Rose Lavelle lead the Washington Spirit to a win in their first NWSL Challenge Cup game, as they bead the Chicago Red Stars 2-1 in Utah tonight. Lavelle opened the scoring in the 8th minute and created chances throughout her 66 minutes, while Ashley Hatch scored the eventual game-winner early in the second half. A goal from Morgan Gautrat brought Chicago back into the game, but the Spirit made their one-goal edge stand up.
Arguably the game’s most remarkable moment came before kickoff. Most — but not all — players from both teams opted to kneel during the national anthem in a protest against police violence against Black people nationwide.