Signed[11] |
| March 10, 2017 | Lindsay Agnew | 8 | FW | Ohio State | 2017 Draft Pick[12] |
| March 10, 2017 | Megan Dougherty Howard | 29 | MF | Florida | 2017 Draft Pick[12] |
| April 5, 2017 | Arielle Ship | 2 | FW | California | 2017 Draft Pick[13] |
| April 5, 2017 | Cameron Castleberry | 16 | MF | North Carolina | 2017 Draft Pick[13] |
| April 27, 2017 | Crystal Thomas | 13 | FW | Georgetown University | Signed[14] |
| May 13, 2017 | Mallory Pugh | 11 | FW | UCLA | Signed via Distribution Ranking Order[2] |
| June 19, 2017 | Estefanía Banini | 10 | FW |  Valencia Féminas CF | Signed pending international transfer certificate[15] |
| June 27, 2017 | Yanara Aedo | 27 | FW | Valencia Féminas CF | Signed pending international transfer certificate[16] |
| August 23, 2017 | Morgan Proffitt | 12 | MF | Chicago Red Stars | Signed after waived[17] |
Out
| Date | Player | Number | Position | New club | Fee/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 18, 2016 | Estefanía Banini | 10 | MF | Valencia Féminas CF | Free[18] |
| October 19, 2016 | Laura del Rio | 57 | FW | Waived[19] | |
| November 2, 2016 | Ali Krieger | 11 | DF | Orlando Pride | Trade[20] |
| November 17, 2016 | Megan Oyster | 4 | DF | Boston Breakers | Trade[8] |
| April 22, 2016 | Christine Nairn | 7 | MF | Seattle Reign FC | Trade[9] |
| January 2, 2017 | Crystal Dunn | 19 | FW |  Chelsea L.F.C. | Free[21] |
| January 23, 2017 | Diana Matheson | 8 | MF | Seattle Reign FC | Trade[22] |
| May 19, 2017 | Crystal Thomas | 13 | FW | Waived[23] | |
| June 28, 2017 | Katie Stengel | 12 | FW | Boston Breakers | Waived[24] |
| June 28, 2017 | Cameron Castleberry | 16 | MF | Waived[24] | |
| August 21, 2017 | Kristie Mewis | 19 | FW | Chicago Red Stars | Trade for 2018 First round draft pick[25] |
Honors and awards
NWSL Team of the Month
| Month | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | Stephanie Labbé |
Estelle Johnson |
[26] | ||
| June | Stephanie Labbé |
Estelle Johnson |
[27] |
NWSL Weekly Awards
NWSL Player of the Week
| Week | Result | Player | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Won | Francisca Ordega |
[28] |
| 15 | Won | Arielle Ship |
[29] |
| 20 | Won | Whitney Church |
[30] |
NWSL Save of the Week
| Week | Result | Player | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Won | Stephanie Labbé |
[31] |
| 20 | Won | DiDi Haracic Whitney Church |
[32] |
