The Washington Spirit has so often excelled when faced with adversity over the past 12 months. But Saturday night in Harrison, N.J., Gotham FC put the Spirit in an early hole and, with nearly a dozen players missing from the defending NWSL champions because of injuries or covid-19 protocols, there was no rally in a 1-0 loss.
The Spirit, which entered with four straight draws, was on the back foot from the start, largely thanks to Gotham standout Midge Purce, a former All-Met from Good Counsel. Purce, who grew up in Silver Spring, had one shot blocked, fired one shot wide and had one shot saved by Washington goalie Aubrey Kingsbury — all in the first six minutes.